"To Such Belongs the Kingdom of God" (Sermon on Mark 10:13-16)

“And they were bringing children to him that he might touch them, and the disciples rebuked them. 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.’ And he took them in his arms and blessed them, laying his hands on them.”

This is our text. And little Kyleigh today is our living sermon illustration. For today she is being brought to Jesus, that Jesus might touch her and bless her. In this way Kyleigh is showing us what it means to receive the kingdom of God. For it is only like a little child that any of us shall enter it. To such--that is, to children like Kyleigh--“To Such Belongs the Kingdom of God.”

Why is that? Is there something about children that makes them uniquely qualified to enter the kingdom of God? Is it because children are somehow innocent, righteous, untainted by sin? No, if children were born without sin, there would be no such thing as infant mortality. Children would not die if they were without sin. And if they were sinless, they would have no need to be brought to Jesus, for Jesus is precisely the Savior of sinners. “The Son of Man came to seek and to save that which was lost,” Jesus says of himself.

That lostness and sinfulness is our natural state. The Bible teaches the doctrine of what we call “original sin,” the sin of our origin as children of Adam and Eve. We carry on the tradition of our first parents, and that is, to not listen to God, to think we know better than our Creator. That sinful nature is passed down from generation to generation. It’s in our character. It is what we all are born with, each one of us. “In sin did my mother conceive me,” the psalmist confesses. St. Paul says, “I know that in me--that is, in my flesh--dwelleth no good thing.” And Paul describes our natural state in a similar way in Ephesians 2: “And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience--among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.” That’s how it is with us sinners. We are born dead, sons of disobedience, by nature children of wrath. You don’t have to teach an otherwise pure and innocent little child how to sin; it will come naturally enough to him or her.

So all children are born sinners. They all will die. They are not inherently righteous. Well, if that is the case, then why does Jesus say, “To such belongs the kingdom of God”? What is there about children that make them qualified to enter the kingdom of God? Well, nothing really. And that’s just the point. A little child has nothing to offer to God, no list of great achievements to wave before God’s face. A child can only be given to. It is that humility and helplessness, that lowly stature, that receptivity, that being given to--that all is what Jesus is highlighting when he speaks of receiving the kingdom of God like a little child.

You know, we tend to think that children have to become like adults in order to be saved. In reality, it’s exactly the opposite. Adults need to become like children. We need to stop waving our achievements and accomplishments in front of God’s face. He is not impressed. We need to stop thinking we have something to give to God, our goodness, even our relative goodness compared to other people. That will not be good enough to enter the kingdom of God. No, only children will be allowed in, only people with nothing to offer. “Nothing in my hand I bring; simply to thy cross I cling.” “No merit of my own I claim but wholly lean on Jesus’ name.” It is the poor, the lost, the sick, the blind, the tax collector, the Gentile, the little child--these are the “such” to whom belongs the kingdom of God.

To receive the kingdom of God is to be brought to Jesus and touched by him, to be taken in his arms and blessed by him. That’s the only way you get in--as a little child who is simply given to, no matter how young or how old you are.

“Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.” This verse from our text is very much like what Jesus says in John 3: “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again . . . unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” That new birth, that birth of water and the Spirit, that entrance into the kingdom of God--that is what is going on with Kyleigh today. She was born of the flesh on her birthday, when she entered the world as a natural-born sinner. Today, though, she has been born of water and the Spirit in the life-giving waters of Holy Baptism.

In Baptism, Kyleigh is brought to Jesus to be blessed by him. All the blessings Jesus has to give are freely given to her. The blessing of forgiveness of sins; all her sins are washed away. The blessing of life, new life now and eternal life forever. The blessing of salvation, being saved and kept safe from the death and damnation and hell we all deserve. These blessings are all wrapped up in the name, the name of the triune God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Today Kyleigh becomes a dear child of the heavenly Father who loves her and cares for her. Today she becomes a co-heir with Christ, God’s own Son, who died and rose for her and thereby won for her an eternal inheritance, the riches of heaven. Today Kyleigh receives the gift of the Holy Spirit, who enlightens her with his gifts and will keep her in the true faith by means of the gospel, in Word and Sacrament.

My friends, these same blessings are yours also, all you who have been baptized into Christ! God delights to give these gifts to his children! Faith is simply being on the receiving end of those gifts and saying “Thank you!”

To receive the kingdom of God is to be brought to Jesus and taken up in his arms. For those are the same arms that he stretched out willingly on the cross for our salvation. On the cross Christ bled and died to pay the price for our sins, all of them, our original sin and all the actual sins of thought, word, and deed that flow out from it. All of that, the whole enormous weight of it, the Son of God took up in his arms when he went to the cross. And so it is with those same loving arms, arms strong enough bear that load--it is with those arms that our Savior lifts us up and embraces us with his blessing.

