A Church of Children

As we come to God's word, Father we thank you, thank you that you have not left us in silence. Thank you that you speak to us day by day through your word.

! We pray, Lord, in the heat and in the busyness, the warmth of our lives and the swirl of our thoughts, that you would give us cool space for reflection, ears that are ready to hear from you.

Give us refreshing water, the water of life to drink from your word, we pray. In Jesus' name, amen. We're in Matthew thinking about how Jesus with us and how we are with Jesus as well, how we are together.

We're thinking about discipleship and we need, before we grapple with this part of God's word, to do a little bit of text work because if you want to understand the Bible, you kind of have to understand how it's put together, don't you?

And the immediate context of what is going on around a bit of the Bible is really important for understanding it right. Just as if, for instance, you opened up a novel and you started reading it chapter 3, probably going to be a little bit lost, aren't you?

Unless you're knowing what's happened in chapter 2 and perhaps even what's going to happen in chapter 4. So we're going to do something similar now. We're just going to look and pick up on verse 1. Chapter 18, verse 1. At that time, the disciples came to Jesus and asked, Who then is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?

And that's a little clue for us that Matthew, Jesus here, is picking up on a conversation that's been bubbling along for quite a long time. It's an underlying conversation about how do things work in God's family?

Who is the greatest? Is it the ones who have just been up the Mount of Transfiguration with Jesus, Peter, James, John, seen him in his glory? Is it them? Is it Peter, the spokesperson, the one who seems to ask all the questions and get all the answers?

Is he the greatest? Or is it James and John whose mother is shortly going to come and ask Jesus if they can sit at his left and right hand in the kingdom of heaven?

That's the percolating conversation that's going on. And Jesus says here, No. No, no, it's not like that. It doesn't work like that.

Jesus' agenda is about how to be family, how to be disciples together. And we know that because in the immediate context come the only two mentions from Jesus' lips of the church in all of the Gospels.

So if you would flick back to chapter 16, he talks about Peter being the rock on which the church is built. If you keep reading in chapter 18, there's a reference to how we're supposed to help each other, deal with each other, when things go basically a bit wonky in the church.

What's it like? Well, it's a bit like this. This is Ernest Shackleton. You probably know, led the Shackleton Polar Expedition 1914 to 1917.

And if you know your history, you know that the amazing thing about this expedition is not that it succeeded. Because it didn't. They never made it to the North Pole, did they? The ship, the Endurance, got stuck in the ice.

It was slowly being crushed, so there was no way to sail home. The only way home was a torturous journey on foot with sleds dragging all the stuff all the way across the ice.

And throughout the ordeal, Shackleton's concern was for people's morale and for the strugglers in the group. And so, in order to make sure that everybody was okay, he repeatedly adjusted the schedules, and who was walking with who, and who was in a tent with who, and what speed they were going at.

All of these things constantly on his mind. And the upshot, and the reason that the Shackleton Expedition is remembered, is that every single member of the expedition survived.

All of them made it home. And Jesus says, that's church. That's what we're going to see in this passage. It's not about breaking new ground. It's not about winning. It's not about getting big and famous.

It's about everyone getting home safe. That's what it's about. And in our passage, Jesus is effectively saying, look, when I'm gone, you will be a group.

You will be the church. You will be distinct. You will be together. And this is how it should be among you. So this is going to be helpful for us, isn't it? As at Bethel we think about how to love one another, how to deeply know one another, how to care for one another.

Because relationships can make or break a church. Can't they? Jesus says here, if we're going to be his disciples together, we need to think of ourselves and care for each other as little children.

And we, in fact, can measure how close we are to Jesus' heart by the way that we care for the littlest ones among us. That's what Jesus is getting at in our passage here.

And he uses that phrase, children and little ones, to talk about us as disciples. May read it, didn't she, in verse 6? If anyone causes one of these little ones, meaning those who believe in him, to stumble.

Can you see? So bear that in mind. When Jesus talks about little ones, he means little disciples. And there are three simple sections here. Again, if you're looking at a Bible passage, really helpful to think, how does this naturally break up into sections?

