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Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no
means enter it. Mark 10:15
Several years ago, I began a study of I Peter 4:11, "If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God." That study opened my eyes to the necessity of men proclaiming God's Word in accuracy and truth. God demands it, and it is a vein of truth that begins in Genesis and runs through God's Word, into the book of Revelation. Whatever we think we find in Scripture, it must agree with teaching and preaching His Word with accuracy and truth. It must be His Word we are presenting, not our own.
When we consider entrance into the kingdom of heaven, there are certain truths that remain the same. Salvation was by grace in the Old Testament, the same as in the New Testament. Jesus had this to say about salvation in Mark 10:15, "whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it." So what does that mean? Is it really important?
I believe an accurate view of God's Word in Mark 10:13-31 will give us a renewed appreciation for God's plan of salvation. We will comprehend in greater depth the eternal value of salvation in Christ alone.
As a child growing up in Juniata County and attending local churches, I must have heard about coming to Christ as a little child a hundred times. Just as a child is trusting and ready to receive, so we must be if we want to enter heaven. Even my Zondervan Pictorial Bible Dictionary says this about entering God's kingdom. "A return to child-like receptiveness and trust is required of those who would enter the kingdom of heaven." Is this what the Bible is telling us, or is it something much deeper?
Is it possible we have taken Scripture and given it our 21st-century meaning? To understand the concept of a child entering God's kingdom, we must put it in the historical context in which it was written. We must understand the economy, culture, values, and the role of men, women, and children in Israel 2,000 years ago. We must understand the society and how it viewed the rights and privileges of people at that time.
What was Jesus teaching us about the rich young ruler in Mark 10:13-31? When we read the text, there is really no reason to believe that he (the rich young ruler) didn't have "childlike receptiveness and trust." He says in Mark 10:17, "Good teacher, what must I do to have eternal life?" The rich young ruler was optimistic, receptive, and ready to get this need for eternal life taken care of.
In Matthew 13:20, Jesus tells us about the sowing of the seed. "But he who received the seed on stony places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy." They were receptive to the word and received it with joy. They apparently had childlike faith, but endured only for a while.
Is child-like receptiveness and trust a part of entering the kingdom of God? Or is Jesus trying to teach us a truth that is much more profound? To answer that question, we will consider other Scriptures that will shed light on the subject. Why did Jesus use children as an example? What did the children in Jesus’ day have in common with entering the kingdom? Stay with me as we go deeper into this subject next week.
Contact the author at thoughtsonword@gmail.com if you have any comments or questions.
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Lyndon Stimeling, of Richfield, has been writing about faith and family for many years. He has self-published four books, Common Thoughts on The Word in 2016, Eye of a Needle in 2017, Common Thoughts on The Word II in 2019 and A Bridge Between in 2023. He has also had articles published in The Coming Home Journal and local newspapers and has written a children's book.