Check it out: Read Luke 18:16 NLT: Then Jesus called for the children and said to the disciples, "Let the children come to me. Don't stop them! For the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I assure you, anyone who doesn't have their kind of faith will never get into the Kingdom of God."
Now, let's wonder a minute...
These were little children, daycare-age, who were dependent and vulnerable; they were a long way from their potential adult value. Yet Jesus saw their worth and welcomed them as is... he blessed them... he expressed the good in them, before they were capable of seeing it in themselves. He opened the Kingdom door for them and without thought of positioning, or planning, or posturing they walked in.
The context here puts the focus not on their innocence, but on their lack of prominence in the culture. Little children were powerless; they had not earned status, or acclaim. Their potential had yet to be discovered. And, they had yet to be warped by control issues, or power plays, or political agendas. They didn't count in the adult world, so what could they bring to the Kingdom?
Nothing! That's it... nothing. It's not their Kingdom. They are just glad for the invite.
Are we there yet?
The secret behind this upside-down teaching of Jesus is that position, power, and prestige even in religious people is not what makes them Kingdom-worthy. We are not invited into the Kingdom because we are so strong, or good, or powerful. Church membership, years of Sunday School attendance, holy titles, an evangelical pedigree, the study of theology, doctrinal orthodoxy, and Christian friends don't open Kingdom doors. The only thing that opens the doors of the Kingdom is your personal awareness of your total need for God. That makes it all a 'God Thing.'
Jesus is still opening Kingdom doors for those who have nothing to bring, even if he has to knock us back to childhood for us get it!
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