Because then you're more likely to get the meaning right. Three sections here, each with its own application at the end. So section 1, verses 1 to 5. Here we are. Jesus loves little disciples.

And so should we. Have you noticed that as human beings we have this fascination with ranking things and measuring things? Who's in the Times 100 rich list?

Who's at the top of your World Cup group? Is it England? Or more importantly, is it the Netherlands? The answer is, yes, yes, we are top. Who got the biggest bonus?

Who will get the best exam results? Those of you who've just finished exams. Who can do the business in front of the cameras? It all boils down to the same thing, doesn't it? Who's the top? Who's the greatest?

And so the disciples ask Jesus, in the kingdom of heaven, verse 1, who then is the greatest? It's not a surprise, is it? We all think in those terms. We have an unhealthy interest in it, really.

And Jesus says, no. No. I don't do things that way. Corrie, could you come and just sit here for a minute?

Thank you. Don't worry. All will become clear in just a moment. Let's read verses 2 to 4 together, shall we? This is how Jesus responds to this question, who is the greatest? He called a little child to him, and he placed the child among them, and he said, truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. It's not some romantic notion about children being, you know, the innocents among us, or pure and unsullied until the world spoils them, because the Bible doesn't teach that, does it?

This is about status and power. And in the time when Jesus lived, children had no status and no power. They didn't bring anything but responsibility along with them. Even today, we don't actually love kids because of what they bring to the table, do we?

Their monetizable skills, their investment portfolio, their strategic decision making, because they generally haven't got any of that, because they're children. And that's how Jesus loves us.

Not because of what we bring to the table, not because of our contribution or our status, but despite the fact that we don't have any. We can do nothing to earn our place with God or save ourselves.

It's Jesus who does that. Isn't it? That's so humbling. Corrie, thank you very much. Go and sit down. What does it look like to follow Jesus like that, in that way?

In a way that reflects the fact that we don't bring anything to the table, that we are like children with him. Well, just think about what happened when I asked Corrie to come and sit up.

What did she do? She came when I called. She stayed where I put her until I said, that's fine.

You can go. And that's exactly what Jesus does. He brings a child and he says, be like this living example. Come when you're called. Stay where you're put until I say otherwise.

That's what it looks like to live this out. And that's not teaching ignorance and immaturity, is it? It's teaching us to trust, humbly trust Jesus, depend on him, listen to him, obey him, as children do.

See, Jesus reframes the question that the disciples ask, the one that we ask, about who the greatest is going to be. And he changes it from, Lord, when do I get the highest spot?

And he changes it to, Lord, help me in the spot that you've put me. Will you do that, Lord? That's hard, isn't it?

It's not easy. But it is good. It's good. That's how Jesus sees us and so that's how we're to treat one another. Let's look at verse five.

Whoever welcomes one such child in my name, welcomes me. So in fact, he doesn't just say treat one another that way. He says, goes further, he says, how you treat little disciples is kind of like how you treat me.

Just want to pick up one other thing that Jesus says here. Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

Maybe you've been at church for a while. Have you changed? Have you changed? Have you seen a change in your heart moving from I'm fine, self-sufficiency, to humility and dependence on the Lord Jesus, to knowing that you need him?

Have you gone from someone who says, thank you God that I turned out okay, to sorry God that I turned away from you. Help me now to turn back to you.

Have you done that? Have you changed? If you've done that, have you acted on it? Have you told someone? Have you said, I'm with Jesus now, can I be baptised?

Have you joined the other little children? Have you joined the flock? As we'll come to in a moment. Because that's how you get into the kingdom.

See, the way into the kingdom is to recognise that you bring nothing to Jesus and that you need everything from him. And the way to be in the kingdom is to remember that together.

That that's how we all are with him. Greatness is not leading a Christian nation or a megachurch or something silly like that in the kingdom of God.

It is trusting father. It's like Narnia. Only believing children get into Narnia, right? But once you're in Narnia, every believing child is a king or a queen or a hero or a heroine.

That's what's going on here. Can you hear how much Jesus wants a life of simple trust and love and security for you?

Jesus loves little disciples. Doesn't he? Let's recognise that that's who we are and love each other that way. Jesus loves little disciples.

