If
there is one crucial mistake that children make is assuming that those in the
front seat of the car are oblivious to what goes on in the backseat. They think they are unheard when they start
going on like, “I’m better than you.”
“No, you’re not.” “Yes, I am.” “No, I’m better than you”. “No, you’re not.” “Yes, I am.”
“No, you’re not.” “Yes, I
am.” “Ok. You are better…better at
smelling bad.” That goes on until
somebody gets punched. The parent turns
and asks, “What are you doing back there?”
Knowing that they shouldn’t have been doing what they were doing, the
kids answer “Nothing.” Kids are kids.
The
Twelve Disciples seem to be having a kid’s in the backseat moment here in our
reading. They’re walking along behind Jesus
and seem to believe he doesn’t know what they are debating about. He knows it’s the old “I’m better than you”
bit. When they get home Jesus asks them,
“What were you arguing about?” Knowing
they were on about something they shouldn’t have been on about, they answer,
“Nothing”.
Then
Jesus calls their cards and his psychology is very interesting. It seems he is saying, “If you are going to
act like children, remember you are beloved children of God.” Normally, when kids carry on in the backseat like
that our parental response isn’t so kind.
It’s more like, “Cut it out or I’ll pull this car over and go all
Mohammed Ali on y’all and really show you who’s the greatest.” All things considered, I’m truly in awe at
Jesus’ “parenting style” here. He shows
remarkable restraint. It is powerful
people who will put him to death and the Twelve are arguing which of them is
the greatest. Their denseness had to be
unbelievably frustrating to him.
In
their efforts to understand Jesus, all the Twelve have to go on is their
slightly off the mark, pop-culture beliefs about what the Messiah will do. They are expecting to head to Jerusalem at any
day. Once there, Jesus will set up the
kingdom of God and, like princes, they believe they will sit on thrones right
beside him and rule with him. But, who
will be his right-hand man? Who will be
the greatest? Just a few days before
Jesus had singled out Peter, James, and John and took them up a mountain where
they saw him transfigured and talking with Moses and Elijah. Jesus giving quality time to those three is
probably what set off the arguing among the Twelve as to which of them was the
greatest.
Yet,
who was the greatest among them was a conversation they shouldn’t have
had. Especially, since over the last few
days Jesus had been repeatedly, over and over teaching the Twelve that he was
going to be betrayed into the hands of powerful people who will put him to
death and then on the third day he will rise.
The Twelve were arguing about which of them was the greatest all the
while Jesus had been stressing that those whom the world calls “great” were
going to kill him. Being great by the
world’s standards is not an aspiration his followers should embrace.
Jesus
uses this as a teaching moment. He
teaches them that in his kingdom the truly great ones are those who humbly
serve others. The word Jesus uses for
servant is the word from which we get our word “deacon”. Deacons in general society back in Jesus day
were table-waiters. In the church “the
Deacon” became an official title for those who served others by doing acts of
love or looking after ministries that focused on the real daily needs of
people. Deacons did what food bank
workers and PSW’s do today. Greatness isn’t
having the power to rule over people but rather the humility to serve another
in very hands on, daily needs kind of ways.
Jesus
then made his point by doing something that was quite feminine. He hugged a child. Men back then did not publically show
affection to children. That was a
mother’s domain. Men could teach a child
to fight, or the work of a trade, or how to read, write, and do math, or the
meaning of the Scriptures. Showing
affection to a child, for some odd reason, was showing weakness and therefore
was the domain of the “weaker” gender.
The
Twelve had been childish in arguing over who’s the greatest so Jesus commandeered
a nearby child and placed him in the middle of them. It was probably a child they all knew or even
a child of one of the Twelve. Jesus then
took the child in his arms. He hugged
him. Then Jesus said, “Whoever welcomes
one such child in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me welcomes not me
but the one who sent me.” This would
have been a shocker to the Twelve. They
were expecting to sit on thrones and rule over Israel and here Jesus turns it
all upside-down and tells them to welcome and show hospitality to children –
welcome them, love them, cherish children as valued guests in their lives. If they do that, then they will know what God
is like.
There
is knowledge of God to be gained if we make a spiritual practise out of giving
children space in our lives and treating them as most honoured guests. Showing hospitality to children is a way of
understanding how God welcomes us into God’s own life to share in the loving
relationship that Jesus the Son and God the Father have in the mother-like
embrace of the presence of the Holy Spirit.
One lament that so
many churches have today is that we are all nearly childless. We long for the glory days of lots of
children. Lots of children meant a
successful church. But, parents don’t
bring their kids to church anymore and…that’s okay. It does not mean that we can’t love children
anymore. It means we have to take the
love of Christ to them.
When Jesus hugged
that child and told the Twelve to welcome such a one, I don’t think he had a
program of children’s ministries in mind.
In his day what we would call Christian Education happened in the home
both for Jews and Christians alike.
Parents, particularly fathers taught the faith to their children. I think what Jesus had in mind was our
actually welcoming children into our lives; other people’s children not simply
those of our own families. We don’t need
a program of Children’s Ministries to love children. In the very least all we need is a smile and
a kind face in the grocery story in the grocery store line and the confidence
that stranger danger does not apply to us.
If you live in a neighbourhood and there are children, take a few
minutes to talk to them. After awhile
the awkwardness goes away. Talk to young
parents being careful to listen to them and be helpful and sooner or later they
will discover you’re a follower of Jesus and maybe become interested in Jesus
because of you. Volunteer at a school to
read or to serve breakfast.
Welcome children
into your lives. Take the time to get to know the children that are around
you. The way we welcome children in the
love of Christ into our lives as cherished gifts is the way God has welcomed us
into his own. Welcoming children is how
we adults…who so often carry on like children...learn the nature of how God
loves us as his beloved children. Amen.
