Jesus disciples were prodding him for who God’s favorite kind of people were. Actually the term they used was “greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” This was Jesus response to their inquiry: And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them, and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven” (Matt 18:2-4). God’s favorite kinds of people are the ones who can be like kids. I know you were told that God has no favorites, but that’s not how Jesus put it. In order for this analogy to work you need to forget for a moment about all of the bad exposure you’ve had to really bratty kids and think about some good and childish qualities.
My granddaughter in her naivety once asked her great grandmother why she had wrinkles to which she was told, “Because I am old.” My granddaughter’s very innocent response was, “Oh! You must be really old.” Kids will say and do the darnedest things. They are simple in their understanding and their responses. They can be very naïve and unsophisticated. It doesn’t take a lot to persuade them and they will readily do very foolish things, even taking risks because they are so trusting. Kids are very reliant on others, especially mom and dad, to help them and provide answers. They haven’t yet learned a lot of independence and they’re okay with that. Another thing about kids, they come easily to tears and repentance, and in an environment of love and acceptance are eager to please and obey.
As we move toward adulthood we learn to distrust and we get more and more selfish. Simple understanding and acceptance of things changes to needing everything to make sense according to our rationality grid. We are much less prone to act on instructions that seem at all foolish or to take risks. Our self importance has ballooned and we learn to be very independent. Many barriers get erected in our lives preventing us from acting on the promptings and simple steps of obedience that God puts in front of us. We need to relearn some of the impetuous qualities of children such as: trust, compliance, and being loving and forgiving so that God can use us. He works best through people who can be like this.
God’s favorites, or to put it another way, the kind of people that have the most value to the kingdom cause are the ones who can learn to be like kids. We need to learn to get past our rational barriers and learn to respond to God’s promptings. We need to become childish enough to be foolish and take risks for God. Our hearts need to get softened to the point that repentance and tears flow easily in the sight of God’s discipline. There is some unlearning of increasingly selfish lifestyles that is order so we can give ourselves to our Father’s wishes. We need to digress in our prerequisites for obedience to where only the simplest of payment is enough – God’s unconditional love.
So is this possible? Can we become like a child again? I think so or else Jesus wouldn’t have suggested. In fact he said, “…turn and become like children.” What he’s talking about is repentance. We have to admit our adulthood, humble ourselves and ask God that he would help us to be childish again. Sounds kind of weird doesn’t it, to repent for being too grown up. But that’s exactly what is implied here. If we want to be the most useful that we can be for God’s cause, childish changes must take place in us. We can transform by the working of the Holy Spirit in us and we can learn to obey and take risks for God. We can if we want to. Do you?
-Tom Maus
