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The Greatest Source of Jesus’ Indignation
Mark 10:13-16
Mari Ikeda
13 People were bringing little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them, but the disciples rebuked them. 14 When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. 15 Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” 16 And he took the children in his arms, placed his hands on them and blessed them.
A. Excluding the weak
1) Children
2) Those who are weak in society
B. Our lack of understanding with regard to our own weakness (15)
Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus.No one serving as a soldier gets involved in civilian affairs–he wants to please his commanding officer.
1) What does it mean to become “like a little child”?
2) What does it mean to enter the kingdom of God?
Summary
Our tendency to use our skewed values system to exclude certain people makes Jesus most indignant. Sometimes we even feel that our exclusion is something Jesus desires. We need to remember that each of us is a child before God and accept that at the deepest level, we are weak and powerless. Unless we accept the fact that cannot help ourselves in our weakness, we will never understand the depth of Jesus love. Furthermore, we will not be able to love Jesus or anyone else in an authentic way.
For Discussion
- Why did the disciples try to exclude the children? What does that have to do with us?
- What does it mean to “receive the kingdom of God like a little child”?