The Ministry of Jesus to the Children

A Sermon by Dr. Neil Chadwick

Often, when we think of Jesus and the children, we limit our memory to the time Jesus took the children up in His arms and blessed them (Matthew 19:13). Our imagination is quite good here - we can see Jesus, perhaps sitting on a rock by the side of the road, with children all around Him, and a beautiful smiling child on His lap. It's good that we have that picture because it helps us remember how much Jesus loves the children. This picture is no doubt the inspiration behind such songs as "Jesus Loves Me", and "Jesus Loves the Little Children". Of course we are painfully reminded that Jesus had to overcome the reluctance of His disciples in order to care for the little ones. May we not be like the disciples! We also remember that Jesus used a child when He taught the disciples about humility and entrance into the Kingdom of Heaven (Matthew 18:1-6); and we learn from them lessons about praise, for it was the children who were free and vocal to praise the Lord when He rode into Jerusalem on the back of a donkey. (Matthew 21:16). But the interaction of Jesus with children cannot be limited to these few situations. The Gospels give us five different accounts where Jesus' ministry is directly targeted to, and provided for the benefit of children. With each of these five stories, we will notice the: Approach of the Parent, Method of Healing by Jesus, and Participation of the Disciples. 1. A Minister's Daughter - Mark 5:22 (Matthew 9:18) When Jesus arrived at the seacoast town of Capernaum, a crowd quickly gathered. Among them was a prominent religious leader who approached Jesus, knelt down and made his request. As this story unfolds, Jesus responded to the desperation, humble worship, and faith of a father who was pleading for the life of his young daughter. Although Jairus was a prominent man, a leader in the Synagogue, he recognized the superior power of the Nazareth Carpenter, and was willing to humbly request His help. Almost as soon as Jesus made the commitment to go with this man to his home, He was sidelined by another person in need, a woman who had been ill for as long as Jairus' daughter had lived, 12 years. One wonders if this father began to feel what we fear many believe today, "Jesus cares more for the adults than He does for the children - He's obviously given priority to this woman over the care of my daughter who is nearly dead." Following a successful evangelistic campaign, a report was given that at the close of a particular meeting there were "two and a half people saved." Right away the reporter was questioned, "You mean there were two adults and one child who came to the Lord?" "No," was the response. "There were two children and one adult. The children were able to dedicate their entire lives to Christ, while the adult has already lived half of his." If Jairus assumed that Jesus cared less for his daughter because He took time to tend to the need of the woman, He would have been mistaken. Jairus learned what we all need to learn, patience in the presence of Jesus' superior wisdom. Meanwhile, while Jesus was detained in ministry to the woman with the internal hemorrhaging, the child was reported as dead. (Note Matthew's account suggesting the child was already dead when Jairus approached Jesus. The proper translation should be "at the point of death".) When Jesus did reach the home, He pushed through the wailing mourners, chided them for laughing when He claimed she was only sleeping (they knew she was really dead), laid His hand on the child, and with a simple command, raised her from death. As for the Disciples, they were with Jesus, especially the three who actually accompanied Him into the room where the child was laid out, and witnessed one of the more dramatic miracles reported in the New Testament. 2. A Single Parent's Son - Luke 7:12 As Jesus approached the town of Nain, He encountered a funeral procession as a body was being carried to be buried outside the walls of the town. Many commentators on this passage seem anxious to make the point that bodies were then buried outside the city, while today many churches have graves surrounding their buildings, and in some cases, even inside the church. They may have been worried about contamination, whereas I'm more worried about the dead people who sit in the pews than I am concerned about the dead people who are buried under or around the church! In this case we have no idea how old this widow's son may have been, we may only assume he was young. Nonetheless, it is clear that Jesus fully recognized the value of this son to his mother. One of the greatest sorrows of any person is the death of their own child. It's as if it is instilled in all of us, that parents are supposed to die before their children. But in addition, this story presents a Single Parent who has not only lost her remaining source of comfort after having already buried her husband, but she has also just lost her only hope for future provision. Obviously, in our country we have gotten away from the idea that children have economic value. There was a time when our children were viewed as assets, raised to help do the chores on the family farm. Unfortunately, many now view children as liabilities. Some may hope that their children would add value to their family estate by merely helping to maintain the home and property where