Get Your Kid On

Luke 18:16-17 - But Jesus called them to him, saying, “Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.”

There must be more pictures painted and drawn of Jesus inviting the children to come to him than almost any other passage in the bible, save the cross itself. There is something incredibly compelling about this story that can touch the heart of any parent or grandparent and vindicate any child who has felt worthless until adulthood.

Some parents wanted Jesus to touch and pray for their children. If you ever had a screaming child at the next table in a nice restaurant or a visiting niece or nephew who destroyed one of your favorite curios, perhaps you can understand why the well-meaning, but misguided, disciples were trying to spare Jesus from the annoyance of those children. He had “more important” things to do than deal with some snot-nosed kids. Yet, Jesus did not view those children as annoyance. Instead he saw them as a joy and an opportunity for all to learn, especially the adults there.

Most people who will ever become Christians will do so before age 12. We need to ensure that we do what we can to help children come to Jesus. It is not by accident that as Dean of Southeastern University’s College of Christian Ministry and Religion I get more job opportunities for our graduates to serve as children’s pastors than any other position. I had the joy in June of helping with our church’s summer outreach to underprivileged children. As they heard the story of Jesus, they got it. They believed it. Certainly they returned home to tough circumstances: not knowing their fathers or having them in jail, mothers addicted to drugs, older siblings in gangs, etc. Yet, the greatest thing was to see some older teens who had been through the program in their elementary years coming back to serve, still believing in Jesus, succeeding in school, earning scholarships to college, and serving as living proof of the life-transforming power of the Gospel of Christ.

As Jesus says in verse 17, even adults need to adopt some childlike behavior to enter the kingdom of God. Jesus does not specify exact what traits he is looking for, but it is easy to imagine what he means if you spend time with children discussing spiritual things. Children are more open to spiritual things on average. They see with a clarity and simplicity that we adults struggle to obtain. They trust easily and believe completely. Let’s “get our kid on” today.