Secondly, Jesus fiercely protects little disciples. If you've been following the news at all this week, you will have been aware of the social media ban that's coming in under 16.

No more social media. And in fact, locally as well, All Hallows have just said that they're going to say no smartphones until sixth form from next year. I think Heathen probably going to do the same thing. And then if you go wider, the rape gang inquiry has made some people very angry, hasn't it?

Nothing devastates and outrages and angers us more than when people harm children. Children being put in harm's way.

It's good to remember safeguarding training. In that context, isn't it? We go to almost any lengths, don't we, to stop kids from getting into harm's way. Building protective barriers, nailing the furniture to the walls so that when they climb up the shelves to get the biscuit tin it doesn't fall and crush them.

That's how Jesus feels about his little ones. That strength of feeling. His flock, his church, and that's how we should feel about each other too. That strength of feeling.

Let's pick it up at verse 6. If anyone causes one of these little ones, those who believe in me, to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and be drowned in the depths of the sea.

woe to the world because of things that cause people to stumble. Such things must come, but woe to the person through whom they come. If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away.

It is better for you to enter life maimed or crippled than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into eternal fire. And if your eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away.

It is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell. Jesus isn't pulling any punches, is he?

This is strong stuff. He's really serious and he says you need to be really serious about making sure these little ones don't stumble and that you don't stumble. Stumbling means tripping, hurting yourself, being hindered in your walking towards your destination, doesn't it?

That's what sin does to Christians. hurts them, hinders them and you can see how Jesus feels about this. He's fiercely protective of us. He doesn't want that for us.

And what happens when you do fall? You're in a group of people, you fall, you become the trip hazard, don't you? And so, Jesus applies this to us individually, yes, but also he applies it to us together because we're not little atoms floating around in some empty space, are we?

We are brothers and sisters, we're children together in the same family so when we stumble, what happens? It tends to hurt other people too. Woe to him through whom those dangers come.

not hard to look around and find people who are really ambitious and need to achieve and if they lose a few people along the way or maybe even step on a few people along the way, well, you know, so be it, that's just how the world is and you only get one life and you've got to take your chance.

Jesus says, no, not in my family. I don't want that. And in here, even if it's not as obvious as that, in here, it's easy to compromise, isn't it, with the things that we know are wrong, the habits we know are unhelpful because we just want to get on with life, enjoy it, have a good time.

that's more important to us even if we risk the big four. Jesus says, no, that's not the way. Cut that sin out of your life even if it seems extreme.

Like, like an alcoholic cuts out all alcohol, not because all alcohol is bad but because all alcohol is bad for her and she's sick of stumbling about all the time.

Like a doctor cuts out cancer even though it's painful and sometimes dangerous to do it. Some of those stumbles are obvious, aren't they?

Like addiction, unfaithfulness, abuse, stuff that's, you know, we read the Ten Commandments, we can figure out what's wrong, can't we? But sometimes we can make people stumble just by being too keen on our own agendas.

That's a thing too, isn't it? Pushing it too hard or putting the bar too high for people. We can do that by setting too fast a pace. That's one of the things I have difficulty with, I like to move fast.

But not everybody moves fast, do they? When we question new believers or maybe visitors about obscure points of doctrine or when we criticise the church in front of them or in front of our children, we can even do it by letting a divisive or argumentative person stay in our church.

that too is a stumbling block. One commentator goes even further, says this, we put stumbling blocks in people's way if we are not wholehearted in our discipleship of Jesus and not serious about our commitment.

Ouch. In that case, he goes on, we also put stumbling blocks in our own way. End of verse 9, it is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell.

Jesus says, you're not serious about dealing with your sin. Then you're not serious about your safety or the safety of these my little ones. And that is literally playing with hellfire. According to Jesus.

Can you see how serious Jesus is about protecting you? How much he cares? Jesus fiercely protects little disciples.

So should we. Thirdly, Jesus pursues little disciples who wander and so should we. Look at verse 10, verse 11 onwards.

We know this story so well, don't we? Or do we? See, in other Gospels like Luke, for instance, the focus of this parable is evangelistic.

