Wednesday 28 November 2007

Background

At first glance this seems a strange reading in the middle of aweek of readings on 'Christ the King'. But it does give us anexample of Jesus' teaching about the 'kingdom of God'. It alsoillustrates the way Jesus lived out and demonstrated the values andlife of that new kingdom.

The 'kingdom of God' is a key idea in Jesus' message, as we seefrom the beginning of his ministry in Mark 1:15. The'kingdom of God' is not a place in the way that the United Kingdomis a place, or at least it is not a place yet. The great hope ofthe Old Testament was that Jerusalem and Judah and then the wholeworld would be that place eventually, but those days were yet tocome.

Jesus begins his ministry by announcing that that time is near. Inthe meantime people can 'enter' this kingdom. They can begin livingas if it has arrived, begin living by its new values and in its newways.

Living under the new 'rule' of God, with him as their king, isdifferent and radical. For example, as in this passage, childrenmatter in this new kingdom. In the old one they didn't matter muchat all. The disciples were just doing what adults did, getting thechildren out of the way, putting them in their place, neither to beseen nor heard.

Jesus takes a very different line. This rabbi does an unheard ofthing, he welcomes the children - just as he welcomed women,tax-collectors, prostitutes, lepers, the sick and outcasts ingeneral. This was another powerful demonstration of who were thecitizens of this new kingdom.

And don't ask me what 'receiving the kingdom of God as a littlechild' means. Every commentary has a different suggestion. Thosecommentators who know some nice children say it refers to thehumility, innocence or gratitude of children. Others say that itrefers to how children want everything 'now!' and grab what theywant.

To Ponder

No wonder good, honest and faithful peoplecouldn't understand Jesus sometimes. No wonder they werescandalised and offended. I would have been, given the conventionsof the time, and I bet you would have been too. Think about somemodern equivalents of the people he accepted and welcomed and seehow you feel.

What do you think 'receiving the kingdom of Godas a little child' could mean?