One day some parents brought their children to Jesus so he could touch and bless them. But the disciples scolded the parents for bothering him. When Jesus saw what was happening, he was angry with his disciples. He said to them, “Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of God belongs to those who are like these children. I tell you the truth, anyone who doesn’t receive the Kingdom of God like a child will never enter it.”Then he took the children in his arms and placed his hands on their heads and blessed them.
[Mark 10:13-16]

Reading over this passage of scripture, I wondered why the disciples reacted in such a way to these families. It’s easy to look at the story and think, why in the world would the disciples want to prevent these precious children from seeing Jesus! But then the planner in me thinks these children were probably not perfectly quiet and lined up waiting to be blessed by Jesus. More likely, they were probably running around excited to see Him. Maybe they didn’t have the “proper reverence” that the disciples thought they should have when encountering their Lord and thought it would be a bother to Him. Let’s take a step back. As adults, are we better suited to approach our Lord than a child? Is it because of our extra knowledge or ability to control ourselves in social situations that Jesus would be more pleased to entertain adults in His presence? The truth of the matter is that God understands who we are; that we are like mist here today and gone tomorrow. Yet He cares deeply for us and finds value in His creation, young and old. God does not require perfection before we can approach him; He desires for us to step into His light so that we can be changed! 

Children encounter the world with a sense of wonder and innocence. Adults can be frozen with indecision trying to understand exactly how something will work out before they make a move while a child often rushes into action, not thinking of all the consequences. Jesus makes it very clear how he wants us to approach Him, “Anyone who doesn’t receive the Kingdom of God like a child will never enter it”. Spurgeon puts it so beautifully, “the little child has no prejudices, no preconceived theories nor opinions it cannot give up. It believes what Jesus says.” You may be thinking, but how could I possibly come to God as I am, unprepared, unworthy? Repentance is turning away from sin and turning to God. It can only be done in a truly God honoring way when someone approaches it with humility, asking the Lord to meet him at his end, where he can do nothing else but believe that God can transform his life. Come to Jesus as the sinner you are, trust in this simple truth. God loves you, Jesus died for you. Come as you are, sinfulness and all. In His light you will see all the more clearly the places in your life that need to be transformed by the Holy Spirit. God knows you are a mere human and He is more than able to transform your wickedness into good.

We must take responsibility for our sin, praying and believing that He can restore us. What prevents me from repentance? I quickly realize, it’s not just one thing. Acknowledging sin out loud confirms that is true and needs to be stopped. It is easy to downplay and minimize unspoken sin. Acknowledging sin to someone in the Body may affect how that person views you. But true, godly repentance will uphold truth and humility above all else serving to edify and encourage the Body as well as individual believers. When we repent of our sins and turn to God, he will wipe them away (Acts 3:19). May we treasure the words of our King Jesus as required to receive His kingdom in this life in part, and in fullness, the life to come: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (Matthew 4:17)

Closing Prayer

God of mercy, you are full of tenderness and compassion, slow to anger, rich in mercy, and always ready to forgive. Grant us grace to renounce all evil and to cling to Christ, that in every way we may prove to be your loving children, through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.
[Worship Sourcebook]

This is part of a series of Lent related blog posts written by various members of The Crossroad body and inspired by the free devotional guide Journey To The Cross. Closing Prayer added from The Worship Sourcebook.