It's about how Jesus goes out to save the lost. But here, from the context, from what comes immediately afterwards, Jesus retells it for pastoral reasons.

It's not the parable of the lost sheep, it's the parable of the wandering sheep. See, this time it's about an insider being brought back. Not an outsider being brought in. It's less about how much Jesus loves the lost, of course he does, and more about how we should care for each other when one of us wanders off.

Let's read it with that in mind. Pick it up, verse 12. What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one who wandered off?

And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety- nine, excuse me, the ninety-nine that did not wander off.

Our mind goes to the numbers, doesn't it? Or at least mine does. If your mind's like mine, I'm thinking about ninety-nine and one and trying to make that math sad up. But the eastern shepherd, the original here is, they're actually not really thinking in terms of numbers because the sheep wasn't just a number.

The shepherd would have known the sheep by name, probably, definitely by appearance, by habits, even by parentage. Do we know each other that well?

Well enough to know where someone's lame foot is, who has the tendency to graze where they shouldn't. Well enough to detect change in appearance and habits that might indicate that somebody is going to wander off shortly.

Well enough even to notice when they're not there. We can't do that with everyone, of course, can we? Jesus had twelve disciples and three that he knew really well.

Maybe that's a good pattern. That means really knowing your flock, doesn't it? It means that wholehearted commitment that the commentator was talking about earlier.

Imagine a conversation with a friend that goes like this and you say, I'm part of this great flock, you know, and your friend says, oh, that sounds interesting, can you tell me about it? And you say, yeah, no, well, I just, I go to a meeting for a couple of hours on a Sunday morning really, most weeks.

Being part of a flock means being together all the time in some way or other, doesn't it? I don't mean we never leave this room, that's not what it means, is it? But it's more than just coming together for a couple of hours on a Sunday morning, that's not being part of a flock, is it?

And that's not us, that's not how we are with each other. And that's right. It's right that we know each other and love each other and are in touch with each other because we're a flock.

That's what Bethel is. Verse 14, in the same way, your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should perish.

in other words, Jesus is saying, go after that wandering member of the church. Go after them in the same relentless, reckless way that I came after you.

In a way that wouldn't pass any cost-benefit analysis, right? This isn't the world's way, but in a way that shows you are a flock, not a Sunday club.

Now, what this doesn't mean is inclusivity at any price. Right? This is not a mandate, manifesto, to shape the whole church around the one.

That's not what's going on here. You end up with a lopsided body that way, don't you, to pick up on another Bible analogy for church. That's not what it means.

It isn't a license to neglect the 99. In fact, the 99, if this ever did happen in reality, were probably left in the sheepfold or with another shepherd because they didn't tend to work alone.

But it is saying that how much our church is like Jesus, loves like Jesus, can be seen in how we treat the one that wanders away, the littlest.

How far are we prepared to go to do that? Because Jesus relentlessly, recklessly pursues you as a lost sheep. And that's the love that he wants us to apply to one another.

And that might mean we need to be more patient with that little brother or sister who keeps doing that annoying thing in church. Loving those with little legs might mean we cover less ground as a church than we hoped.

Maybe. It might even feel like we're going nowhere as a church and making no real difference. And you know what? Not always, but in general, that's okay.

Because the mission is not to reach the North Pole. The mission actually is that we all get home safe. Jesus pursues little disciples who wander, and so should we.

I just want to finish with a little story. family go to the beach, and they walk along the beach. There was a storm the night before, and they find that the beach is covered with starfish, that the storm has washed up.

The little boy picks up one, throws it back, before he's called on by his parents. And his father says to him, why did you bother? I mean, it's not going to make a difference, is it?

And the little boy says, it made a difference to that one. And that's 50% of what we're talking about here, right? The heart of that child for the one, the one that matters.

But it's only 50%, because actually the truth of the matter is that it matters to the one who made that one. Did you get that? It matters to Jesus.

It matters to Jesus. It doesn't just make a difference. to the wandering sheep. It makes a difference to the shepherd. Because that's his heart for all of us.

And so that's how we should love one another and live with each other. By the Spirit's power, may that be true of us. Amen.