In What Ways Do We Still Need To Learn Like A Child?

Good Morning Friends,

Today we consider a question asked by Jesus about who would be greatest in the kingdom of God, and as a back drop we also consider the relationship between Moses and his disciple, Joshua. The enlightenment here in connecting these two lectionary passages is that Moses and Joshua had a father-son kind bond that foreshadows the relationship of Jesus and God the Father of us all. Moses mentored Joshua and prophetically made him his successor. Joshua, repeatedly, did what Moses told him to do. Jesus repeatedly did what his heavenly Father told him to do. So, Joshua is a precursor of our Lord and exhibited the truly childlike attitude that we are to emulate. So, don’t get confused about the idea of having a childlike faith. That is not what the scripture is telling us. We live in a world where children are abused and misused through that kind of approach and so are some people in religious institutions. Independent thoughts are not always bad. There is safety in a flock, but we need to mature while at the same time seeking the Spirit that keeps us young at heart. Perhaps the key is to have a meekness that honors God. We are to feed on Scripture to be nurtured and matured as well. So now that I am older and hopefully wiser, I wonder what Jesus meant about the way down being the way up. And so, we ask this morning, In What Ways Do We Still Need To Learn Like A Child? 

Scripture: At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” He called a child, whom he put among them, and said, “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever becomes humble like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me. “If any of you put a stumbling block before one of these little ones who believe in me, it would be better for you if a great millstone were fastened around your neck and you were drowned in the depth of the sea. Woe to the world because of stumbling blocks! Occasions for stumbling are bound to come, but woe to the one by whom the stumbling block comes! “If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away; it is better for you to enter life maimed or lame than to have two hands or two feet and to be thrown into the eternal fire. And if your eye causes you to stumble, tear it out and throw it away; it is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and to be thrown into the hell of fire.

Matthew 18:1-14 (NRSV)

When Moses had finished speaking all these words to all Israel, he said to them: “I am now one hundred twenty years old. I am no longer able to get about, and the LORD has told me, ‘You shall not cross over this Jordan.’ The LORD your God himself will cross over before you. He will destroy these nations before you, and you shall dispossess them. Joshua also will cross over before you, as the Lord promised. The Lord will do to them as he did to Sihon and Og, the kings of the Amorites, and to their land, when he destroyed them. The LORD will give them over to you and you shall deal with them in full accord with the command that I have given to you. Be strong and bold; have no fear or dread of them, because it is the LORD your God who goes with you; he will not fail you or forsake you.” Then Moses summoned Joshua and said to him in the sight of all Israel: “Be strong and bold, for you are the one who will go with this people into the land that the LORD has sworn to their ancestors to give them; and you will put them in possession of it. It is the LORD who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not fail you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.”

Deuteronomy 31:1-8 (NRSV)

Message: Jesus has a special affection for understanding the relationship of a child to their parents in a spiritual sense. He helps us to learn much about our own origins and inclinations if we study what Jesus said to children and did for them. In today’s Gospel text we have Jesus asking one of His Socratic questions, probably in response to His disciples bickering over who was the greatest. He asks, “who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” And He uses a little child for an example. The answer is that unless you and I change and regenerate some of our child-like attitudes, we won’t be fit for the kingdom of God at all, let alone be acknowledged as the greatest, which we cannot achieve anyway. I think that Jesus wants us to become children of the Father as He was. And the essence of that childlike attitude, what we always pray for, is both confidence in the love of the Father for us, His children and humility. And this means not worrying about things. Just as good parents provide the essentials for their children, so does our Father in heaven. So too we are to obey the Father in all things. And trust that the Father will give every grace we need to accomplish His will. What God did for His Son, Jesus, we need to believe will be done for us, in every moment of our lives. Whatever challenges we face, whatever opportunities to spread faith we are given, we will confront and even embrace confidently, and gratefully. The manifestation of this in the church is however has had more than its share of missteps. So, as Jesus says in the Gospel, to the extent we adopt a humble attitude of a child, we will attain greatness in the kingdom of the Father. But we still must be wise because evil still exists and false teachers and leaders are common. Children can be easily fooled and led astray. Still when the love is real, a childlike humility can bring honor and growth to God’s people. A person, who humbles himself like a little child, even though that may cause others to ignore him, will be greater in the kingdom of heaven.
We must hope for and believe that Jesus, the Shepherd, leads us to green pastures if we are humble enough to follow and be fed but also realize that Jesus might use our own hands and feet on the journey to help others.

And So, we are not to have a childlike faith in all things but will find it helpful to approach God as a child, stripped of our sins and doubts, full of wide-eyed inspiration that comes from total faith as a child with a loving parent. We are not to expect the pain of punishment but the pleasant provisions of God. Friends, without this meekness we cannot please God, but it does not mean we are to put that attitude at the forefront of all our relationships all the time. Sometimes we need to go boldly before the throne of God with great confidence that God will provide. This is how we become truly free to experience God. What Jesus is telling us is that we are all children of God and that God will provide for us as his heavenly Father provided for him. That is why Jesus tells us that we must change our way of thinking to be fit for heaven. We need be reformed of our pride and ambition and instead desire the Milk and Honey of scripture. Jesus wants us to become children of the Father. And the essence of that childlike attitude, is absolute reliance and confidence in the love of the Father for us, His children, but also a maturing obedience trusting that God will give every grace we need to accomplish His will. Friends, what God did for His Son, Jesus, He will do for us. Whatever challenges we face, whatever opportunities to spread faith we are given, having the right attitude is critical. So, as Jesus says in the Gospel, to the extent we adopt this humble attitude of a child, we will attain greatness in the kingdom of God honoring both our father and mother.

Pray we are born again in the Spirit. Pray we have godly mentors who are not rebellious against God. Pray we learn more about our relationship with God because we come to the relationship with childlike exuberance. Pray we learn to trust God and not worry. Pray
when it comes to our relationship with God that
we are innocent like a child but when it comes to humans, we have great discernment. Pray we are trusting like a child in our prayer life. Pray we believe without complication. Pray we receive with joy. Pray we forget about ourselves and live life with a light-hearted abandonment. Pray we are humble. Pray we are content in the little things. Pray we have faith to move our emotional mountains into our emotional valleys. Pray we are awed by majestic splendor of life and of God. Pray we not become cynical with age. Pray we take to heart God’s Word in all its simplicity. Pray we have faith but also love received and shared that matures our relationships. Pray we believe God will take care of us. Pray we take care of each other. Pray we honor our parents.

Blessings,

John Lawson