Childlike Compassion August 12

Mathew 18:1-5

At the same time came the disciples unto Jesus, saying, Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?

And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them,

And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.

Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

I can honestly say this was one of those answers that perplexed the disciples. They were expecting to hear Moses, Elijah, and maybe a couple of votes cast for Isaiah.

It shows the heart of men; he had just explained to them that He would be crucified and revealed Himself on top of the Mount of Transfiguration.

And here are the founders of our faith debating about who will be the greatest, like horse jockeys trying to position themselves to win a race. Never mind that Jesus was looking at one of the most painful deaths in human history.

Instead of the rebuke they deserved, Jesus showed grace without hesitation by giving this answer. This answer is the total opposite of what we would think. I find that is often the case with heavenly things.

One time Judy and I watched a friend’s small child. We brought her to the children’s playground and watched her play. Several other children were playing, and when one child fell, got hurt, and began to cry, the parents naturally rushed over.

Judy said to me, “Now watch; all the other little children will run and gather around to see if the child is okay.” As if on cue, every child ran over to the crying child forming a huddle of concern. With this moment of silence and childlike compassion, I thought of this verse. It wasn’t about them having fun and playing; it was about the well-being of another child.

As the child stopped crying one by one, the children peeled away, going back to their fun.

The little girl we were caring for remained and was the last child to leave. I’ve never forgotten the look of concern and then relief as she decided the child was okay and went to play again. I wasn’t even her parent, but I was so proud of ‘our’ child that day.

You see, we are all in this playground called life.

He is: ABBA

Father

Blessing’s