Like a Child

Jim Bucklew
Written By Jeff Rybacki
 
“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 18:2-3 (ESV)

So, what does Jesus mean here by, “turn and become like children”? 

Is He referring to blind faith, ignorance, or naivete? Probably not. Elsewhere in Scripture, Jesus told His disciples to be, “wise as serpents and innocent as doves” (Mt 10:16). Paul wrote to the Corinthian believers, “Brothers, do not be children in your thinking. Be infants in evil, but in your thinking be mature” (1Co 14:20). Jesus wants us to be well-grounded. In Ephesians 4:13-14, Paul exhorts believers to grow in their faith so that we can all: “attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.” So obviously it’s not simple ignorance Jesus is after.

Does He mean we are to be careless, frivolous, foolish, or irresponsible? Children (and young adults for that matter) tend to think of themselves as invincible. It’s probably because they haven’t lived long enough to see all of the “What if’s” that actually happen to people. That, and they haven’t had time to learn all of the natural physics of the world – such as discovering that plastic trash bags DO NOT make good parachutes for jumping off of a shed roof. Paul wrote: “Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is” (Eph 5:15-17). Prov 3:13 reminds us that, “Blessed is the one who finds wisdom, and the one who gets understanding,” while verse 35 concludes, “The wise will inherit honor, but fools get disgrace.” Being foolishly careless is not the answer.

In the NIV translation, the word “turn” in verse 3 of our passage is translated “change.” In the KJV and NASB translations, it becomes “be converted” and “are converted,” respectively. The idea of being “converted” reminds me of what Jesus said to Nicodemus in John 3:3: “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Obviously, the natural implication of being “born again” would be to become an infant/child again (thus thought Nicodemus, judging from his response in verse 4). So is conversion, or being “born again” all that Jesus is getting at here? Probably not, based upon the context in which we find this passage. The verse immediately preceding our passage (Mt 18:1) says, “At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, ‘Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” We find out from Mark and Luke that the disciples weren’t just innocently curious; they were arguing about it (Mk 9:33-37; Lk 9:46-48). They were jostling for position. Luke gives us a bit more insight to the situation by telling us that Jesus knew the reasoning of their hearts (Lk 9:47) – He was addressing a heart issue, and a significant one, at that. 

So what characteristic(s) of children does Jesus want us to have?

Well, for one thing, children don’t worry as much as adults do. The older we get, the more life we experience and see/observe. The more we see/observe, the more we begin to acknowledge what could happen, and so we fret or worry more. The downside to fearlessness is that sometimes children take foolish risks (see above); but at the same time, they’re also not paralyzed by fear. We’ve already seen that Jesus wants us to be wise/shrewd, but He also wants us to be free from worry (see Mt 6:25-34). That requires trust. Children find it easier to trust. They are less likely to doubt or be skeptical. Jesus tells us in John 14:1, “Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in Me.” (NLT) 

How about obedience? Certainly in Jesus’ day, and for the most part even today, younger children were/are more likely to respect and obey those in authority over them. Samuel said to Saul in 1 Samuel 15:22, “Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams.” Jesus said, “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments” (Jn 14:15).

Now somewhere along the way, hopefully most adults begin to develop a sense of responsibility. Children – not so much. They tend to depend on others for provision, protection and guidance. They also depend on others to set boundaries. The problem is, when adults bring that sense of responsibility into their faith walk, they tend to want to handle most things on their own. They don’t want to bother God with the “small stuff.” Unfortunately, sometimes beneath that appearance of responsibility lies something ugly – pride. Children – especially in the New Testament times – had a fairly low social status, and they knew it. There is absolutely no place for human pride or arrogance in heaven. God wants us to lay our worries, fears, and burdens at His feet and let Him do the heavy lifting. He wants us to put our trust in Him. He wants our humble, willing obedience. He wants us to come to Him like children.

Psalm 131:1-2

My heart is not proud, LORD, my eyes are not haughty;

I do not concern myself with great matters or things too wonderful for me.
But I have calmed and quieted myself, I am like a weaned child with its mother;
like a weaned child I am content.

(NIV)

 
Jeff Rybacki
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