it’s that simple

“At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 18:1-3)

“Mommy! Mommy! Do you see them? Can you see them up there?”  

Because of their purity and innocence children see things we can’t see. Children don’t overcomplicate matters.

Can I explain the gospel to an eight-year-old in school-level simplicity? If not, why am I making it unnecessarily complicated?

Jesus was a simple man, delivering His message in an uncomplicated manner. He told stories people could relate to. What He had to say about how we should live our lives could be summed up in a few words. I will get to those later.

We had the privilege and blessing of having our two grandsons spend two nights with us this week. I would love to share pictures, but I have to respect my son’s request for no public photos.

One of my absolute favorite things to do besides playing with them, is sitting back and merely observing them. Watching our grandsons play and go about their day, observing their inquisitive nature and curiosity, their innocence, their teachability, and their blind trust, particularly with the youngest who is not quite one, I am always in awe of God and His attention to details, especially when it comes to the human brain.  

I am always struck by the reminder of just how simple things are in their world.

Children love unconditionally and trust blindly. They find utter joy in the simplest of things. Their happiness and frustration hinges on very basic needs being met. They give hugs, wet kisses, and snuggles unabashedly.

Jesus loves the little children. All the children of the world, red and yellow, black, and white. They are precious in His sight. Jesus loves the little children of the world. Many of you know this song well. When I was a child my Sunday school teachers and my parents found it important for me to know this truth. I also made sure my sons knew this song and the truth in the lyrics.

So what is my point? Where am I going with this, and what does the scripture from Matthew 18 really mean to us?

Why did Jesus refer to children to make such a powerful example to his disciples? Those are pretty tough consequences; we will NEVER enter the kingdom of heaven if we don’t become like children.

In the post, Become Like Little Children, by Marjorie F. Eddington, she identifies five childlike qualities that have stood out to her in watching her own child grow. Remembering back when I raised my sons, and now as I watch our grandchildren grow, her perspective really resonates with me, and I find these to be good examples of the childlike faith we could benefit holding on to as we age.

Here are examples of Eddington’s five qualities and how they can apply to our adult lives.                                         

(The following five childlike qualities listed are paraphrased from her post.)

Complete trust: Children are completely trusting of their parents. They trust us to feed them, to change their diapers, to hold them, to protect them, to hold them when they need us, it’s complete trust. They do not fear challenges if they are holding the hand of mommy or daddy.

Isn’t that what we need to do with our Parent, our Heavenly Father? Shouldn’t we be completely trusting of Him? No matter what happens in our lives, in work, school, home, we can trust that God is taking care of us. Psalm 91 promises us that, God will be our Refuge and Fortress. God will deliver us from evil. He will be our shelter in the storms, and He will be our comforter, night nor day, we need not fear.

Others may fall around us, but we will not be slain, and angels will watch over us. We will tread and trample over evil. We will be heard and rescued when we call out to God, and we will be satisfied with long life and see salvation!

Letting go and giving our fears and doubts, our pain and hurt, our everything may take some deep breaths, but isn’t that what our babies do? They simply trust. That is what God tells us to do too. He’s got us. Go ahead and jump in.

Receptivity-Teachability-Humility:

I LOVE watching a child learn and discover. I can almost see the wheels turning inside their little head. They have eyes that say, “Teach Me!” They point to everything wanting to know what it is, what it means, can I touch it. In complete surrender and humility they are open to what God is telling them.

As adults we should still be in a state of wonder and awe and want to learn more about God and how He sees His creation, and His children. Remain humble, never assume we have all the knowledge, ask God to, “Teach Us” about Him and His creation. God is infinite and so is His creation. We will never know all there is to know about things so in being receptive, teachable, and humble we are in essence coming to God as a child.

Focus on the Now: It’s fascinating watching a child discover something new. They look at it from every angle, roll it around, often put it in their mouth of course, and are absorbed in the moment of discovery. They are completely wrapped up in the joy of that moment. There is no thinking about the past or what’s ahead of right where they are.

Isn’t this how we should live, absorbed in the present moment with God? How would our lives change if we were completely focused on what God was giving us to work with, to do, to think, to love right here, right now, in this very moment?

We wouldn’t waste time worrying about our career, family, or mistakes we have made. We wouldn’t waste time on the things that steal our joy of the moment, which is truly the only time we really have since yesterday is past and tomorrow is not a promise.

Be present!

Uninhibited Joy: Who doesn’t love the sound of a child’s laughter? Who can resist laughing yourself when you hear that genuine, pure, innocent belly laughter of a child? They delight in the simplest of things- a funny sound, a hand slapping on the water in their tubby, a silly face, a tickle. There is no concern what others will think of them. They are simply joyous.

Wow! What a gift not to feel concerned about how others think of us! Just think how we feel when we express joy without caring what others will think of us. Isn’t that what God wants for us?

Throughout the Bible, we are told to “rejoice.”

Purity: Perhaps one of the greatest gifts children give to the world is their purity. This is one of my absolute favorite things to observe in children. They are untainted and untroubled by worldly concerns, issues, or problems. They go about their day seeing and doing good. Their joy, their very being, is pure, good, and true.

Jesus said, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.” (Matthew 5:8) As adults, we need to seek to have a pure state of thought to truly see and understand God and His kingdom.

