Jesus Loves the "Little" Children

Jesus Loves the “Little” Children

 “God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things–and the things that are not–to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before Him.” (1 Corinthians 1:28-29)

Our Savior was born in a manger, not in a palace. The announcement of His miraculous birth was made to shepherds, not heads of state. He grew up in obscurity, not even assiduous Luke conveys many facts about His earliest years. He spent His time with fishermen, and dined with sinners of all stripes and kinds. His entrance into the holy city of Jerusalem on the back of a donkey, not leading a procession in a chariot. He owned no property and claimed no land despite having literally formed all of it. He never stepped foot in Rome, the leading city of the world at that time. And was only ushered in front of government functionaries briefly during the sham trials He allowed Himself to be subjected to on His determined road to the cross. There was no great speech to the United Nations, no address to the Roman Senate, not even a State of the Union for the nation of Israel. “just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.” (Matthew 20:27-28) Should there be any wonder then, that Jesus was so drawn to the meekness of children?

Benny was correct to point out to us at the outset that this episode was different from what we’d become accustomed to. It was a “bottle” episode, in tv parlance. Most of the action took place in a single environment and resolved itself mostly around discourse rather than action. But taking this moment to hit “pause” on the storylines we’d been following allowed us a beautiful glimpse into a side of Jesus that often gets overlooked. We know the suffering sacrifice, the wise teacher, the resurrected Savior, but here we see a patient, loving, and even doting Father. In the series, we find Jesus in an encampment all His own, along or near a stream. We watch Him gather wood and food, fastidiously start a small fire for warmth, toiling away on different woodworking projects and in constant, steady prayer. Grateful, calm, inviting, at peace. And along comes a young girl, who first spies the empty camp and gingerly inspects it, driven solely by curiosity. She flees upon hearing someone approach but, from a distance, what she sees of this lone figure leaves her intrigued. After enlisting the aid of another young friend of hers she more brazenly steps forward to assuage her curious questions and assert herself the next day. And what she finds amazes her. Someone that does not treat her like a child, nor is dismissive, demanding, cruel, or patronizing. Someone who with infinitely good nature answers all of her impertinent questions and even shares with her His food. Quiet and calm, kind and understanding, unquestionably wise yet playful and sweet. It was no surprise that she told every other kid she knew about this perplexing stranger and was excited to spend more time with Him.

Like the closing moments of the prior episode, Shabbat, we see Jesus extraordinarily pleased in witnessing our efforts to adhere to Scripture. Our attempts bring Him joy, He does not expect our expertise but is happy that we come to Him with our half-understanding, so we may be made complete. One of the notions Jesus was quick to impart on these young and inquisitive minds is that “everyone has a much larger job than just their trade”. One of the identifiers we wear in our daily lives is our profession. Upon meeting someone new one of the first questions you’ll ask them is “What do you do?” This is important to us and seemingly gives us some form of insight into the stranger in front of us. If we are Christians, what good does it do to know that one is a school teacher, one is a radiologist, one is a piano tuner, or a restauranteur. Those roles should not define who we are or even to a degree what we do. Our calling is far larger than our trade. Benny shared an insight from his former youth pastor. Why do you go to the store? Not to pick up milk and eggs, but to share the Gospel, and while you’re there might as well get some groceries. Why do you go to work? To share the Gospel, and while you’re there you may as well work in such a way that honors God and earns you a paycheck. This, like many aspects of our faith, is a habit (one could say a holy habit!) that requires practice, and thus time, to perfect. A lifetime journey of learning (one could say sanctification) that would best be started, you guessed it, when young. If only we knew then what we know now! But there’s a secret to time travel to the uninitiated. Imagine where you want to be in five years, and start living that way now. We cannot change the past, but we can move forward with purpose and distinction. Our journey may not start when we are children, but we can make our faith more “childlike” and live based on that premise.

The element of sanctification should not be overlooked either. The process of becoming more Christ-like will, by definition, take time. Another quote from the episode, “God does not reveal everything at once.” (One could say, “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens” (Ecclesiastes 3:1) but then again you’d have to be Solomon to do so.) This unfurling reveal of God over a lifetime of service, is it not the very essence of faith? One of the marvelous aspects of children is the pure acceptance of simple faith. While children do attempt to ferret out the questions that they can’t answer themselves (Why, why, why, why, why?) there is also a tacit acceptance of what they don’t understand. At some point the answer, “Because I said so.” is sufficient. If only we could treat God this way. To stop questioning after “Because I say so.” To accept with pure faith that which we cannot reason or deduce. To understand that His bounty is far more fruitful than our plan.

And this episode of The Chosen helps paint a useful picture as to how. “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.” (Colossians 3:17) Another brilliant aspect children seem to share is less of a tendency to take things for granted. They can still recognize the magnitude of small things that so many adults seem to brush on by. We would likely be overwhelmed if we truly stopped to recognize each and every little thing that we have been gifted by our benevolent Creator. And it is this wonderment that is under assault in our world today. The evil brutality of the Hamas attack on Israeli families underscores and provides a dramatic example of the dangers faced by children in our world today. Even in a more understated and less explicitly violent manner, the innocence of childhood is being ripped and torn to shreds by embittered activists desperately eager to inflict their own psychosis on the children of the next generation. The existence of the children portrayed in this episode is almost alien to today’s world. Directly attributable to the despicable acts of adults determined to put themselves before the more helpless.

“When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me.” (1 Corinthians 13:11) This is not an admonition against childhood, but a recognition of adult responsibility. And one responsibility of an adult is to, shepherd-like, guard those less capable from the harms that could befall them. There is a proper progression. God first walked with His people, we grew large enough to sin and make that impossible. Then He guided us, even so far as to appear as pillars of smoke and fire to literally do so. He sent prophets and judges to speak to us in His stead. Then He sent the Messiah. Afterwards came the Holy Spirit, so that He could be with us again, albeit in another fashion. “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.” (John 14:18) We, people that is, started out as children who needed the close guidance of our Parent. We have grown and changed as more of His will has been revealed to us. But we are still His children, we still are in need of our Heavenly Father, and He still pursues us. “But Jesus called the children to Him and said, ‘Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.’” (Luke 18:16-17) What’s the difference, when compared to God, between a little child and a full grown adult? I’m not sure there is too much of one. We are still lost sheep in need of a shepherd, and age and experience are not enough to change that. So retain or regain that childlike wonder, that simple faith, and that enduring curiosity. I’ve often equated the childlike view to that of a “dreamy” view of the world. “Everything can happen. Everything is possible and probable. Time and space do not exist. On a flimsy framework of reality, the imagination spins, weaving new patterns.” (August Strindberg-A Dream Play) Sounds almost Heavenly to me. We follow God who delights in the eccentricities of life. It’s tiniest moment and happening. He delights in our thoughts, in our innermost being, and yearns for us to bring Him our dreams. And little children that we are, He loves us.

Jordan Williamson