Come Like a Child

Introduction

What does it mean to be a child of God? In this sermon on Luke 18, Mark Fletcher contrasts the rich ruler’s desire to inherit eternal life with Jesus’ invitation to come like a child. The kingdom of God is not a deal to be done — it is a gift to be received. Discover why true richness is found not in wealth but in relationship with God.

Gandhi famously said that the world has enough for everyone’s need, but not enough for everyone’s greed. And yet, over the last 70 years, we have seen the greatest increase in wealth and the standard of living in history. But far from making us happier, that has resulted in gross inequality, environmental crisis, growing injustice, and conflict. And for our children’s sake, we need to make the case for less, for living more simply. And followers of Jesus should be at the forefront of that. Because Jesus has been making the case for that for 2,000 years. We just haven’t been listening.

So we arrive in our journey through Luke’s gospel. First, at one of the loveliest stories in the gospel. It is delightful. And it is also, I think, exceptionally important. You heard, didn’t you. People were bringing their children to Jesus to have him bless them and the disciples, instead of welcoming them, are trying to turn them away, saying surely Jesus has more important things to do than this. But, of course, Jesus says: let the little children come to me and do not hinder them. The kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these. Beautiful moment. Doesn’t it express something of who Jesus is and his commitment to those who are insignificant in the eyes of the world. But it’s a profound one too. Note that word belong. The kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these. He is saying that the kingdom of heaven doesn’t work like the kingdoms of this world. It is not something that you earn. It is a gift that you are given and it is to be received. So if you remember nothing else from this evening’s sermon, remember this. That Jesus invites us to learn what it means to come as a child with open hearts and open hands and to know God as our Father and to receive that gift. And there is no greater status in this world than to be a child of God.

However, you may have noticed that that very lovely story is set up against a rather more challenging story. And that is no accident. It is intentional. The gospel writer Luke has put these two things side by side to make a point. And I wonder if you could start to see what the connection between the two of them is. So what happens next is a certain ruler comes to Jesus and says, good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life? This man, clearly wealthy and important. You can imagine him sort of pushing his way through the crowd. Maybe pushing a few children out of the way on his way through. And all of the people would, I’m sure, have backed away with respect. And of course, from the disciples’ point of view, this is far more like it. These are the calibre of people we want joining the kingdom of heaven. And he asks this question. He said, what must I do to inherit eternal life? Now, it is a fascinating question on a number of levels. Not least because surely by the standards of his time, this man has got it all. Wealthy, influential, significant. He has great status. And yet he knows that he is lacking. He is lacking something. And that is a theme which has echoed throughout history. He knows that he has it all on one level. But in reality, he doesn’t have that — that is not enough. Do you know the quote by the actor Jim Carrey? Two-time Golden Globes winning Jim Carrey. He said, I think everybody should get rich and famous and do everything they ever dreamed of so that they can see that that is not the answer.

Also, I am struck that this is a good man on any normal level. He is somebody who is careful to keep the commandments. He knows that his wealth and his status isn’t enough. And he knows that he needs to be more than that. And so he is sort of trying his best to be good. You know what the commandments are. And he said, all these I have kept since I was a boy. Surely, if anyone, this man should be confident of his place in God’s kingdom. But of course, you know, Jesus has a tendency to put doubt in the mind of the self-righteous. Somebody beautifully put it. Jesus comes to comfort the afflicted and to afflict the comfortable.

And so there is the scene. Rich ruler, crowd listening to see how Jesus will respond. And of course, Jesus is the doctor of the soul. The surgeon who can see to our hearts and see to the heart of the problem. And he asks this question. He says to this rich ruler, why do you call me good? Surely, no one is good except God alone. And it is a serious question. He is essentially saying, are you under the illusion that you are good? Do you think that you are good? This man seems to think that being right with God is a deal. A transaction that we make. Be good and God will love you. There is also a sort of fundamental misunderstanding in his question. He said, what must I do to inherit? Now, surely, we all know that that is not how inheritance works. Inheritance is not earned. You inherit because you are an heir. Because you are a child.

And so this wealthy man seems to think that the kingdom of God is a deal to be done. He comes to Jesus and he says, well, what is the deal?

And so he wants to do something. He wants to know what the deal is. Jesus lets him know. He says, verse 22, there is still one thing lacking. Sell all that you own and give to the poor. And then come and follow me. It is a verse which has put fear in the hearts of believers throughout the centuries. But it is an essential question to understand. And it is essential to see it in its context.

