You probably took some seconds to contemplate the reason behind the oxymoronic title. A mature fellow is everything but a child, and I’m absolutely in agreement, except that the reality of the man in Christ proves otherwise.
Matthew 18:3 (NIV)
[3] And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
Matthew 19:14 (NIV)
[14] Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”
What’s the relationship between being childlike and having a part in God’s kingdom? Let’s find out.
1. Trust: When children trust, they do so absolutely. They express faith unreservedly. A father who’s barely struggling to feed the family doesn’t need to put in much energy to convince a child that he’ll get them an airplane. They’ll innocently give all their trust. That’s the attitude of faith that proves the maturity of a believer. Trusting God even when it doesn’t make sense.
2. Teachableness: It is scientifically supported that childhood is the peak period for learning. This is not only because their brains are cognitively primed, but also because they’re most open to instruction. Remember Jesus’s words, “…learn of Me”? Adherence demands child-likeness.
3. Dependence: Children are dependent on their caregivers for everything. As a matter of fact dependence is the hallmark of child-likeness. “Mummy, mummy, I’m hungry.” “Daddy, ask Sean to give me my toy.” “Mummy, I need to wee-wee.” This explains why pubescent folks insist on independence, sometimes even sliding into rebellion. They aim to prove that they’re no longer children.
A believer who will stay consistently conscious of his need for absolute dependence on God can only do so as a child.
Little wonder our journey into the kingdom begins with surrender. Surrender is typical of a child. He won’t listen to Daddy or do it the way Mummy wants it, until all else fails, and there he is running back to them for help. By surrender, we seem to be giving up our rights to self-sufficiency or independent thinking, while admitting that all we are and can be is God, because He’s our source.
The irony of life in the kingdom is that your maturity increases to the same degree as your child-likeness. God’s template has not changed. He that must be mature must be a child. “Mature child” is thus not an irony, it’s the truth. It’s the reality of kingdom living.
Ikwumenu Emmanuel
