Who is God's kingdom for?

WHO IS GOD’S KINGDOM FOR?

An Exposition of Mark 10:13-16

By Pastor Brian Wilbur

Date: May 30, 2021

Series: Mark: Knowing and Following God’s Son

Note: Scripture quotations are from The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard   Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

INTRODUCTION

Good morning. I invite you to turn to Mark 10, and in a moment I'll read verses 13-16. If you're just dropping in this morning and wonder why we are at Mark 10:13-16, it is because we are going through the whole Gospel of Mark, and this is the next passage.

Before I read these four verses, I just want to ask you a question: Who is God's kingdom for? In other words, what kind of person actually receives God's kingdom? What type of person actually becomes a citizen of God's kingdom? You might answer, ‘Well, anyone potentially’. But it's the ‘potentially’ that is really important. Jesus said, “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.” (Matthew 6:13-14) What kind of person is the one who finds “the way… that leads to life”?

If you understand the answer to this question about who is God's Kingdom for, and if you will apply that answer to your own heart and also apply it to the way that you relate to other people, then you will be profoundly transformed. And if that's already happened to you, then you have been profoundly transformed – and this message should encourage you and strengthen you to keep growing and keep being a faithful participant in God's kingdom. But if these things have not happened to you, then this message might challenge your assumptions and pierce your heart with the truth – and if so, a journey of transformation awaits!

THE SCRIPTURAL TEXT

In Mark 10:13-16, God's Word says,

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. (Mark 10:13-16)

This is God's holy Word, and it is for our good. Let's pray:

Father, we pray that these words would not remain just on the page in front of us, but would – by your Spirit – make us alive. Quicken us, strengthen us, correct us, transform us by the power of your Spirit. We pray in Jesus’ name, amen.

THE DISCIPLES GET IT WRONG AGAIN (v. 13)

So let's begin in verse 13, which I summarize this way: the disciples get it wrong again! People were bringing children to Jesus, because they wanted Jesus to touch these children and speak a word of blessing to them. And by the way, this word that is translated children – it really means little children, young children. There is a little bit of flexibility in terms of the age range envisioned within the concept of young children, but I think it especially refers to children 7 years of age or less.[1] So, think babies, and toddlers, and kindergarteners, and first and second graders. Young children.

These people – parents, grandparents, older siblings, other relatives, we aren’t not told – they wanted to bring the children into the Lord's presence so that they might receive the Lord's blessing. There is nothing greater that you could do for other people then to bring them into the Lord's presence so that they could receive the Lord's blessing.

But there was a problem: the disciples. These are the same disciples who had the exclusive club mindset back in Mark 9:38. Do you remember that? Now they are at it again. Back in Chapter 9, they saw this man who wasn't part of their own immediate circle. This other man was casting out demons in Jesus’ name, and they tried to stop him because he wasn't part of their own little sub-group. Now in Chapter 10 they are making another error.

We are not told exactly what the disciples were thinking here in verse 13, but I think it is along the following line of thought. One of the common realities in our sinful world is that important people have an entourage of attendants, assistants, agents, bodyguards – and access is very limited. You have to be a very important person to get access to a very important person. And if you aren't important enough, the president's people or the governor's guard or the rich man's entourage will run interference in order to keep you away. No access for you, because you're not important enough! And as far as the disciples were concerned, these kids – these babies, toddlers, little kids – were not important enough. And so they ran interference and “rebuked them”. I'm not sure if their rebuke was directed at the adults who were bringing the kids or at the kids themselves. But obviously they thought that the Messiah does not need to be bothered by these socially insignificant, politically insignificant, economically insignificant children.

