June 6, 2016

JESUS LOVES ME, THIS I KNOW

Mark 10:13–31

Melissa Patton
Monday's Devo

June 6, 2016

Monday's Devo

June 6, 2016

Central Truth

Who does the kingdom of God belong to? It belongs to those who see their need for Him and embrace Him without reservation. 

Key Verse | Mark 10:14–15

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." (Mark 10:14-15)

Mark 10:13–31

Let the Children Come to Me

13 And they were bringing children to him that he might touch them, and the disciples rebuked them. 14 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. 15 Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.” 16 And he took them in his arms and blessed them, laying his hands on them.

The Rich Young Man

17 And as he was setting out on his journey, a man ran up and knelt before him and asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 18 And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. 19 You know the commandments: ‘Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.’” 20 And he said to him, “Teacher, all these I have kept from my youth.” 21 And Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” 22 Disheartened by the saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.

23 And Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How difficult it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!” 24 And the disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said to them again, “Children, how difficult it is 1 10:24 Some manuscripts add for those who trust in riches to enter the kingdom of God! 25 It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” 26 And they were exceedingly astonished, and said to him, 2 10:26 Some manuscripts to one another “Then who can be saved?” 27 Jesus looked at them and said, “With man it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God.” 28 Peter began to say to him, “See, we have left everything and followed you.” 29 Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel, 30 who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life. 31 But many who are first will be last, and the last first.”

Footnotes

[1] 10:24 Some manuscripts add for those who trust in riches
[2] 10:26 Some manuscripts to one another

Dive Deeper | Mark 10:13–31

Jesus does not say we are to "become like a child"; rather, this passage says we must receive the kingdom like a child. What does Jesus mean? I believe children possess certain qualities that Jesus desires to see in us.

For example, children tend to be very straightforward. Once, while in a grocery store, my then-young nephew saw an elderly lady with no teeth. Curious, he bluntly asked her why she didn't have any "teef." This sweet lady couldn't hear him and kept asking my sister-in-law what he had said. She ended up telling her embarrassingly loudly, "He wants to know why you are missing your teeth." She said she was 90 years old and very proud of her age and talked to us for about five more minutes. Children of this age say whatever comes into their minds. They are not worried about what others will think or about what everyone else is doing. They are not self-conscious.

Furthermore, children are trusting. They tend to believe what others tell them. God in His great mercy provides us evidence that He is trustworthy (Psalm 22:4-5), and so we are to believe Him in that simple, trusting way of a child. Finally, children have a sense of wonder at the world. One my favorite things about teaching is the curiosity and awe in which my students view the world around them. To children, the world is full of things that they don’t fully comprehend. They know that they don’t understand everything, so they are often filled with curiosity.

So how can we have a childlike faith? We need to be overwhelmed with the wonder of  God's love and power. We need to be open and honest with regard to our sinfulness. We need to have complete trust in and dependence on God (Psalm 9:10) that is characteristic of a little child. We need to know He is so far above us that we will never understand Him completely, but that we can trust Him (Proverbs 3:5-6).

Discussion Questions

1. In what ways do you need to have more of a childlike faith?

2. What might be holding you back from compete trust in and dependence on Him?

3. What are you in awe of today about our loving God?