Today's readings are Numbers 13.1-3 ( http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Num.+13.1-3 ), Numbers 13.17-33 ( http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Num.+13.17-33 ) and Luke 18.1-17 ( http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Luke+18.1-17 ).
Today we see Jesus illustrating the humility God requires to come to him. The tax collector, humble, receives justification from the Lord, while the Pharisee who prays to himself in order to be seen by people receives the reward he asked for while praying - being seen as holy before people. The children brought to Jesus for blessing receive blessing. They know no other life than a life that trusts and says that if God blesses me by my being with Jesus, not of my own merid, I am blessed by God.
What faith are we to have! The faith of little children who have no idea of their own works saving them, but only of Christ blessing them.
It strikes me as odd that the very people who want us to develop the faith of a little child the most then tend to forbid children to exercise that faith. We don't want to give false assurance. We want to be sure the child has appropriated faith for himself. We want to avoid having a child confess Christ if it's possible that our authority and influence could have led the child to that conclusion. Yet we try every argument, every persuasive technique under the sun to persuad adults to confess Christ as savior.
Why not let the children come to Christ? He presents himself as the savior who loves them and blesses them. Is there any reason we should raise children to doubt this provision and blessing? No. Let the children come to Christ. Let them live with him in the family of Christ, the Church. Let them hear from him and receive his words of assurance and blessing. Raise them in the way they should go. Feed their faith with the good food of the Word of God. Expect God's hand of blessing on those we have brought to him to bless.
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