People were bringing children to Jesus that he might touch them, but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw this he became indignant and said to them, “Let the children come to me; do not prevent them, for the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Amen, I say to you, whoever does not accept the Kingdom of God like a child will not enter it.” Then he embraced the children and blessed them, placing his hands on them.
Reflection:
“Amen, I say to you, whoever does not accept the Kingdom of God like a child will not enter it.”
Wow! I do not know about you, but I would really like to enter the Kingdom of God. How do I accept the Kingdom of God like a child?
Today’s Gospel is one I have heard many times through out my life. When I was a child, I would imagine being one of the children. Have you ever imagined you were in one of the stories from the Bible?
If you and I were there with Jesus, would we be one of the disciples, would we be in the crowd of people, or would we be one of the children?
We have an idea of why the disciples are with Jesus, but who were the people that were bringing the children to Jesus? Why were they there?
If we look at the beginning of Chapter 10 of Mark, it says, “He set out from there and went into the district of Judea across the Jordan. Again crowds gathered around him and, as was his custom, he again taught them.”
From this context, I would imagine they are there because they wanted to learn from Jesus. I imagine, that the disciples are there, because they want to learn from Jesus too.
So, who was Jesus talking to when He said, “Amen, I say to you, whoever does not accept the Kingdom of God like a child will not enter it.” Jesus was speaking to those present to Him. You and I can also be present to Jesus as these words fill our heart and mind.
Now, how do we accept the Kingdom of God like a child?
Did you know that in our PAPA Handbook on page 66, letter i. It says, “The 3-L’s: How to live? Love, Laugh, Learn”. Our PAPA Handbook is a wonderful companion guide to help us learn to be more like Jesus.
Imagine that! The 3-L’s on How to live could help us to accept the Kingdom of God like a child. Who do we know that Loves, Laughs, and Learns everyday? A child.
It may not exactly be that simple, but since I have been walking with Jesus through the Scriptures in our PAPA FACE ZBS, I have learned that Jesus was very simple.
May God bless us all as we continue to live by Loving, Laughing and Learning.
Comments