1When Jesus had finished these words, he departed from Galilee and came into the borders of Judea beyond the Jordan. 2Great multitudes followed him, and he healed them there.
3Pharisees came to him, testing him and saying, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any reason?”
4He answered, “Haven’t you read that he who made them from the beginning made them male and female, 5and said, ‘For this cause a man shall leave his father and mother, and shall be joined to his wife; and the two shall become one flesh?’ 6So that they are no more two, but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, don’t let man tear apart.”
7They asked him, “Why then did Moses command us to give her a certificate of divorce and divorce her?”
8He said to them, “Moses, because of the hardness of your hearts, allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it has not been so. 9I tell you that whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery; and he who marries her when she is divorced commits adultery.”
10His disciples said to him, “If this is the case of the man with his wife, it is not expedient to marry.”
11But he said to them, “Not all men can receive this saying, but those to whom it is given. 12For there are eunuchs who were born that way from their mother’s womb, and there are eunuchs who were made eunuchs by men; and there are eunuchs who made themselves eunuchs for the Kingdom of Heaven’s sake. He who is able to receive it, let him receive it.”
13Then little children were brought to him that he should lay his hands on them and pray; and the disciples rebuked them. 14But Jesus said, “Allow the little children, and don’t forbid them to come to me; for the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to ones like these.” 15He laid his hands on them, and departed from there.
16Behold, one came to him and said, “Good teacher, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?”
17He said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good but one, that is, God. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.”
18He said to him, “Which ones?”
Jesus said, “‘You shall not murder.’ ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ ‘You shall not steal.’ ‘You shall not offer false testimony.’ 19‘Honor your father and your mother.’ And, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’”
20The young man said to him, “All these things I have observed from my youth. What do I still lack?”
21Jesus said to him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have, and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” 22But when the young man heard this, he went away sad, for he was one who had great possessions.
23Jesus said to his disciples, “Most certainly I say to you, a rich man will enter into the Kingdom of Heaven with difficulty. 24Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through a needle’s eye than for a rich man to enter into God’s Kingdom.”
25When the disciples heard it, they were exceedingly astonished, saying, “Who then can be saved?”
26Looking at them, Jesus said, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
27Then Peter answered, “Behold, we have left everything and followed you. What then will we have?”
28Jesus said to them, “Most certainly I tell you that you who have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of Man will sit on the throne of his glory, you also will sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 29Everyone who has left houses, or brothers, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name’s sake, will receive one hundred times, and will inherit eternal life. 30But many will be last who are first, and first who are last.
13 Then little children were brought to him that he should lay his hands on them and pray; and the disciples rebuked them. 14 But Jesus said, “Allow the little children, and don’t forbid them to come to me; for the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to ones like these.”15 He laid his hands on them, and departed from there.
Have you ever noticed the difference in attitudes between adults and children? Jesus says that the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to those who are like children. For most of us childhood has some really great memories. Unless something is terribly broken and dysfunctional, a child has a deep, innate trust in his or her parents. They rely on their parents for hugs, a place to sleep, and a safe person to run to with their pains and hurts. A believer who trusts Jesus in such a way is experiencing the Kingdom of God. Likewise, children don’t overcomplicate things. They see the macaroni and the hot dog on the plate, and they’re not overly concerned as to its nutritional value. They know it is tasty and they want to eat it. Kids are straightforward. A childlike attitude toward Jesus doesn’t try to overthink things. It doesn’t try to outthink God.
Do you remember the awe and wonder you experienced as a child? I had a pair of PF Flyers tennis shoes. I literally believed that they were magic. I was in awe of them. I honestly thought that they made me fly, even if it was just over a 4-5 foot clover patch. I remember running, jumping, and being amazed at how they made me fly. When I dove off the bunkbed and didn’t stay airborne, I learned that those tennis shoes had their limits. The wonderful thing is that the awe of God has no limits. Do you remember the awe you first had when you came to faith in Christ? You may have sat for hours in wonder at the God of the Universe who cared enough for you that He reached down and saved you.
And then you had that humble spirit of a child when you were exposed to something that you had never seen. I remember looking up in wonder as a small boy at Camp Peniel in Central Texas and seeing so many stars in the sky. I wondered how God could even know who I was. It was a complete humility found only in a wondrous child. That’s the kind of humility that He wants from us even now. Another childlike attitude was our ability to forgive someone who had wronged us. We easily forgot a wrong done, and we were quick to forgive. Such an attitude is childlike and is experienced in the Kingdom of God.
I also remember the joys that I experienced as a child. There was the joy of crawling up into my mother’s lap. There was the joy of blowing out the candles on the birthday cake cooked by my precious grandmother. She made me a cake with green icing and put a ceramic cow in the middle of the pasture. I was gleeful as I looked at that cake. That was a kind of joy that God wants me and you to experience in Kingdom living. He wants us to experience that childlikeness in our relationship with Him.
Jesus was clear in Matthew 18:3-4 that we need to get back to that kind of joy, trust, delight, forgiveness, humility, and all the other things you knew as a child.
He said, “3 …, “Most certainly I tell you, unless you turn and become as little children, you will in no way enter into the Kingdom of Heaven.4 Whoever therefore humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven.” (Matthew 18:3-4 WEB) Pray that He might restore that childlike heart back into you.