Lesson 2452

(Lesson 2452)(09-01-18) Mark 10:10-16
    “ And in the house his disciples asked him again of the same matter. And he saith unto them, Whosoever shall put away his wife, and marry another, committeth adultery against her. And if a woman shall put away her husband, and be married to another, she committeth adultery. And they brought young children to him, that he should touch them: and his disciples rebuked those that brought them. But when Jesus saw it, he was much displeased, and said unto them, Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God. Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein. And he took them up in his arms, put his hands upon them, and blessed them.”

    The beginning of today’s lesson, as yesterday’s, deals with marriage and divorce. As is plainly stated herein, divorce is a sin. A sin of which, among the many, I too, am guilty.
    In the latter part of today’s quote, Jesus spoke of the innocence of children, when He said, “Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.” When Jesus made that statement, He was not simply referring to children themselves, He was also referring to a state of total submission that a lost soul must take on in order to be a part of His Church. In other words, in order to be a part of “the kingdom of God”, (The church) we must submit ourselves to Jesus as open minded and accepting as were those young children that Jesus referred to in the quote.
    Again, sadly, there are some who believe that a child should be ceremonially handed over to Christ at a very early age in order that he/she can be a part of Christ’s church. That is one of the reasons Roman Catholics “baptize” babies. That practice is, in my opinion, asinine, since almost the entire text of the New Testament makes it plain that any lost soul can accept Jesus as savior and become a member of His church any day of his/her life.~