Day 18: Come As You Are

Read Mark 9-10

And they were bringing children to him that he might touch them, and the disciples rebuked them. But when Jesus saw it, he was indignant and said to them, “Let the children come to me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.” And he took them in his arms. -Mark 10:13-16

Think of a child; what are characteristics that come into your mind? For me, I think of a little boy or girl, pure and innocent, eagerly taking in a whole new world. A child is full of love, easily trusting, open to being taught, quick to forgive, and completely dependent on his/her parents. As adults we are immediately taught to be self-sufficient and rely on ourselves; we strive to be ‘perfect’ in our own eyes and the eyes of others. This skewed mentality impacts how we approach God; believing that we must be ‘put together’ prior to approaching Jesus.

With this broken mentality, we are quick to put aside those who are opposite of these convictions just as the disciples did in verse 13. “The disciples rebuked them [children]," because instead of seeing them with the eyes of Jesus, the disciples saw the children as annoyances to the Messiah. Jesus, not so much. Jesus saw this behavior and was “indignant;” Jesus was angry at His disciples for their dismissive attitude towards the children, the exact individuals who Jesus says “belongs the kingdom of God.”

In this passage, Jesus is commanding adults, His disciples, to “receive the kingdom of God like a child,” and ‘whoever does not..shall not enter it.” This is a BIG deal; the long awaited Messiah is saying - Look! Stop trying to being something that I don’t want - be like a CHILD and come to me. Otherwise, you will NOT enter the kingdom of God. Have faith in ME just as these children do! Jesus is commanding each of us to have a childlike faith.

But what does that mean? It means that we approach the Father just as Jesus taught us to say in the Lord’s Prayer - ‘our Father in heaven.’ When the word ‘Father’ is translated back into the original language of the text, Jesus is actually using the Aramaic word ‘Abba’ for Father; it isn’t a Hebrew word typically used in reference to God. Jesus uses the Jewish people’s commonplace language to relay the posture of how to come before God. The word Abba is what Jewish children at that time, would first call their father; at present it translates to ‘Daddy’. The significance of this word is profound becomes it reminds us of the intimate relationship we have with our Father and the type of childlike trust we ought to place in Him. While respecting all the attributes of God in that He is heaven and hallowed be His name, we are taught to first come to Jesus with the attitude of a child calling on their Abba, their Father.

Coming to God as a child reminds us that we are indeed adopted sons and daughters of the King; we are heirs to the kingdom of God as Paul clearly teaches in Romans 8:12-17. If we are in God, meaning we have accepted Christ as our Lord and Saviour, then we stand courageously yet humbly before Him as we read in Romans 8:15; “For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!”

We humbly come before God just as a child would in the presence of adults; yet in addition, we come as children would in the presence of their loving and good Father. Banish this mentality that we ought to come before God without the blemish of sin. Jesus has torn the curtain that once existed requiring sacrifices and rituals of cleansing; Jesus has died for ALL sin: past, present, and future. Come to God humbly just as a child, in all of your sin, brokenness, and suffering. He stands with outstretched arms welcoming you into the kingdom of God. Come to Him and He will cover you with His grace and redeeming blood; He will remind you that you are His today, and forever more.

- Sheryl Abraham