The Message, September 17, 2023: "Bless Them!" Mark 10:13-16

Author: Rev. Scott W. Cousineau
September 20, 2023

 

“Bless Them!”
A Message by Rev. Scott W. Cousineau
Mark 10:13-16

            I love this passage from Mark’s Gospel. It is one of my favorite passages of scripture. Part of that could be due to the fact that when we read it, we are often about to celebrate the baptism of one of our precious children. Another reason that I love it is because of the picture of Jesus that is painted here.

            I love the image of Jesus stopping what he is doing to admonish or, more correctly, to teach the disciples. I love that he calls the children close … close enough hat he can embrace them, wrap his arms around them. I love that he blesses them there in the presence of the disciples and all of those other adults gathered there.

            I do think that it is interesting that this episode is also recorded in Matthew and Luke’s gospels, but Mark is the only one of the three that mentions Jesus blessing the children. I find it especially interesting because Mark’s Gospel is typically the most spare … and also the one that provided the basis for much of the content of the other two. I love the fact that Mark included the blessing, and cannot figure out why Matthew and Luke left that particular detail out. That is the best part of the story!

            Let me explain.

            Nearly two thousand years later, we may be surprised, or even disappointed by the actions of the disciples to attempt to keep the children away from Jesus. However, they did nothing wrong. What they were doing was the accepted social norm of that era. Women and children were not to be seen. Children were essentially non-entities. They had no significance in the ancient world. In the home, they were to be kept in another room when the family hosted a guest. In the circumstance recorded here, the children would not be permitted to interrupt or disturb the teacher. Parents often did seek out the blessing of a rabbi, but that was typically done before the age of one.

            These families were out in public. We can assume that the children were older than one year old. The adults were bringing the children forward that Jesus might bless them, and the disciples were simply attempting to comply with the social norm. They were trying to keep the children where they belong … out of sight and out of the way.

            However, as we know, Jesus’ ministry often was about overturing the social norms of the day. Jesus turned the accepted … the status quo … upon its head. He turned their worlds upside down.

            Not only did Jesus instruct the disciples to let the children stay; he called them to the front. He gathered them close, perhaps even invited them to sit on his lap. Then he either embraced them or placed his hands upon them and blessed them. He blessed them! He was saying to the disciples, and to the world, “Do you see these children? Do you see these that you consider worthless, without value? They have value in God’s kin-dom. In fact, if you do not receive the kin-dom like these children, you will not enter into it.”

            What makes this episode even more interesting and more impactful is that it follows right after the disciples’ argument amongst themselves about which one was the greatest among them.

            “They came to Capernaum. When he was in the house, he asked them, ‘What were you arguing about on the road?’ But they kept quiet because on the way they had argued about who was the greatest.
            “Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, ‘Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all.’
            “He took a little child whom he placed among them. Taking the child in his arms, he said to them, ‘Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me.'” (Mark 9:33-37)

            Jesus had just had that conversation with his disciples. Then he had the opportunity to reinforce that lesson with a concrete example.

            He was saying to them, and to the rest of the world, ‘You have to see the world in a whole new way. Normal human relations, accepted societal practices, have got to change. The metrics by which you calculate human worth, and merit, and greatness are completely different in the Kin-dom of God.’

            We embrace that lesson here at First Parish Church. We celebrate that lesson this morning, and every morning. We know that what we do here … what we offer here … is important. Perhaps more important than ever.

            There have always been pressures upon children and youth. There have always been negative forces that tug and pull at them. However, it seems as though the pressures today are more pernicious. They are more constant and present. Our young people carry them around with them morning, noon, and night. Some of the pressures are less harmful; they just seek to claim their time and attention. But other pressures seek to cause them harm.

            Again, what we offer here is important. How we bless our children makes a difference in their lives. We create an environment in which they are welcome. We provide a place where they can feel safe. We tell them how truly precious and loved they are in our eyes and in our hearts.

            We provide an opportunity to grow, and explore, and flourish. We allow them to live truly authentic lives. We encourage their curiosity and celebrate their joy.

            This room is called a sanctuary, but this church family is actually the sanctuary, the safe harbor in which any and every storm can be weathered. At a previous church, I helped to establish an Assets Network that was based upon research that showed that the most important resource that any child and youth can have in their lives is a network of adults that value and support them. Our ministry with our children and youth matters in profound and powerful ways.

            Our ministry with our children and youth provides for them a strong foundation based upon love. It communicates to them that they are precious.

            We believe that we are created in God’s image. We reflect the brilliance of God’s image in everything that we say and do. We also recognize and celebrate that God’s image has millions of facets. There are MANY images contained within, and expressed in, the image of God. Therefore, every child … every person … every living thing … is precious and should be treated with love and care.

            Our ministry is important. We are called to reflect and imitate the love of Jesus Christ. We are called to invite the children to come forward. Even more, we are called to invite all of those who have been pushed to the back, or who have been told that they have no value, to come forward. We are called to embrace each and every one of them, and bless them. That is our charge … bless them.

            Bless them. Amen.

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