Children are a picture of hope, joy, optimism and faith. Jesus invites us to reconnect with the child inside of us as we prepare to approach him, in a posture of trust and complete dependence. Join the CitySalt blog team as we consider how to take on the attributes of a child and rediscover these inner parts of ourselves.
As a parent of four, I often crave quiet. I sometimes get tired of all the noise that inevitably accompanies a house full of children. But God isn’t always on my side when it comes to noise. Sure, God is sometimes the God of silence and a still small voice, but at other times it seems God wants some shouting and yelling, even when the adults want quiet.
The Gospel of Matthew tells us that when Jesus finally arrived in Jerusalem and entered the temple, the kids started shouting, and the teachers who were there got very angry about what they were yelling.
Matthew 21:12-17 (NIV)
Jesus entered the temple courts and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves. 13 “It is written,” he said to them, “‘My house will be called a house of prayer,’ but you are making it ‘a den of robbers.’”
14 The blind and the lame came to him at the temple, and he healed them. 15 But when the chief priests and the teachers of the law saw the wonderful things he did and the children shouting in the temple courts, “Hosanna to the Son of David,” they were indignant.
16 “Do you hear what these children are saying?” they asked him.
“Yes,” replied Jesus, “have you never read,
“‘From the lips of children and infants
you, Lord, have called forth your praise’?”
17 And he left them and went out of the city to Bethany, where he spent the night.
Jesus’ presence in the temple that day was a serious disruption of the normal worship rituals as he turned over tables full of money, knocked over benches full of birds, and cured the blind and lame. Can you imagine the sounds: crashing furniture, coins hitting the stone floor, birds flapping and squawking, and the joyous yells of people being healed from lifelong ailments? Added to this cacophony were the shouts of children saying, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” It must have been quite the commotion!
The religious leaders in the temple didn’t like the children shouting in this way, and they expected Jesus to do something about it. Whether in the temple of Jesus’ day or in the church of our day, children are often told to be quiet in religious spaces. But not Jesus. Instead of telling the children to be quiet, Jesus silenced the religious leaders. He told them that it is the children who have it right. Far from inappropriate, their shouts of praises are what this moment demanded.
The religious leaders and the children are both witnessing the same thing. Jesus is doing “wonderful things (v.15).” Yet it is only the children who know how to respond appropriately. They are the ones in the story who know better. How can that be? I have a few ideas…
Children are ready to celebrate good things.
You don’t have to teach a child to celebrate or shout. You don’t have to teach a child to sing or dance. You have to teach them not to. Adults help children learn cultural rules about when and how it is appropriate to celebrate, but when cultural rules are getting in the way of real authentic celebrations, it is often the kids who are the first to challenge the rules. This is what was happening in the temple. Jesus was healing people who needed healing. He was also exposing systems that were taking advantage of people. The children could recognize that this was a moment to celebrate, and regardless of what the adults were doing they were ready to shout “Hosanna” in the temple at the top of their lungs.Children are sensitive to unfair power structures.
Children often seem distracted or unaware of what is going on around them. As a dad, I’ve done my share of telling my kids to listen up and pay attention. The truth, however, is that children are quite aware and attentive to many things, just not the things that I want. One thing that children seem to be hyper aware of are systems or situations that are unjust or unfair. Children are aware of their dependence on adults for the things that they need, and because of that they are also very aware of how systems of power are working or not working for themselves and others. Children are especially good at exposing rules that aren’t really working the way they were intended. When power structures hurt or neglect other people or treat some people unfairly, it is often children who will be quick to notice and to want to do something about it. I wonder if that is one of the reasons the children shouted in the temple. Perhaps they were sensitive to those who were not being taken care of in the current system, and they were hopeful that Jesus was going to do something about it. They were right!Children ask lots of questions.
Children, by nature, are extremely open and flexible in how they process the world around them. That is how they learn so much so fast. They are full of questions and curiosity about the things that they don’t understand, and they are constantly assimilating new information. I can distinctly remember all four of my kids going through a phase where they asked “Why?” all the time about everything. As annoying as that might have been at times, it is one of the great gifts that children give adults: a moment to stop and ask why about our unquestioned habits. Through their questions, children often reveal underlying goals and hidden motives, inconsistencies, and hypocrisy. I wonder if this natural proclivity to ask questions and to seek out better answers helped the children in the temple to be excited about the new things that Jesus was bringing in a way that the religious authorities were not.
If God’s kingdom is about letting God’s light shine in the dark places of our lives to help us see things that need to change; if God’s kingdom is about being open to the new things that God wants to do in us and through us to make the world better; if God’s kingdom is about stopping to celebrate goodness wherever it is found; if God’s kingdom is about all these things, then is it any wonder that Jesus placed a child in their midst and said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 18:3, NIV)
About the Author
Aaron is a passionate seeker of God and truth, and he enjoys encouraging others in their own pursuits of the same. He especially likes to think about how God is at work in the most ordinary and mundane aspects of our existence. He loves going on adventures to new places with his wife, Heather, and four kids and his perfect day would involve an excellent cup of coffee (or two!), a hike to somewhere beautiful and serene, and some good conversation over a pint at a warm pub. He currently serves as an adjunct instructor at Portland Seminary and co-leads the CitySalt Kids’ Ministry along with his wife, Heather.