Let the Children Come to Me

Written By Greg Johnston

There were giggles and laughs, stories and hugs as the world stopped while Jesus gave them His full attention.

Jesus was busy. Most days started before sunrise as He drew aside to commune with His Father in prayer. People followed Him wherever He went, pressing on Him to perform miracles and meet their needs, and this often continued way into the night. Jesus and His disciples were sometimes in such demand that they didn’t even have a chance to eat.

As if this schedule wasn’t gruelling enough, some parents brought their children to Jesus so He could bless them. This was outrageous. Didn’t they know how busy He was? Didn’t they realise He had more important things to do than to waste time on infants? This was too much for His disciples, so they did the right thing and prevented them from reaching Him.

Then Jesus did something that surprised them all. Somehow amid all this activity, He had noticed what had happened, ceased what He was doing and approached the parents. The disciples again tried to protect Him, but He silenced them and asked that they bring the children to Him. To everyone’s amazement, He got down on the ground to their level, smiled and entered their world. There were giggles and laughs, stories and hugs as the world stopped while Jesus gave them His full attention. For a few moments, the busyness of the day came to a standstill, and nothing else mattered more than these small children.

This is quite an amazing story. Amid a hectic schedule, Jesus focused on these children. Most people in His situation would have seen them as a nuisance and unimportant. Yet Jesus made them the centre of His world. He gave them His greatest gift. His undivided attention. He treated them with the same consideration and respect He had for everyone who came to Him. In fact, He stated they were of particular importance in the kingdom of God.

This is a beautiful incident from the life of Jesus. But what does this tell us about the Father? We have been discovering that Jesus represented the Father in everything He did and said. Therefore, if Jesus prioritised these children, then we know the Father did as well.

We can be tempted to think the Father is distant, impersonal and aloof. He is too important and busy to be concerned about us. But the reality is, He loves us passionately and knows everything that concerns us. Nothing in our lives is too insignificant to Him. You and I matter to Him, and the Bible says that if we were to number the thoughts He has toward us each day, they would be too numerous to count.

Jesus made them the centre of His world.

Further reading: Mk 6:31; Mk 10:13-16; Ps 139:1-6

Take a moment to realise that the Father is thinking about you right now. He knows your day, and you have His undivided attention.

This is an extract from my free book Knowing God as Father, which is available for download at Knowing God as Father.

Greg Johnston

Greg has been on staff at Influencers Church in Adelaide, South Australia for approximately 40 years. Initially, training and working as an Electrical Engineer, Greg attended Adelaide Bible College in 1980 and, upon graduating, joined the church staff as an assistant youth pastor. He then took up a pastoral role in the general congregation in 1989. Later he became the Principal of Influencers Leadership College in 1995.

His pastoral experiences and involvement in teaching and training, both within the College and the wider church, have helped him develop a keen passion for seeing people come to know God in a deeper way.

He is a teaching pastor and member of the Eldership within Influencers Church and a member of the South Australian Executive of the Australian Christian Churches.

He and Michelle have been married for 42 years, and they have two adult children.

http://www.gregjohnstonresources.com
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