The faith of a little child not only enables us to join the kingdom family of God, it also continues to guide us as we progress. Jesus’s teachings and interactions on this theme are marked by a wonderful simplicity. And the variety of these teachings touches on several concepts that are part of the whole truth of faith.
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I often struggle, for example, to record a video, revise a chapter, interact wisely and well with a particular person or group, practice the golden rule, or develop my capacity for tranquil, relaxed receptivity, so that I can simply be with the spirit of God and allow it to do its work in me. When I struggle, I easily forget to see the struggle as fascinating. I leave my sense of humor at the door, overthink things, isolate myself socially, and fail to open myself to be with the spirit of God in a patiently receptive way.
But when I struggle, I usually sooner or later remember square one—the faith of a little child. Jesus said, “Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child shall not enter it” (Mark 10:15). In my case, it was as if Jesus were saying to me, “Truly I say to you, Jeff, if you do not refresh yourself in the faith of a little child, your progress in the family of God will falter. I find the faith of a little child to be the most simple, relaxing, and easiest relationship with God. As I grow into the faith of adult child of God, I can reflect that child-like faith is exactly what I am still developing.
There are more aspects and simple approaches to faith. Take the example of Zacchaeus (Luke 19:1-10). He was hated for collecting taxes for the Romans and getting wealthy by overcharging people. But he had heard about Jesus, and when he learned that the famous teacher was going to be coming through his neighborhood, he went out to meet him. But he was short, and the crowd was already lined up so that he could not see. So he rushed ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to be able to see Jesus when he came by. When Jesus saw Zacchaeus, he told Zacchaeus that he would be staying at his home that night.
When the crowd heard this, some of them criticized Jesus for staying with a sinner. But Zacchaeus was so expectant that when he saw Jesus and heard what he said, it triggered his faith. He replied to the crowd, “Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.”
Then Jesus said to everyone, “Today salvation has come to this house. The Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” The term “Son of Man” was the title that Jesus applied to himself to symbolize his mission.
This interaction is very quick and very simple. It accomplishes the goal of gaining salvation by entering the kingdom family of God with child-like beginner’s faith. We also see the explosive power of active faith breaking through years of being lost in the love of money and in unethical practices. Zacchaeus shows us the liberating effect of repentance and making amends.
The complete opposite of Zacchaeus was Nicodemus, a very highly placed Pharisee who came out to meet Jesus (John 3:1-12). Nicodemus said, “Rabbi [teacher], we know that you are a teacher that has come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do apart from the presence of God.” Jesus perceived that Nicodemus’s praise and interest were not coming from a place of spiritual realization. Jesus spoke directly to his need. “No one can see the kingdom of God without being born anew.” The phrase can also be translated “born again” and “born from above.”
In his failure to understand, Nicodemus made the mistake of interpreting Jesus literally. Nicodemus asked questions based on false assumptions of what Jesus was saying. “How can anyone be born after having grown old?” “Can one enter a second time into the mother’s womb and be born?”
Jesus made another approach to Nicodemus, saying “The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes.” (The Greek word “pneuma” means both “wind” and “spirit.”)
Finally, Jesus planted a seed that was not part of his message to the crowds at this early phase of his public career. He spoke of himself as the Son of Man who had “descended from heaven.” We have evidence of this seed coming to fruition only much later.
Jesus also expressed the requirement for entering the kingdom by giving his hearers a promise. “Happy are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:6). The phrase “poor in spirit” translates the Greek phrase; but since Jesus taught in Aramaic, he would probably have expressed the idea in a single word: “humble.” Jesus is talking about happy humility.
Why is it so easy to enter the kingdom? Said Jesus, “It is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom” (Luke 12:32).
Next, a series of three simple promises shows another approach to entering into the family of God. “Ask, and you will receive. Seek and you will find. Knock, and the door will be opened to you” (Matthew 7:7; Luke 12:32).
When Jesus had occasion to criticize some of his followers by saying, “O you of little faith,” he wasn’t complaining that God hadn’t given them enough (Matthew 6:30, 8:26, 16:8, 17:20; Mark 9:22-23). Rather, he was pointing out that they weren’t using the power of their gift.
Each teaching and each interaction has a remarkable quality of simplicity about it. Each makes use of one or more spiritual truths relevant to the life of faith. As we stop and ponder each one by itself, we make new discoveries in our personal experience.
Image credit: Zacchaeus in the Tree, a print (attributed to Ambrosius Francken (b. 1544), Jan Collert (b. 1525), or Gerard Jode (b. 1509)) in the collection of the Royal Library of Belgium. Found in Wikimedia Commons.