In my family, we have enjoyed the Little Blue Truck books by Alice Schertle. Anyone familiar with those? In the first book, we read: ““Honk”, yelled at dump truck, “coming through, I've big important things to do. I haven't got time to pass the day with every duck along the way.””[2]

This is a very common mindset, isn’t it (even with big trucks!)? This was the disciples’ mindset: The King has very important things to do – like saving Israel and establishing the kingdom of God on earth. He doesn’t have time to waste with these little ones. The King has big important things to do! These important things include us, of course, but not you. We are important enough to be part of what he is doing, but you are not important enough.

Of course, they should have known better. But old habits die hard. Old sinful habits die hard. But they should have known better. Thus far, they know that Jesus has communicated his grace to the diseased, to the handicapped, to the demon-possessed, to a leper in Chapter 2, to the 12-year-old daughter of Jairus in Chapter 5, to the little daughter of the Syrophoenician woman in Chapter 7, and to the demon-possessed son of the desperate dad in Chapter 9. Also in Chapter 9, Jesus put a child in their midst and took that child into his arms (Mark 9:36), and he said to his disciples, “Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me, receives not me but him who sent me.” (Mark 9:37) So, they should have known better. They should have thought, ‘Wow! They are bringing these little ones to Jesus and, based on what he already taught us, what a great opportunity we have to participate in the King's work and to identify with His mission and vision by welcoming these little kids. But they played the fool one more time. If the disciples had had their way, these children would not have had an audience with the King.

JESUS PROCLAIMS THE TRUTH ABOUT GOD’S KINGDOM (v. 14-15)

Now let's move the verses 14-15, where Jesus proclaims the truth about God's kingdom. Verse 14 tells us that Jesus was indignant, angry, upset. Righteous anger is a real thing, and Jesus had it. In fact, love – true love – requires anger. True love experiences anger when those that you love are under assault.

Think about when Jesus went to the temple, which was supposed to be a house of prayer, but sinful religious leaders had turned it into a den of robbers. This place of worship had become a commercial center, and Jesus was upset and he turned over the tables. Jesus had zeal for God's house! His Father was being dishonored and people were getting hurt. He was angry.

In today’s passage, the adults who were bringing the children to Jesus were obviously acting in faith. They had a measure of faith that it would be wonderful if the Messiah King would bless their little ones. And yet Jesus’ own representatives are misrepresenting Him. His own representatives are attempting to prevent the children from coming to Jesus.

And listen: the Lord does not like to be misrepresented. Because when he is misrepresented, he is dishonored. If it was up to the disciples, these families would have left thinking that the Messiah doesn't have time for us. And that would have dishonored Jesus. But another thing also happens when the Lord is misrepresented: people get hurt. If it was up to the disciples, the kids wouldn't have actually gotten the Lord's touch and the Lord's blessing. Jesus had told people to come to him, but the disciples’ attitude was: but not you, you're too young; but not you, you're not smart enough; but not you, you're not accomplished enough; but not you, you don't have anything to contribute. Jesus gets angry when you prevent people, especially the little ones, from coming to him.

Then in the rest of verses 14-15, Jesus says four things: He tells his disciples what to do; he tells them what not to do; he tells them why; and then he tells them to apply the lesson to their own heart.

First, Jesus tells the disciples what to do: “Let the children come to me”. Second, he tells them what not to do: “do not hinder them [from coming to me]”. These are two sides of the same coin. Don't make it difficult for the little ones to come into my presence. Don't make it hard for these children to have a relationship with me. Don't establish rigorous entrance requirements that are impossible for little people to meet. Don't create VIP passes that leave out the kids. Instead, let them come. Let them come with a smile on your face and joy in your heart. Open the door for them. Encourage them. Encourage their steps. Invite them in. Appreciate and celebrate the wonderful reality that they are there. Make a straight path for their feet.

Then Jesus tells us why we should do this. This is the third thing Jesus tells us: He tells us why we ought to welcome the little ones. Jesus says: “for to such belongs the kingdom of God”. God’s kingdom belongs to little children. And we must understand that these little children are also a symbol of those who are like children – that is, child-like people. This is who the kingdom of God is for: for children and child-like people. That’s who the kingdom of God belongs to.

