Indignant

“But when Jesus saw it He was indignant…” (Mark 10:14).

Christ Blessing the Children (Lucas Cranach the Elder)

There is a strange relationship between Christ and the children.  There are times in the Bible when Christ is described as spending time with children.

And I have bene reflecting on this today.  You see, I supposed that I have always considered children in ancient times in the same way that I consider children in a modern age.  In modern times we tend to place our children at the centre of our lives.  We plan our schedules in service to them.  Extra-curricular activities keep mothers and fathers busy after long days at work, play dates and catch ups and technology and a whole variety of things have now become the basics of what we offer to our children.  This is not to say that I grew up without these luxuries, but these days it seems that there is even more pressure on parents to keep their children at the centre of their lives.

This has not always been the case.  When my mother and father were children, children were taught to be seen and not heard.  Their parents certainly did not take them to any place special and they simply attended whatever social events their parents ere attending and would allow them to attend.

During the Industrial Revolution in England and Europe, children provided cheap labour and their smaller bodies were considered useful in taking on riskier jobs, like climbing chimneys to clean them out for rich house-owners.

In Christ’s time children (and women too) were very vulnerable people.  They were marginalised.  They were the least important people in a social gathering…

And yet, Christ sought them out…

“And they were bringing children to Him, that He might touch them; and the disciples rebuked them. But when Jesus saw it He was indignant, and said to them, ‘Let the children come to me, do not hinder them; for to such belongs the kingdom of God. Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.’ And He took them in his arms and blessed them, laying His hands upon them.” (Mark 10:13-16)And there – in those words – some thing touches my heart today.  Christ went out and found the most vulnerable people in the group and He not only gave them His time and attention, but He became indignant with those who wanted to hurry Him along to the more important people in the crowd.  And that resonates with me today because I suppose those children are more than children.  Those children are me – and you too…  Those children are the weakest of all the people in the world.

And just like He did twenty centuries ago, Christ sits with the weakest people – the most vulnerable and the least important – and He speaks to them.  And He does this even when others try to hurry Him along.  And what is more…  He becomes indignant when people tell Him that I am too unimportant for Him to worry about.  And how much I love Him for that…

For with prayer, I stand on Holy Ground where everything is clear. Here. At the Foot of the Cross.