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Song: Desperation Band Here In Your Presence

Scripture
Jesus asked his disciples, “What were you discussing out on the road?” But they didn’t answer, because they had been arguing about which of them was the greatest. He sat down, called the twelve disciples over to him, and said, “Whoever wants to be first must take last place and be the servant of everyone else.” Then he put a little child among them. Taking the child in his arms, he said to them, “Anyone who welcomes a little child like this on my behalf welcomes me….Mark 9:34-37

Observation
Imagine a man who came to the end of his working life, who counted on the nest egg of thousands he had squirreled away, and with the withdrawal of his money he discovered that it was all saved in Monopoly Money. That currency may work for a few hours to play a board game, but it is worthless in the marketplace. A worker could have millions saved in Monopoly currency but he would be a pauper because it is the wrong kind of cash.

With one little child, Jesus showed the disciples that their spiritual bank accounts were stuffed with worthless bucks. They had been saving Kudos Money, which gets its worth from being in on the inner circle and close to the leader. The closer they rode to Jesus in the bus the more valuable they thought they were. Since Peter, James and John were allowed to peek into heaven at the Mount of Transfiguration, there had been lots of jostling for rank on the road. The disciples thought they had it figured out.

With one little child, Jesus showed the disciples that the dough was at the end of the line and not at the front. It is clear that in the ministry of Jesus, children were never peripheral. Jesus center staged children. He pushed past adults to bless them. He applauded their playful songs through the holy Temple. He even took time to look in the pockets of a little boy and perform a miracle with his lunch. In all of the Old Testament there is no other leader who noticed children. Jesus stands alone as treasuring children; it is with the little ones that he has placed the value.

Application
I wonder if most children’s ministries in churches are in the basement or back rooms because Jesus wants to test us to see if we value what he values? I don’t think this means that everyone must be a Sunday School teacher, though it wouldn’t hurt! It does mean that we need to constantly readjust our sense of significance. Working with children recalibrates our scale of values. The disciples squeezed in close to Jesus because of their insecurity. They were not confident in the Father’s love for them, so they were unable to risk the lonely places at the back of the crowd. We will value what Jesus values when we become stable in the great love of God for us. We need to be sure that the money we are saving is real money, that what we are living for is really worth having forever.

Prayer
Jesus, I know that you really love the children and in loving them I will become more of what you need me to be. So Lord, help me to see where the goods really are. The treasures of the kingdom are not always on the platform or the boardroom but in the basement Sunday School rooms where you wander and wonder with children. Amen.