But Jesus not only welcomes them. He says the kingdom of God belongs to people like those children. In fact no one can enter the kingdom unless they receive it as a little child.
What does he mean? What does it mean to be like a little child? Some people say they are innocent. Others say they are trusting. But the babies that are being carried by their mothers have nothing. They are like the Tax Collector. They come with nothing. Not even their need. Those who enter the kingdom of God come with nothing. They just ask the King to help them.
18.18-30: This story is about the same subject. The previous story was about entering the kingdom of God. This one starts off with a question about how to inherit eternal life (18.18). It ends by talking about how to enter the kingdom of God (18.24-30).
There are two important clues in this story that help us understand what Jesus says. The first is Jesus question to the man, “Why do you call me good? No one is good – except God alone.” (18.19). The story will point to the fact that Jesus is both good and God.
The second clue is the commandments which Jesus doesn’t mention. The ones he does refer to are the last part of the ten commandments. The ones to do with other people. The ones he leaves out are the first few. The ones that are about our relationship to God. But he refers to these when he tells the rich man to sell all his goods and give the money to the poor (18.22). The man is unwilling to do this. His wealth has become a kind of idol (breaking the second commandment).
Instead of telling the man to worship only God (instead of his wealth), Jesus tells the man to follow him (18.22). He is telling the man how to obey the first commandment. The man must follow Jesus (with nothing – like the babies in the previous story).
It is true that only God is good (18.19). But Jesus is helping the man see that he must follow Jesus if he is to worship God in the right way. Jesus is putting himself as the one that the first commandment is talking about.
Can you follow Jesus with nothing?
Dale