In summary, Jesus’ use of children in His statement in Matthew was revolutionary. In the first century, children had virtually no respect. While their families appreciated them, society merely tolerated them. One of the Greek words for child was pais or paidion which can also mean “servant” or “slave.” Yet another, nepois, carries connotations of inexperience, foolishness, and helplessness.  (paraphrased from Gary L. Thomas)

Imagine the astonishment when Jesus places a child in front of the church leaders and people of that day and says, this is the example you are to follow! (ex. Matthew 18:1-9)

Throughout the New Testament, Jesus often used examples of the simple understanding/simple mindedness of children to put the pompous religious leaders who had become so legalistic and prideful, in their place.

These are the reasons Jesus us tell us to become like children. It’s really that simple.

photo credit: sterlinglanier Lanier @sterlinglanier

A side note here, the characteristics listed above are the qualities of children that make them pure. They keep things simple, providing them the ability to connect with Jesus much easier than adults who get jaded with age. While we are to strive to maintain these childlike qualities, we are called to mature in our faith and not remain as children.

“Many Christians grow older but never grow up. They’re stuck in perpetual spiritual infancy, remaining in diapers and booties. One reason is because they never intended to grow. Spiritual growth is not automatic; it takes an intentional commitment. You must want to grow, decide to grow, make an effort to grow, and persist in growing. Discipleship is a fancy word for spiritual growth; it’s the process of becoming like Christ. And it always begins with a decision.” ~Rick Warren

So, keep the qualities of a child, all the while continuing to develop maturity in those childlike qualities through continual spiritual growth.

Another message I believe Jesus was trying to convey in Matthew 18:1-3 is, the Christian life is not that complicated. If Jesus said we are to become like children to enter the kingdom of heaven, then how on earth can following Christ be so complicated.

Children are not complicated beings.

Children are not NEARLY as judgmental and unforgiving as we adults.

WE, (adults) have made it complicated.

WE have eliminated the simplicity of it all.

I recently listened to a podcast with Amy Grant, and she made a statement that at first took me aback coming from her as a Christian leader. It stuck with me for days. I tossed and turned over her words, only to hear them repeated later in the week by another Christian leader I frequently listen to.  

In both cases, Amy, and the other leader mentioned throughout their careers, when they were asked to take a political stand on issues from a Christian perspective, they both said it’s not up to me to judge. “I have two jobs and one prayer. Love God. Love people. Forgive.” [as we are told to forgive in The Lord’s prayer.]

My first thought regarding this statement, was that this is significantly “simplifying or dumbing down” God and the Christian walk.  

What I realize now, after processing it through Matthew 18:3 “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven,” and understanding the context of Jesus using the example of being childlike, in order to put the pompous religious leaders in their place, I have had an epiphany!

FOLKS, IT’S REALLY THAT SIMPLE!!

Two Jobs:

If we love God, we will live our lives in a manner that seeks His will and does His will. We will live as children with complete trust or faith, with a humble spirit, receptive to teaching, living in the present, not our past, not assuming we have tomorrow, we will be joy filled, we will live with pure hearts and minds seeking to understand others, and assuming the best of others.

If we love people, which I am not going to lie, can be the BIGGEST hurdle, but, if we simply love people and leave the judging up to God, then in loving them, especially those who challenge us, we will be serving God and showing Jesus to others through our lives and how we live. Loving people means sharing the gospel with others, loving them unconditionally, but not ignoring or enabling behaviors that can harm them physically or spiritually.

 “But when the Pharisees [A member of an ancient Jewish sect. A legalistic, self-righteous, or hypocritical person.] heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees [the party of high priests, the wealthier elements of the population], they gathered themselves together. One of them, a lawyer, asked Him [Jesus] a question, testing Him, “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?”  And He said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’  “This is the great and foremost commandment.  “The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ (Matthew22:34-38)

Love God. Love people.

One Prayer:

“…forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors…” in some ways this is the hardest part of the Lord’s Prayer. It takes nerve for us to come before God and say forgive me because I have forgiven someone else. I don’t always feel like I am really up to making that kind of claim on God. Forgiveness includes forgiving everyone, every time, of everything, as an act of obedience and gratefulness to God. It acknowledges the sacrifice God made through His Son Jesus who died to restore the relationship between God and man.

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name; thy kingdom come; thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors; and lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. Amen. (The Lord’s Prayer)

 Forgiving is a bit like teaching a child to do something. The parent does it carefully a few times, then steps back and says now you show me. God forgives us and then steps back and says now you show me how to forgive. (paraphrased from justdisciple.com & A conversation with The Archbishop of Canterbury)

“It takes a childlike heart to feel the promptings of the Spirit, to surrender to those commands, and to obey. That is what it takes to be nourished by the good word of God.” ~Henry B. Eyring

And now, for the rest of the story as Paul Harvey used to say.

“Mommy! Mommy! Do you see them? Can you see them up there?

photo credit: Julian Hanslmaier @j_h

My oldest, Anthony, was maybe three or four and he was in the sanctuary (big people church) with me during a baptism. We are a full emersion church with baptism at the “age of accountability.” So, this was an older person being baptized, not an infant. I will never forget the goosebumps I got when he stood up on the church pew and said, “Mommy! Mommy! Do you see them? Can you see them up there? There are angels all around them!”

Something to consider: Do you know Jesus? Do you want to know Him? Can you explain the gospel to an eight-year-old in school-level simplicity? If not, how can you make it less complicated? Is your faith childlike? Are you still in awe of Jesus and what He has done for you?