[column width=”1/1″ last=”true” title=”” title_type=”single” animation=”none” implicit=”true”]
This week we are continuing our study of Chapter 18. Please read verses 18:15-22 every day this week and, if possible, use a different translation each day, asking God to open your eyes to fresh revelation from His Word.
[/column]
[column width=”1/1″ last=”true” title=”” title_type=”single” animation=”none” implicit=”true”]
[/column]
[divider type=”1″]
[/divider]
[column width=”1/1″ last=”true” title=”” title_type=”single” animation=”none” implicit=”true”]
Luke 18:15-17 (New International Version)
‘People were also bringing babies to Jesus to have him touch them. When the disciples saw this, they rebuked them. But Jesus called the children to him and said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.”’
When I first started piano lessons at the age of seven, I had a wonderful teacher who instilled in me a love for the instrument. However, before I was allowed to play the piano, I had to first learn about how it worked and learned an awful lot of theory. For weeks and weeks, I learned about the rudiments of music including details of the various types of notes and their values.
Even after I was allowed to touch the keys of the instrument, she would ensure that I held my hands in the proper position. I had to move my fingers one by one while balancing a ruler across the top of my hands. If the ruler fell, I had to start again. I had to practice for hours just getting a correct hand position. I didn’t understand at the time why this was important but I trusted my teacher and hoped she knew what she was doing. Well, much much later when I was trying to play more complicated pieces of music, I realised the importance of the hours of practice getting the right hand position and learning correct fingering. When I was younger, I didn’t understand the bigger picture and could only see what was right in front of me.
I think this is the same kind of thing that we’re seeing in the disciples in our verses today. This isn’t a one-off incident here but is fairly characteristic of their behaviour in many other passages of Scripture. I don’t think they wanted Jesus to be bothered with the trivial issues or with minor detail. Such things seemed unimportant to them.
In Matthew’s gospel we read of the Canaanite woman who wanted Jesus to deliver her daughter of demon-possession. The disciples told Jesus to send her away because ‘she keeps crying out after us’. Jesus had fed the five thousand and had walked on the water and now this woman was trying to get Jesus’ attention. The disciples misunderstood the bigger picture and could only see what was in front of them. Surely, Jesus had better things to do than to be bothered by this woman? Jesus goes on to praise this woman for her great faith and healed her daughter.
I can imagine them surrounding Jesus and trying to ‘vet’ every person that attempted to get close to him. They would decide who was ‘worthy’ of his attention. The word translated ‘rebuke’ in a fuller meaning is ‘to censure’ or ‘to rate’. They were in fact determining who was best rated to meet the Saviour. Thankfully, Jesus didn’t have the same attitude and saw a bigger picture than the ones that the disciples could see. These babies were worth Jesus’ attention. He wanted to pour out a blessing on their lives. I like to think that these babies would grow to be servants of God and would preach the Gospel of Jesus in later life.
May we not be put off by those who say we’re not worthy to be associated with the Saviour. He’s calling us all closer to Himself in order to bless and to lead. Press through the crowd of those that would rebuke and be touched by Jesus.
[/column]