they enjoy safe residency. For many, this is a vain hope because they can't even get their able-bodied children away from the video games long enough to mow the lawn or clean the floor! Christian sociologist Anthony Campolo points out that because children are not viewed as having economic value, they often are seen as having little or no value at all. When children grow up feeling that their existence has little value, they often become doomed to wander through life frantically in search of identity and many parents learn from this to validate their children by training them to do necessary tasks, impress on them how important they are to the well-being of the family, and continually affirm each child's unique talents and contributions. Jesus, as a response of compassion toward this Single Parent, brought her son back from death. He did this by simply touching the bier (stretcher on which the body laid covered with a cloth - not a coffin) and by simply commanding the child to get up. Once again, the Disciples were witnesses, as they were traveling with Jesus at that time. 3. Child of a Gentile Dog - Matthew 15:21ff When Jesus delivered a young girl from her demon-possessed state, He was responding to the persistence, humility and faith of a foreign mother. Especially notice the persistence of this parent. When she first uttered her heart-wrenching request, it appeared that Jesus totally ignored her cry. No doubt she was close enough to overhear the conversation between Jesus and His Disciples. They wanted Jesus to respond simply so they could have her quieted - not a very compassionate group! But Jesus' reply to them would bring even more discouragement to this mother, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel." Then, what would appear to be a direct rebuff, if not an out-right insult, Jesus let it be known that the food should be given to the children (of Israel) not to the dogs (of the Gentiles). Who but a totally devoted parent would continue to persist? This mother did, and at last her faith was rewarded. On the surface it seems that this is not a very flattering picture of the compassionate Christ we have come to trust. But if the words are correct, as stated by crowds of Jesus' contemporaries, "He hath done all things well" (Mark 7:37), then we must understand that Jesus at times appears to be reluctant to answer our request, perhaps for the purpose of drawing out our persistent faith which will not be denied. In the larger scheme of things, Jesus demonstrated that those we believe to be outsiders are to be given the same healing offered to the insiders. Is it possible that what we call "Divine Healing" is offered to the unsaved as well as to those who believe? In order to bring deliverance in answer to this woman's request, Jesus, without even going to the home, merely spoke a word and her child was healed. The disciples didn't show too well here, for they only seemed to care for this needy person in so far as her healing would result in peace for them - a rather self-serving desire. 4. A Politician's Son - John 4:46 On apparently His second visit to the scene of His first miracle, Cana, it was, once again, a father who came to Jesus to request healing for his son. The Greek word translated "nobleman" is "basileukos", from "basileus" (king), and implies one connected in some way with royalty. This official whose son was ill may have been Chuza (Luke 8:3), Herod's steward, or the man by the name of Manaen referred to in Acts 13:1. In His commentary, William Burkitt makes this point: "Earthly greatness is no defense against afflictions; great men are in trouble as other men; neither the wealth and riches of this nobleman, nor his power and authority, nor his honor in his country, nor his favor with his prince, could keep off God's hand either from himself or from his son; but the father feels as much by sympathy, as the child by sense. That great is the fruit and profit of afflictions to the children of men. Many, with this nobleman, never come to Christ till they be driven by the cross; and particularly, God sanctifies the sickness and death of near and dear relations, (children in special) to bring persons nearer to himself." Jesus put this man's faith to great test - will he be able to accept the word of Jesus as being enough? The father really wanted Jesus to come to his house. Perhaps he had heard the story of Jairus' daughter. Note also that this man had a long trip ahead of him (Cana was 20 miles from Capernaum). It was not until the next day that he learned of his son's healing. (Verse 52) In this situation, as with the Syrophonecian woman's daughter, Jesus just spoke a word to bring about the healing. And once again, His Disciples witnessed a remarkable healing. But also notice the outcome - the entire household believed in Jesus as a result of this miracle. One of the reasons we earnestly pray for God to perform miraculous answers to prayer for our own family members is that we want such testimonies to help them come to faith in Him as Lord and Savior. 