Think about who God's kingdom is not for. God's kingdom is not for the great and powerful, the high and mighty, the smart and sophisticated, the elite and well-connected, the accomplished and celebrated, the gifted and talented, the wealthy and prosperous, the movers and shakers. God's kingdom is not for those who are impressed with their own resume, their own credentials, their own reputation, their own status. Who is God's kingdom for? For children, and for those who are like children.

The point is not that God's kingdom is for children and not for adults. That's really not the heart of the instruction. The heart of the instruction is this: the kingdom of God is for the lowly, not for the mighty. We see this theme throughout the Scriptures. “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:3) God’s kingdom is for the sin-sick. Jesus said, “I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.” (Luke 5:32) When he said that, he didn't actually mean that there's a bunch of righteous people out there who don't need him. What he meant is that there are a bunch of people out there who are self-righteous – they are righteous in their own eyes – and they don't think that they need him. He came for the sin-sick and for those who know that they are sin-sick. God's kingdom is for the bankrupt, the nobodies, the humble, the contrite, the brokenhearted. It says in 1 Corinthians 1,

“For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God.” (1 Corinthians 1:26-29)

In terms of our passage, God chose the weak and child-like in order to shame the strong and self-assured. And by the way, if you happen to be born a rich nobleman, the point of all this is not that the gospel is not for you. The point is that you need to abandon all hope in your riches and nobility, and come with open and empty hands to the Savior.

As we come to verse 15, we come to the fourth thing that Jesus tells each one of us. Jesus tells you that you must apply the lesson of verse 14 to your own heart. He says in verse 15: “Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.”

What does it mean to receive God's kingdom like a child? Like a little child? Like a toddler? Sometimes we reflect on this verse in a wrongheaded way. People will start talking about things like child-like faith, child-like humility, child-like wonder, child-like transparency, or child-like [whatever other good quality you want to fill in the blank]. But that's not the right approach. The little child is an example of someone who enters the kingdom – not because of any positive character quality, but because of their lowly, subservient, dependent, and vulnerable status. They don't hold a position of high rank, but a position of low rank. Since the children in view in Mark 10:13-16 could include very little children, James Edwards says: “it is not their virtue but their helplessness that is stressed.”[3]

So, to receive God's kingdom like a child means to receive it like someone who doesn't deserve it. You come to Jesus precisely because you are helpless, weak, and vulnerable, and you need a mighty Savior to rescue you. God's kingdom is not for you because you are somebody special, or because you have clout, or because you command influence, or because you have political or economic weight to throw around, or because you are religiously or morally qualified, or because you know how to take care of yourself and God's kingdom is looking for additional talent to expand its mission. You have no qualifications for God's kingdom. In fact, all you have are disqualifications. But you are loved, and the King beckons you to come home.

Therefore, you are to receive God's kingdom as a gift to someone who doesn't deserve it, could never earn it, and cannot repay it. Jesus didn't say ‘Come to me’ because you are qualified, but rather ‘Come to me’ because you are a weak and weary sinner, and he promises to give you life.

The hymn “Rock of Ages” captures this truth very well: “Nothing in my hand I bring, Simply to Thy cross I cling; Naked, come to Thee for dress, Helpless, look to Thee for grace; Foul, I to the fountain fly, Wash me, Savior, or I die.”[4]

Now listen: those who have received God's Kingdom like a child, thus acknowledging their complete dependence on the Savior, do not try to prevent other unimpressive and socially insignificant people from coming to Jesus. How can a lowly recipient of super-abundant grace attempt to prevent this same grace from flowing to some other lowly soul?

Sometimes we say that the ground is level at the foot of the cross. True indeed! Well, in terms of this passage, we can say that the ground is level at the entrance gate to God's kingdom. All who come must come with empty hands.

