Like a Little Child
The kingdom is not earned by adults and cannot be received any other way than a child receives
Mark 10:15NIV
Mark 10:15. People are bringing small children to Jesus so that he might touch them. The disciples rebuke them. Jesus, Mark says, is indignant, and he tells the disciples to let the children come. Then he adds a sentence for the adults. Anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.
The key word is receive. A child does not earn a gift or negotiate for it. A child holds out both hands. Jesus is not praising childishness. He is describing the only posture in which a kingdom can be given to you, which is the posture of someone who knows they have nothing to trade.
On a Monday, when the week's work begins and we return to the world of earning, this is a needed correction. The kingdom is not a wage. It is the one thing you cannot work for, and the only way in is to be small enough to be given it.
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