Title: Reception of Jesus / Mark 10:13-16
Contents May is Family Month. Of the 365 days a year, there are only two days related to the family. Those days are Mother's Day and Children's Day. It is unlikely that there will be an old man's day, and there is probably no youth day. There are only Children's Day and Mother's Day in particular.
This is because two objects are the most important objects in the world. Children and parents, how precious are these? Children are the object of attention and parents are the object to be praised for their hard work.
Sometimes when you go home and there are no children to be with, the feeling of loneliness is great. So, a family without children is lonely even if they have all the gold. That is why mothers in this world give birth to children without hesitation of the pain.
And how great is the presence of parents? They say that little children are precious in the world, but can you think of a child without a parent? There can be no children without parents, but even if they exist, their existence is bound to be a bummer.
Today is Children's Day, so we should have a new mind about children.
In today's Bible, when Jesus passed through his heart, mothers came out with their children. And he waited for Jesus to touch him. Perhaps they came together to stand in front of each other first. Then the disciples rebuked them. He may have stopped for the sake of order.
Then Jesus said "Do not forbid little children to come to me, for theirs is the kingdom of God." The Gospel of Matthew says, "Unless you are like these little children, you cannot enter the kingdom of heaven." And Jesus took the little children in his arms and laid his hands on them.
Since ancient times, it has been said that in order to become a great person, you must have a character that likes young children. Those in power who hate children are prone to becoming tyrants. When Jesus welcomed, embraced, and laid his hands on the children, he said, "Heaven is a place for children."
Why did Jesus say this? This is what the Bible says about children.
First, young children are the object of protection.
It is said that little children have angels of protection. (Matthew 18:10) “Be careful not to despise any of these little ones, I tell you, for their angels from heaven always see the face of my Father who is in heaven.” It means that God sends angels to protect children who do not have independent will, cannot stand on their own, have neither judgment nor determination. This means that God cares so much for young children.
In Jewish tradition, there is a saying that "the mothers of the world are the guardian angels of the little children sent by God." It is saying that God Himself could not take care of the children of the world, so He sent mothers. That is why God has entrusted custody to the mothers of the world. So a little child is my child, but at the same time not my child. They are just the nurturers that God has entrusted to them.
Abusing, ignoring, abandoning, or committing suicide with young children is not forgiven by the laws of the world, but neither is God. That is why children are protected by the laws of the world. Because children are the object of protection.
The second is that the little child is a citizen of heaven.
“Let the children come to me, and do not forbid them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such.” A person's qualification to go to heaven is chastity. It is purity of mind, spirit, and body. Children are citizens of heaven. These verses praise the purity of children.
The disciples asked the Lord, "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?" I asked. The Lord's answer was, "He who humbles himself like a little child." This verse emphasizes the humility and purity of a child. He said that anyone who causes such a young child to stumble should rather carry a millstone around their neck and go into the sea and drown. The Lord has never spoken with such a strong tone and such extreme expression. He was only strong when it came to making children stumble. That is why the Lord's interest in children was great.
If we look at the history, we can see that there must be a judgment of God when children are abused. The reason that the Herod dynasty collapsed is because the two-year-old children born before and after Jesus' birth mercilessly died in order to maintain the throne. According to Jewish tradition, at that time, "God also shed tears." When it comes to tyrants, they don't even care about small children to maintain power. Did God see this evil and forgive him? In the end, the Herod dynasty was judged by God, and it was destroyed.
It is the same principle that the Joseon Dynasty collapsed. When the static is removed due to a power struggle between the speculative factions such as the southerners, the northerners, the Noron, and the Soron, it is not just the static. They killed their offspring, even the little ones who were growing up. Because when they grew up, they often took revenge again. Could he have escaped his judgment? so it's messed up.
So did Nazi Germany. Hitler had a strong hatred of Jews and even killed a child lying on his back by throwing him into a gas chamber. And their corpses were used to make soap and to make fire oil on the battlefield. How can that power last forever?
So did Japanese militarism. As there was a shortage of young people who could go out and fight on the battlefield, even underage children were sent to the battlefield with bamboo guns, and they formed a suicide squadron and trained them to self-destruct and die by having them jump into an enemy warship by organizing a suicide squadron. It's called the Kamikaze Special Forces.
God's name is sharp. It is said that those eyes can see through the hidden lungs of humans. Even after the fall of Judah and the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem, Jesus' attention remained focused on the children.
"Do not forbid little children to come to me, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." Little children are scary creatures. Because God's interest is with them.
The third child is said to be the conscience of the world.
Certainly the little child is the conscience and accuser of the world. Sometimes it's embarrassing for adults.
A father made and sold junk food. And he told his children not to eat it because it was harmful to the body. An immature child asks his father. The little boy asked another strange question when he said, "Why are you making and selling it because it's difficult?" “What are you going to do with that kind of money?”
My father was speechless. No children. So, the father slapped the child's head in the head, and gave a hard answer. “Hey, isn’t everyone doing this to feed you guys?”
This kid went to school and wrote in writing class. "My father makes and sells bulk food, but he doesn't want us to eat it." It is said that this article became a clue, and the father was accused and arrested. So the little child is the conscience and the accuser of the world. Who can blame these kids?
Garfield is one of the most successful presidents of the United States. When I was about to graduate from elementary school, my homeroom teacher called each one and asked what my hopes were for the future. "What kind of person do you want to be when you grow up after this?" All the children's responses were brilliant.
When it was his turn, Garfield responded politely. "I want to be a general, I want to be a rich boss, I want to be the president, too. But I want to be a human being first." The teachers who were listening to this answer each thought, “What kind of person will this child become in the future?” He grew up and became the 20th president of the United States.
Entrusting guns and knives to soldiers who are not in human condition will cause a coup d'etat. Giving power to a person whose human condition is weak leads to corruption and abuse of power, and giving a lot of material to a person who has not yet met the human condition will make him a bad person.
So the Lord said, "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?" When asked, he replied, "I am like a child." This saying is that the little child is the conscience of the world.
The Apostle Paul told us to nurture, educate, admonish, and teach with the Word of God, written by the inspiration of God from an early age. Because children are so precious.
Today is Children's Day. We should have new interest and affection for the little children God has given us. And consider whether you are raising them well according to God's will.
Because they are the great ones in heaven.