JESUS COMMUNICATES GRACE TO THE LITTLE CHILDREN (v. 16)  

Finally we come to verse 16. Here we see that Jesus communicates the grace of God's kingdom to the little children.

Verse 13 gave us a great picture of what God's kingdom is not like: picture little children, and other weak and lowly people flocking to Jesus, while the disciples shout, ‘Go away! Go away! Go away!’ That's what God's kingdom is not like.

By contrast, verse 16 gives us a great picture of what God's kingdom is like: Jesus takes these little children into his arms, he lays his hands on them, and he speaks words of blessing over them. Isn't this wonderful?

Imagine inviting Jesus into your house, maybe there are a lot of people there. And you get to thinking, ‘We are going to have some important adult conversation over here tonight, so we will put the kids, the toddlers, and the babies over there, so Jesus and we adults (except for the few watching the kids) don’t have to bother with them.’ Then Jesus enters your house and heads right over to where the kids are. Do you understand?

The Son of God and Savior of the world, the King of kings and Lord of lords, the One by whom and for whom all things were made, the One who rescues his people from sin and death, the One who radiates the splendor of His Father, the One whose glory will be the chief delight of all eternity, the One who will judge every person at the final judgment – He has time for the kids, the toddlers, the nursing infants. He has time to take them into his arms. He has time to lay his hands on them as an act of blessing. He has time to speak gracious words over their little hearts and minds. Do you know him? Do you know this King? Have you become one of the little ones whom he takes into his arms? And are you glad when other little ones come to take refuge in those same strong arms?

Who is God's kingdom for? It is for the little ones. Become a little one, and then let that shape the way that you relate to and see other people.

APPLICATION TO FOUR GROUPS OF PEOPLE  

With the basic understanding of Mark 10:13-16 in our minds, I would now like to apply this passage to four groups of people.

Application to Everyone

The first application is to everyone. Never be impressed by your own achievements. Always be impressed by the grace of the King. Maybe there is someone here this morning and you are thinking to yourself that God's favor is upon you because you have done well, because you have achieved, because you have accomplished something. And I'm here to warn you that if you remain in that mindset, you will never enter the kingdom of God. On the other hand, there might be someone else here this morning who actually exhibits the same mindset, but from the opposite end of the spectrum. You might be thinking, ‘I'll never be good enough. I'll never be godly enough. I'll never get my act together.’ And so you just don't come to Jesus because you think you're supposed to get your act together first. But you will never get your act together, and you're not supposed to. You're supposed to come with empty hands, entrusting yourself completely and wholly to the mercy of the King.

Application to the Church

The second application is to the church – to all of us as a church as we think about our life together, our fellowship, our ministry. Let's never give the impression that Christianity is for spiritual high achievers, whose achievements have earned them a seat near Jesus. The gospel is for people who have come to realize that they are spiritual losers. Will we be a stuffy religious club that pressures people to prove their mettle and pass muster? Or will we let God’s super-abundant grace be at the center of and pervade everything? It is this abounding grace which creates space for people to come into the Lord's presence and receive his grace. If we do this – if we have big grace at the center – then we will not take ourselves too seriously, and we will be a very welcoming place for children and for all who are lowly.

Application to Parents

The third application is to the parents. Don't make it difficult for your children to discover a relationship with Jesus. From their birth – even before their birth – but certainly from their birth and before they can speak, babies and toddlers are internalizing and absorbing the atmosphere of our life and home. They are observing, they are watching, they are learning. When I tell you, Don't make it difficult for your children to discover a relationship with Jesus, I'm not talking about one special moment or one special thing (like praying the sinner's prayer or getting baptized or something like that). I'm talking about a whole manner of life. Because one of the implications of the passage in front of us (Mark 10:13-16) is that you must, by God's grace, do your best to represent Jesus well. The disciples did not represent Jesus well when they sought to send the little children away. Will you learn to represent Jesus well?

