Have We Shrunk the Kids?
Somebody
captured the mixed bag of experiences and emotions children bring to our lives
in these words – “The trouble with children is that when they’re not being a lump
in your throat they’re being a pain in your neck.”
Maybe that helps explain an incident we read about in the
life of Christ in Matthew 19:13-14 – “Then little children were brought to Him
that He might put His hands on them and pray, but the disciples rebuked them.
But Jesus said, ‘Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them;
for of such is the kingdom of heaven.’ And He laid His hands on them and
departed from there.” It is clear that Jesus’ disciples thought, at least in
the context of this passage, that little children were a pain in the neck.
The Bible says they “rebuked” those who were bringing
them to Jesus. Sellers S. Crain, Jr. notes that the Greek word epitimao,
translated “rebuked” in the New King James Version, is a strong one. He wrote,
“The language suggests that the disciples reacted with intensity” and notes
that the word “can carry the idea of threatening” (Truth For Today Commentary
-An Exegesis and Applicatin of the Holy Scriptures; Matthew 14-28; p 164).
What’s up with this? Disciples of Jesus not wanting
people to bring their children to Jesus? And even threatening them for doing
so? We don’t have space to discuss the possibilities here, but it is clear that
the disciples resented this imposition on their Master’s time. After all, He
was the Messiah and was talking about setting up the kingdom of God. He had
much more important things to do than waste His time with a bunch of kids! The
reaction of Jesus’ disciples brings to mind the goofy but entertaining 1988
movie entitled, “Honey, I’ve Shrunk the Kids.”
Remember? A wacky scientific experiment by a nerdy father
resulted in his and his neighbor’s kids being physically shrunk in size to the
point a blade of grass looked like a giant redwood and ants looked like
elephants! The story was about the anxiety and adventures of the children in
the back yard and the parents’ frantic efforts to find them and return them to
normal size. In the passage mentioned above it would seem Jesus’ disciples were
guilty of shrinking the kids!
Is it
possible Jesus’ disciples may be shrinking the kids today? From all
appearances, children loom large in modern American culture. Trainloads of money and energy are expended
to feed, clothe, care for, educate, and entertain our children. Many parents
shell out sizeable chunks of money and time to see to it their children are
involved in a plethora of activities having to do with academics and athletics.
And within reason, rightly so. Like the statement about Jesus in Luke 2:52,
children need opportunities and encouragement to “increase in wisdom and
stature, and in favor with God and man.” The concern is that, at least
spiritually, many parents may be shrinking their kids. An overcrowded,
over-stuffed schedule, awash in a rush of regular activities that, although
good and some even necessary, simply choke out time for regular, frequent, face
to face interactions with our children. Times to talk spontaneously about God,
or read the Bible, or have a family devotion, or just lay on the ground and look
at the clouds and talk about the flowers and birds, or visit the nursing home
or an elderly shut-in, etc., etc. Our children need US – not just the fun times
and good things we can give them. And they need Jesus. He wants to bless them.
You shrink your child’s soul if you keep them, even unwittingly, away from
Jesus. Will you think about it?
by Dan Gulley, Smithville, TN
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