Monday, March 2, 2015
Today’ Scripture: Mark 10:13-16 and Mark 9:33-37
"Let the little children come to me; do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs. Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it." (Mark 10:14-15)
“Real success in the kingdom of God is not about being strong and looking good and knowing all the right answers. It's about continually yielding oneself to Jesus and determining to take purposeful little steps of obedience, and the ragged reality that it's all about God and His grace at work in us.” ― Mary Beth Chapman, Choosing to SEE
Rabbis of Jesus time used the expression, “to take upon oneself the Kingdom of God” which they meant the scrupulous observance of the Torah. Jesus was comparing this expression, “whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it," (10:15) that to enter the kingdom of God is something other than scrupulous observance of the Torah.
Jesus announced God’s kingdom coming as a gift and as an experience into which, if they have the receptiveness of a child, individuals may enter here and now. The comparison is not so much the innocence, humility or obedience of children; it is rather the fact that children are at ease, receptive, and content to be dependent upon others’ care and bounty. Though this is not the only comparison which can be understood in this passage about children and the kingdom. In Mark, this is the first time Jesus directly associates the kingdom of God with little children.
Mark 10:13-16 must be seen in light of Mark 9:33-37 and that both of these references to a child build not primarily on assumed characteristics of children but rather on their social status in the first-century world. Using children as a comparison to the kingdom because the disciples attempt to chase the children away, Jesus is speaking of those marginalized and dominated in society, like women, the poor, the unclean and children. The child was the “least” in familial and societal structures. Jesus was inviting his disciples into a new reality of community and family, where the “least” becomes the model for discipleship where the disciple takes up the powerlessness and vulnerability of the child.
The kingdom of God is something that has been given. While God’s kingdom can “belong” to the children as something already possessed, it is also described as a gift that awaits our possessing. It will be inherited. The meek, Jesus said, “will inherit the earth” (Matt. 5:5). Paul in turn speaks of those who “will not inherit the Kingdom of God.” (1 Cor. 6:9-10; 15:50; Gal. 5:20; Eph. 5:5)
In addition to being a gift, the kingdom of God is equally a realm one enters. Here the imagery is quite different, for the kingdom of God is cast as a domain into which one moves. It meets everyone with God’s welcome in Jesus’ invitation.
The kingdom of God is, also, a gift one receives. It is a gift of God’s making, freely given. It calls for the simple, trusting act of receiving as the simple act of a child receiving a gift from a parent. The kingdom of God is something that has been given. “Do not be afraid little flock,” says Jesus, “for it is your father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” (Luke 12:32) It is something, then, that one can possess now.
These verbs, belong, receive, enter, represent dominant images embedded throughout the New Testament’s discussion of the relationship between the people of God and the kingdom of God. Taken together they indicate the appropriate way for community to live when it has been captured by the presence of God’s kingdom.
Mark 10:13-16 ends by describing Jesus’ action: after taking the little children into his arms, he blessed them by placing his hands on them. His action embodies the dynamic of God’s kingdom: welcoming and blessing the children embodies God’s gracious reception of the vulnerable and needy. This short experience with Jesus and his disciples offers readers the kingdom of God both as a gift and a responsibility to be God’s sent people into their communities. On the one hand, “receiving the kingdom as a little child” implies the welcome and blessing of Jesus for us as we recognize ourselves to be as vulnerable and needy as a little child. Presence in God’s kingdom is sheer gift. Yet, on the other hand, the kingdom also invites responsible action on our part. By embracing a little vulnerable child we are welcoming Jesus (and thus God) and receiving the kingdom. Receive the Kingdom of God when it approaches in the form of a child.
Today’s Lectionary Readings
Morning: Psalms 84; 150
Evening: Psalms 42; 32
Jeremiah 1:1–10
1 Corinthians 3:11–23
Mark 3:31–4:9
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