Word for Wednesday
And they brought unto Him also infants, that He would touch them, but when His disciples saw it, they rebuked them. But Jesus called them unto Him. Luke 18:15-16
A group of boys made their way into the Gospel tent, and slouched down in one of the back rows. They didn’t even make any effort to remove their ball caps, half of which were on backwards. Shocked at their lack of respect, I asked the preacher if i should go and ask them to remove their caps. He shook his head. ‘Let’s just be glad they’re here,’ he replied, giving the boys a friendly nod and wave. The boys stayed and listened well during the meeting. I suppose my attitude toward them might have been like the disciples’ attitude toward those who brought babies to Jesus. Maybe we would see more people reach the saviour if only we were as welcoming as He is.
Hindsight is great, isn’t it? We can see what was so wrong with the disciples’ attitude, can’t we. But what if we had been one of those disciples? We might have felt justified in preventing a flock of fussy babies and overprotective mothers from rushing around Jesus, interrupting His preaching and making a general disturbance. Are we justified when we select who we give a Gospel tract to, or who we invite to a meeting, or who we address our remarks to when we are preaching. We go out of our way to prevent anybody from disturbing the meetings or to prevent anybody from showing up in inappropriate clothing. The disciples thought they were doing the right thing… and we do too. But maybe we are preventing the Gospel from reaching some who need it.
How thrilled those mothers must have been to have Jesus give their little ones a hug or a pat on the head! What an honour! And our text tells us that He didn’t shy away from them at all, in fact, he called the children and welcomed them. It’s an honour for each of us to have been brought to Jesus, as well. And we should consider it an honour for anyone to be brought to Him. I have often wondered if Jesus that day called the children to Him by name. He knew their names, didn’t he? Wouldn’t that be special! What a wonderful experience those mothers and their little ones had that day! An experience that some well-intended disciples almost spoiled.
Do our good intentions ever get in the way of people reaching the Lord Jesus? May it never be! -Jim MacIntosh