“Let the children come to me,” Jesus says; “do not hinder them.” Today this child, Kyleigh, has been brought to Jesus to be blessed by him. How we thank God for Aunt Shirley, who got the ball rolling on this, and for Kyleigh’s parents, who realized that this is the right thing to do for her. Yes, this is the greatest thing that parents can do for their children--it is their #1 responsibility--namely, to bring their children to Jesus. And this is not just a one-time event, on the day of the child’s baptism. No, bringing your children to Jesus is the primary calling of parents for as long as they have those children in their home. Therefore is the worst kind of spiritual child neglect when parents hinder their children from coming to Jesus. It is spiritual child neglect when parents do not bring their children to church to be blessed by Jesus, to hear his voice, and thus to grow up strong and healthy in the Christian faith. It is failure and neglect when parents think that other things--going camping, playing little league, sleeping in or sleeping over--when parents think that other things are more important than taking their children to church with them on Sunday morning. It is a sin, a damnable sin. Raising our children in the faith, in church and in the home, by word and by example--this is the most important thing that parents can do for their children. Let the children come to Jesus; do not hinder them.

I know I have failed in this as a father. Yes, even a pastor can be negligent in doing all he could do for his children spiritually. And so I must become a child myself again. I need to be given to. I need forgiveness for my sin of not being the best spiritual leader in my home I should be. I need help and strength and the energy to get up and get going again, to be the parent God wants me to be. And I’m guessing I’m not the only person here today who has failed in fulfilling their vocation as a Christian. Maybe you need God’s forgiveness and help, too.

Well, I have good news for you! Jesus is here to bless all his children, young or old! Today Jesus is laying his hand on you, dear friend, to bless you. Your Savior has won for you the kingdom of heaven, with all of its blessings, and he is bestowing those gifts here today--in the baptizing, in the preaching, in the giving out of his body and blood. Come and receive. Come and be a child today. Come and be given to. “For to such belongs the kingdom of God.”

Great sermon and lovely picture, Pastor Hendrickson. I was with you up until a certain point and, though I do not wish to challenge your theology, I do find some contradictions in your words. I am not a member of the Lutheran Church, so I could use some "enlightening" on some of these statements. You said:

My questions are:

1. How old is Kyleigh is she an infant?

2. Is the Lutheran doctrine the same as Catholic regarding water baptism for a baby to cleanse "original sin"?

3. If a child has not been water baptized and dies, is she/he going to heaven or some other place (like Limbo)?

4. You said by this act of baptism she receives the gift of salvation. Will she at some other point in her life, when she is old enough to understand, have to make a personal decision to accept the gift of eternal life by grace through faith?

5. You said the act of baptism brings her the Holy Spirit. But is this the same as the baptism of the Holy Spirit all receive when they accept Christ as Savior?

6. Does the Lutheran faith believe in the doctrine that once a person is saved they can never lose that salvation?

Again, I want to stress, I am not trying to challenge you to a theology duel. We had the same thread here about this subject that went nearly 400 posts and got heated. My sincere intention is to understand your clear doctrine on this and to avoid confusion some may have when reading your post.

Like I said, I agree wholeheartedly with your premise that we must all come to Christ with childlike faith and that our works and good deeds do not and cannot earn any part of that gift. I thank the Lord the Gospel is simple enough for a child to understand.

1. Kyleigh is four years old. But that paragraph could be the same whether she was four weeks old or forty years old.

2. The Lutheran, biblical doctrine is that baptism washes away all our sin, original sin and actual sins.

3. Ask God. He tells us to baptize, so that is what we do. He binds us to the means he gives us to use. If he chooses to do something apart from those means, that is up to him and is not revealed to us.

4. When God gives anyone the gift of faith, infant or adult, that is a miracle, God’s doing. The Bible teaches that infants can believe. When children are not yet old enough to articulate their faith, sponsors speak on their behalf. Tomorrow morning, Kyleigh will confess her God-given faith by saying “Yes” to the Creed. When she is older, she will confess her faith more explicitly in the Rite of Confirmation.

5. There is one baptism, the washing of water with the word, and it bestows the gift of the Holy Spirit.

6. A person can shipwreck his faith. Take heed lest ye fall. Thank God, the Holy Spirit keeps us in the true faith through the means of Word and Sacrament.

So what of the 14 year olds smacking the kid on the bus? Do they get a free pass?

Not sure I understand your question. What do you mean by "getting a free pass."

Beating up the kid on the bus obviously is a sin, Fifth Commandment. According to God's Law, the judgment against sin, any sin, is death and damnation. If we are measured against God's Law, there is no "free pass" for any of us.

Thank God for the Gospel! Christ died for all our sins. Through faith in Christ, then, we receive the free forgiveness of sins.

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