Coming To Jesus

(Matthew 19:14 KJV) But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven. 

I do not claim to be a theologian or the son of a theologian, but I do claim to understand something about the heart and purposes of the Lord. I am truly amazed at the explanations given by some theologians (whom I have always respected…and still do) on our text.

The fact is, even the best theologians are not infallible when it comes to interpreting the Bible. Having said that I do believe it is possible for one to become so “heady” and detail oriented that the obvious can be overlooked. Overanalyzing a verse does not necessarily lead one to God’s desired intent.

While writing this Meditation I decided to see what some of the theologians had to say about our text. It appeared that in some cases they seemed to be guessing and using human reasoning in their interpretations. That is fine for the common Bible reader, but I expect a lot more from theologians.

Could it be that when Jesus said, “Suffer the little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven”, was because He actually liked kids? Why is it necessary to always make a big deal out of everything?

I remember many years ago when Elvis Presley was making his return back into the spotlight as a singer after being in movies for a long time. He and his band were sitting on a circular platform surrounded by hundreds of fans. He looked great and was dressed in tight black leather pants and jacket.

After Elvis sang to and joked with the audience for a while, one of his band members noticed a piece of fuzz on his face. The band member reached over and picked the piece of fuzz off of his face and as he did a woman from the audience ran up to get the cherished fuzz. At that point Elvis said, “I will never cease to be amazed.”

I have no doubt that in the years following the concert, the story of the fuzz grew significantly each time that woman analyzed it. The fact is, fuzz is fuzz and that is all it is, so why analyze it to death and make it something that it is not?

The same thing is true with our text. I believe that Jesus loved kids just because they were kids. Not only that, but a kid’s faith is pure and I believe that Jesus found that to be refreshing…particularly in light of the fact of the repeated lack of faith he found in His own disciples.

The point I want to make is that one should take some things at face value…like every kid does.

I think that is quite a statement…particularly coming from me because I tend to analyze everything. However, after having said that, I can also say that my faith is like that of a child…I just believe.

Father,

Our text reveals Your heart as much as any teaching, parable or healing You have performed. Thank You Lord for allowing me to see Your wonderful heart by allowing the children to joyously come to You.

Amen