As our adopted granny lay in her hospital bed after suffering several strokes, her doctors were unsure of the amount of brain damage she had endured. They needed to wait until she was a bit better to test her brain function. She spoke very few words and even fewer were understandable. But when the eighty-six-year-old woman—who had babysat my daughter for twelve years—saw me, she opened her parched mouth and asked: “How is Kayla?” The first words she spoke to me were about my child whom she had loved so freely and fully.
Jesus loved children too and put them in the forefront even though His disciples disapproved. Some parents would seek out Christ and present their children to Him. He chose to bless the children as He “[placed] his hands on them” (Luke 18:15). But not everyone was happy that He was blessing little ones. The disciples scolded the parents and asked them to stop bothering Jesus. But He intervened and said, “Let the little children come to me” (v. 16). He called them an example of how we should receive God’s kingdom—with simple dependence, trust and sincerity.
Young children rarely have a hidden agenda. What you see is what you get. As our heavenly Father helps us regain child-like trust, may our faith and dependence on Him be as open as a child’s.
By Katara Patton
REFLECT & PRAY
How can you imitate a child’s sincerity in your relationship with God? How do you bless children in your family and community?
Father, help me to be as open and sincere as a child as I receive Your kingdom.
SCRIPTURE INSIGHT
Each of the four gospels has a primary feature that the writer, under the Spirit’s inspiration, uses to tell the story of Jesus. For example, in Matthew, the telling of the story is wrapped around five major teaching blocks that mirror the five books of Moses (Genesis–Deuteronomy). In Mark, Jesus first reveals who He is then prepares the disciples for why He came. John’s gospel focuses on miracles that prove His identity.
In Luke’s gospel, the main feature is often referred to as “Jesus’ journey to Jerusalem.” It begins when Christ “set out for Jerusalem” (9:51) and concludes at the triumphal entry (19:28–48). The gospel of Luke was the product of careful research (1:1–4) meant to prepare the reader for what was coming at Jerusalem—the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. It’s amazing how the Holy Spirit used different men with very different strategies to tell the greatest story ever told.
