The Key to Gaining the Kingdom
I was at a local clergy gathering last week and the subject of children's ministry came up. One of the other ministers there commented that they'd had people complain that the children made too much noise. I'm afraid I had to admit that I too had heard the same complaint at St Theo's a number of years ago.
Of course it's true, isn't it? Children these days are much too noisy! And undisciplined! And disrespectful of their elders! It wasn't like that in my day! When I was a child we were perfectly behaved, as you can imagine!
I mean, everyone knows that children should be seen and not heard? Don't they?
Well, as George pointed out earlier, Jesus has something to say about that in today's reading. The disciples clearly thought that children should be ignored. They were a bit like Lucy in this Peanuts cartoon strip.
Poor old Linus! As far as Lucy's concerned he's a non-person. And that's the sort of attitude that the disciples had. These children were just a distraction. Jesus had more important things to do than talk to them.
But they actually had it all wrong didn't they? What Jesus goes on to explain in both this interaction and the next is that in God's kingdom our earthly values are all the wrong way around.
In our world the people who get on are those with the best qualifications, the best thinkers, the decision makers, the wielders of power. That's why we put so much pressure on our VCE students - to make sure that they get into the best courses at uni so they'll end up in a position to exercise influence in the world or to earn a sufficient income to give them enough buying power to do whatever they want to.
But Jesus stops his disciples in their tracks with these words: “Let the little children come to me; do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs.”
Children may be insignificant yet the kingdom belongs to them.
What is it about children that makes them the prime recipients of the kingdom? Is it their total dependence on their parents? A child is the exact opposite of the sort of person I've just described. No power. No qualifications. No influence (apart from their cuteness!). No ability to make important decisions. All they can do is to trust their parents to look after them; to make good decisions on their behalf. In fact if you think about it, total trust is the centre of a child's existence.
But might it also be the fact that a child can't do anything to earn their parents' love? All they can do is receive it as a gift.
The Kingdom of God can't be bought; it can't be earned; it certainly can't be won by exercise of power. All we can do is to receive it as a gift, unearned, undeserved.
Do you remember a couple of weeks ago we read about the man whose son was mute? And Jesus told him everything is possible do those who believe? Do you remember the man's response? “I do believe; help my unbelief.” There was a man who knew his limitations. He knew how sick his son was; how impossible it was for him to be healed; yet he was prepared to trust Jesus to do what seemed impossible.
So the first key to gaining the kingdom is to approach it like a little child - with total trust in God, with total dependence on Jesus for salvation; and with the realisation that we can do nothing to earn it.
In fact Jesus makes it even stronger, doesn't he? He says “15Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it.” I occasionally meet someone who tells me how they've studied theology and it hasn't made any difference to them. They know all the Bible stories; they've read the Old Testament and the New Testament, the letters of Paul but they're still not sure if it's all true. They certainly haven't become followers of Christ. And I wonder why? How can someone study the Bible for years and not be convinced by it? Is what Jesus is saying here the key? Is it that they've come to the gospel, not like a little child with a sense of dependence and trust, but with a sense of their own intelligence and wisdom? Have they set out to put God to the test? Have they decided that their own judgement is the deciding factor? That's not how a little child thinks is it?
But then a man comes up to Jesus who's something of a contrast to a little child. Luke tells us that he's a ruler, presumably a ruler of the synagogue. So he's a man of power and influence, as well as being very wealthy.
Yet despite his status he approaches Jesus with an eagerness that indicates he hopes to learn something important about gaining the kingdom. No-one of importance would have run like this. And when he comes to Jesus he kneels before him. This man recognises that Jesus is a teacher of note. Perhaps he's one of those who noticed that he spoke with authority and not like the Pharisees. So he comes to Jesus to find the secret of eternal life. That is, to find the way into God's kingdom.
He starts out with a bit of flattery. He calls Jesus “Good Teacher”. But Jesus stops him right there. He asks: “Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone.” This may be simply a way of telling him that flattery will get him nowhere. But I think it's more than that. It's almost as if Jesus is making him stop and think about what he's just said. If no-one is good but God alone, might there be more to Jesus than he's realised?
But then he points out how silly his question is: the man already knows how to gain eternal life - just keep the commandments. In fact the man says that's exactly what he's done since his youth. The fact that he's here asking Jesus for assurance of eternal life perhaps indicates that he's not as sure of his success as he claims, but in any case Jesus goes straight for the jugular. There's one area of weakness that Jesus can see. He says “You lack one thing; go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.”
It's funny how we all seem to have certain blind spots. Could it be that those of us who think they're more righteous than the rest may have more blind spots than the rest?
Well this was certainly his blind spot. He had many possessions. So many, in fact, that they stopped him from becoming a follower of Jesus.
But before we start thinking badly of this young man let's be careful that this isn't really a story about us? How many of us are willing to sell all our possessions and give them to the poor? How many of us are willing to wait for heaven to receive the treasure that God promises us? When Tom presents the Treasurer's report in a few moments how many of us will be working out how much more we could give to keep God's kingdom growing though our ministry here? I hope you'll ask the same question when Ivy presents her proposal later on.
Jesus was right when he said “where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” That's why he says here, “How hard it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!” That means most of us here today. Why? Because those who are rich come to depend on their wealth to solve their problems, to bring them happiness, to give them satisfaction in life. And too often we think we can't live without it.
When the disciples ask “Then who can be saved?” Jesus replies, “For mortals it is impossible, but not for God; for God all things are possible.” I hope that's a relief to you. All is not lost just because you happen to be rich.
But still the call is for all of us to give up our dependence on riches in order to follow Jesus. But he adds the assurance that those who give up their house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields, for his sake and for the sake of the good news will receive them all back a hundredfold in this world, though with persecutions notice; and in the age to come eternal life.
We mustn't forget that we have a new family right here, provided for us by God: brothers and sisters, mothers and children, grandparents even. And in this context we have even more than that because we have such a rich cultural spread through our multicultural, multi-language setting. Let's not undervalue that great gift that God has given us.
But let's also remember that the real treasure is that which God has stored up for us in heaven where rust and moths don't destroy and thieves don't break in and steal.
Finally listen to the great kingdom principle at the end of the passage: “The first will be last and the last will be first”
Jesus speaks with authority here because he perfectly exemplifies the principle in his life. He has the name that's above every name, yet he comes to us as one who is a servant, as we'll see next week, to give his life a ransom for many.
This is an important principle when we're making decisions as a congregation. It's a principle that I hope those who are about to be elected to vestry understand. When we make decisions as a vestry we should be putting our own needs and desires last; we should be thinking about what will best advance the kingdom of God; what will best allow us to grow disciples, to glorify God. And it may be that in the end those who put themselves last will be elevated by God to be the first in his kingdom.
So what are the keys to gaining God's Kingdom?
First come to it in trust and dependence like a little child.
Secondly realise that there's nothing that we can bring that will earn it in God's sight.
Thirdly be willing to give up everything in order to gain it.
Finally be willing to put yourself last.