This man knows the commandments. And he knows that actually the greatest commandment is, you are to have no other gods before me. And his money, as it so easily does, has become an idol. A false god. He trusts in that to the extent that he cannot put his trust in God.

So Jesus is showing him his heart. Showing him what the real most important thing is to him. That he can never have an inheritance in the kingdom of God as long as his inheritance is in his wealth. Verse 23, when he heard this, he went away sad, but he was very rich. He doesn’t argue. Neither does he think it is unreasonable. It is just a deal that he is not able to make. And he walks away. Alone. Jesus doesn’t turn him away. He turns himself away. Jesus looks at the disciples and says, how hard is it for the rich to enter the kingdom of God? Why is it so hard? I don’t think it is the fact of being wealthy. I think it is the psychology of it. I think wealth makes us proud and self-important. It gives us power. And control and autonomy. And it means that it is very hard to be humble and to be vulnerable. Pride is the opposite of faith and humility and trust. And so what help, what hope is there? Well, the crowd who are watching ask that very question. Verse 26, they say, if this good man can’t be saved, what hope is there for any of us? And Jesus replies, what hope? What is impossible with man is possible with God. And that is the point. We can’t do this by ourselves. We can’t make ourselves worthy of an inheritance in the kingdom of God by our own righteousness. None of us can do this. Our pride and our wayward hearts make it impossible by ourselves. But the good news is that that is not the end of the story. For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. You can’t earn this. There is no deal that you can do with God to buy your way into heaven. The doorway to the kingdom is so low that you have to get on your knees. Or you have to come like a little child. Verse 17, Jesus said, truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.

One other observation. And this is sort of about Jesus’ attitude to wealth. Because in verse 28, Peter sort of has one of his light bulb moments. He realises something which I don’t think he had particularly thought of before. And in verse 28, he points out that he and the other disciples had actually done exactly this. They left their possessions behind. And clearly hadn’t thought that much of it. At the time. That it wasn’t really that big a deal. You know, when the king comes along and invites you on for the ride, you don’t say, well, what about all my stuff? So they just kind of left it all behind on the beach. And he says to Jesus, well look, we did it. And Jesus’ response is a little bit dismissive. He’s like, well yeah, very good, well done. You will get your reward in heaven. But do you see? For Jesus, wealth just isn’t that significant. I think our biggest problem is that we think too much of it. We think it is too important. In the kingdom of God, it doesn’t matter. Do you think that money is a big deal to God?

Stuff was never what life is about. As the apostle Paul puts it to Timothy, godliness with contentment is great gain. We brought nothing into the world and we can take nothing out of it. So don’t make the mistake of investing your life in wealth and possessions that you can’t take with you. That offer you false security. That will only ultimately disappoint you. Because they are not the answer. Can I propose to you an alternative get-rich plan?

You want to be truly rich in this life and in the next? Give yourself away. To God and to other people. In generosity and love. Dedicate yourself to prayer. Simplicity. In service. If you have some wealth, use it to do the best good that you can. But discover that the true richness of life is found in relationships with God and with other people. And that there is no greater status than being a child of God. As a child of God, the earth is yours and everything in it.

The rich ruler said, what must I do? I’ll tell you what you need to do. Just come. Like a child. Day by day. In love and faith. And you will discover that that life which God gives is a gift. Given one day at a time. He provides daily bread. And that daily bread is royal food. You are the child of a king. You have never been so rich as you were when you were children. Rediscover that freedom which God offers you as his children. The future lies all ahead of you. The world is your oyster. You know, they say we spend our youth pursuing money, and then we spend our money pursuing youth.

Instead, why not spend our life in pursuit of that which can never fade and can never be taken away from you? I think we need to reclaim that lovely simplicity of life. Rooted in a rich relationship with God and with one another. To show the way of living simply. Of valuing that which actually matters. Rather than that which doesn’t matter. And finding freedom in that. Hold lightly to your possessions. Model generosity. Honour God with who you are and everything you have. And the lovely side of that — far from hardship — that is the way of life and peace and joy. Somebody once said, he is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose. That’s the deal. That the rich ruler so struggled to grasp. Come like a child. With open hands and an open heart. And discover what life was always meant to be. Amen.