If you do not represent Jesus well, then you will make it difficult for your children to discover a relationship with him. If you create lots of rules and make rules central, if you create lots of external pressure, if you encourage the appearance of ‘we've got it all together’, and if you demonstrate that Jesus is not filling you with love, joy, peace, and gentleness – then you will ‘succeed’ at keeping your kids from discovering a relationship with Jesus. If you make Jesus irrelevant to your life – you might pay lip service to the Lord on Sundays – but if Jesus and his words and his kingdom and his standards carry no weight with you and with your heart and with your words and with your way of relating to people during the course of the week, then you will make it difficult for your children to discover a relationship with Jesus.

Don Carson, one of my favorite authors and speakers, once said that the worst kind of home to grow up in is a home with high spiritual pretentions and low spiritual performance. High spiritual pretentions mean that you talk a big religious game: we are Christian around here; we are moral; we do the right thing. Low spiritual performance means not a lot of humility, not a lot of love, not a lot of kindness, not a lot of forgiveness – in other words, the culture of your home is toxic. Carson went on to say that the best kind of home to grow up in is one with low spiritual pretentions and high spiritual performance. Low spiritual pretensions mean that we don't think we're all that great, we’re not impressed with ourselves, we’re not concerned about keeping up appearances. High spiritual performance means – not a performance-driven treadmill religiosity – but actually displaying some real humility, some real kindness, some real gentleness, some real love in our home. That's what were called to do. We are called to adorn the gospel (Titus 2:9-10) – to make the gospel appear attractive, not because it isn't attractive and needs us to make it appear so, but because it is attractive and we need to reflect its beauty and adorn it by the way that we live.

Application to Kids

Finally, a word of application to the kids who are out there. The King of the universe welcomes you. The King of the universe welcomes you children to come to him and sit on his lap and receive his care.

And so, with that in mind, I want to you: The Lord bless you, children. The grace of the King be upon you. May the Lord establish your heart in his love. May the Spirit draw you into the arms of Jesus. May the Father adopt you as one of his little ones. And may praise fill your heart and tongue from a very early age.

CLOSING PRAYER

Let's pray.

Father, we thank you that the Lord Jesus Christ is so unlike the way that we are in our sinfulness. He is so gracious, so generous, so largehearted, so ready to take any little one into his arms – and to bring blessing and grace and strength to those who trust him. Father, I pray that, by your grace, this passage would get worked out in our lives, so that here at South Paris Baptist Church there would be a growing culture of humility, a culture of not taking ourselves too seriously, a culture of grace, a culture of trusting a big God for little people. Let these things pervade our hearts and our words and our relationships. We pray that you would do this great work among us. In Jesus’ name, amen.

ENDNOTES

[1] See the HELPS Word-studies comments under the entry “3813. paidion” at Bible Hub, accessed online at: https://biblehub.com/greek/3813.htm. Also see: James W. Voelz, Mark 8:27–16:20 (Concordia Commentary). St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 2019: p. 732.

[2] Alice Schertle, Little Blue Truck. HMH Books for Young Readers; Board Book Edition, 2015.

[3] James R. Edwards, The Gospel according to Mark (The Pillar New Testament Commentary). Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2002: p. 307.

[4] “Rock of Ages” by Augustus M. Toplady.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Victor Babajide Cole, “Mark.” In Africa Bible Commentary: A One-Volume Commentary Written by 70 African Scholars. Tokunboh Adeyemo, General Editor. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2006.

James R. Edwards, The Gospel according to Mark (The Pillar New Testament Commentary). Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2002.

William L. Lane, The Gospel of Mark (The New International Commentary on the New Testament). Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1974.

Eckhard J. Schnabel, Mark (Tyndale New Testament Commentaries Vol. 2). Downers Grove: IVP Academic, 2017.

James W. Voelz, Mark 8:27–16:20 (Concordia Commentary). St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 2019.

Ben Witherington III, The Gospel of Mark: A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2001.