5. Distressed Boy Below the Mountain - Matthew 17:14ff When Jesus denied Peter's suggestion to build three tabernacles on the Mount of Transfiguration, it was as though He was saying, "Although we have just had a glorious 'Mountain Top Experience', we must not stay here. There are needy people waiting at the base of this mountain, and we must go to minister to them." Let's always be careful to remember that the blessings of rich spiritual experiences always must come to an end so that we may make the trip down the mountain in order to minister to the boys and girls in need. Even if He had said that, it is unlikely that any of the three disciples would have guessed that their mission would be to rescue a boy from Satan's grip. But that's what happened. Once again, it was a father, desperate for help, who brought his child to Jesus. This man, when asked by Jesus about his faith, utters what I believe to be one of the most significant statements on the subject, "I believe, help Thou mine unbelief." (Mark 9:24) Here was a man willing to admit that he really didn't have it all together. Let's understand this - almost by definition, a father is a problem solver. When I was very young, so my mother tells me, I dropped a glass bottle which shattered into a hundred pieces. I was not particularly worried however, for when I ran to my mother to report the accident, I said, "It's all right, Daddy'll bix it." Already, barely old enough to talk, I had bought into the propaganda that father can do anything that is needed to be done. Unfortunately, we fathers may too easily believe our own press releases! But not the father in our story. While he perceived himself to be a man of faith, he also understood his own failures and limitations. There just wasn't enough faith for this situation, and this father was willing to own up to it. In order to bring about this boy's healing, Jesus " . . . rebuked the demon, and it came out of the boy, and he was healed from that moment." (Verse 18) There was a time when it was popular to treat every illness with a rebuke like Jesus did in this story. But we don't go there. The "gift of discernment" is necessary, and if we attribute something to Satanic possession which is not, we run the risk of causing great damage. On the other hand, it is fearful, but true to note that even children can be overcome by the power of the evil one. Let's always be careful to guard the spiritual safety of our children. Not long ago, a young girl barricaded herself in her bedroom and threatened to commit suicide. When the incident was brought under control, and the girl was admitted to the psychiatric ward, it was learned that she had painted her room black, and had filled her mind with satanic music and images, and even had begun to identify herself as a believer in Wicca, a cult loyal to Satan. Her Christian parents received a wake-up call that day, for little did they know that their beautiful sweet little girl had come under such harmful influences. The sad part of the story of the boy below the mountain was that the disciples who were first encountered by this needy situation were impotent, even though they formerly had been given power to overcome the works of Satan (Luke 9). Jesus later would point out according to the Mark 9 account that the disciples had not been allowing their faith to be built up through prayer and fasting. So what is the overall message in all of these stories? 1. There's more to the ministry of Jesus to children than just sitting them on His lap and blessing them. 2. Parents need to bring their children to Jesus, faithfully praying for them, and seeing to it that they are brought under godly influence. This brings back to mind the story about the trucker who came to the Lord in his snowed-in motel room. His name was Lee, and he was saved out of a wild life seven years after his wife divorced him. Thank the Lord for the Christian witness aired over TV, but Lee knew that the real reason he finally submitted to the call of the Lord was that his grandmother had never stopped praying for him. 3. Disciples, instead of discouraging the ministry to children, need to truly represent Jesus by healing, rescuing, and bringing to life the children who are brought. If the Church is the "Body of Christ", that in part means that we are the Jesus to whom this world will bring the needy children. Discussion Questions The Ministry of Jesus to the Children 1. What is the first image that comes to mind when we think about Jesus and the children? 2. In what ways do children help us understand what it means to be come a Christian? 3. What was the identity of the man in Capernaum who wanted healing for his daughter? 4. When Jesus agreed to help this father, what interrupted Jesus' going to his house, and what might this man have thought about it? 5. Why was it so important that the son of the widow of Nain be brought back to life? 6. What value do children have in our current American society? 7. The third parent to seek Jesus’ help for a child was a foreigner. What did this mother do to show persistence in prayer? 8. Why did the disciples urge Jesus to go ahead and heal this daughter of the foreign woman? 9. What two miracles were performed by Jesus in the little town of Cana? 10. What important truths can be gleaned from the account of Jesus telling a man his son was healed, and the man verifying it a day later? 11. Jesus did not seem too interested in sponsoring mountain top tabernacles. Why? 12. When is it appropriate for us to pray, "Lord, help my unbelief"? 13. What is the danger of rebuking sicknesses? 14. Based on these five accounts of Jesus' ministry to the children, what is learned about the parents' role? 15. 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