Weekly Meditation October 4th

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Weekly Meditation
By Christine White


Mark 10:13-16
People were bringing little children to him in order that he might touch them; and the disciples spoke sternly to them. But when Jesus saw this, he was indignant and said to them, 'Let the little children come to me; do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs. Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it.' And he took them up in his arms, laid his hands on them, and blessed them.

This episode begins with the disciples attempting to enforce one of the standard social mores of their day. Children should not be allowed to disturb the teacher and his students. The disciples demonstrate that they still don't understand the point of Jesus' ministry, which is inclusion. Including the children also made it possible for the women who had the responsibility for caring for them to hear Jesus' teaching. Jesus is always including the excluded of his society - lepers, prostitutes, tax collectors, women and children.


Jesus then goes on to say "whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it." Children were not considered persons in their own right. They had no status or power. Jesus insists that God's rule exists for them.


This episode occurs after the disciples were arguing about which of them is the greatest. Modern ideas about the innocence of children were not held during the first century. Could Jesus be advising the disciples and us that we are all radically dependent upon God's grace just as a child is radically dependent on the parent for status, inheritance and life itself?


The message of radical dependence on grace is very inclusive. It puts us all on equal footing before God. Whatever our education, whatever our economic circumstances, whatever our race, whatever our gender, whatever our sexual orientation, whatever our religious affiliation, whatever our physical abilities or limitations, whatever our personality flaws - we are all radically dependent upon God's grace. We are all included in the circle of God's unconditional love.


This is the good news that we are blessed to receive and share - whatever your whatever, whatever your neighbor's whatever - we are all invited to share in God's kingdom. The challenge for both the disciples and for us is to realize that we are called to identify with the non-persons of our society - the homeless, the gang member, the mentally unstable, the chemically dependent. The list goes on. May God bless us as we struggle to be the body of Christ for each other and for those we would rather ignore.