Mark 10:13-16 (ESV)

13 And they were bringing children to him that he might touch them, and the disciples rebuked them. 14 But when Jesus saw it, he was indignant and said to them, “Let the children come to me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. 15 Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.” 16 And he took them in his arms and blessed them, laying his hands on them.

 

Children are messy. They don’t seem to know, or care, how they look or what kind of filth they may be tracking into the house. They also tend to communicate in the same way. They are not so concerned about proper, diplomatic, grammatically correct, sensitive, communication. They are just trying to get you to understand what they want in the best way they know how. They aren’t trying to impress us with their eloquence, or vocabulary. They are not worried about embarrassment, or what you will think of them.  

 

This is the first lesson we can learn from children in the way that we talk to God. When we pray, do we come messy? Do you try and clean yourself up before coming to God? Do you worry about whether you are praying the right way; are you using the right acronym (e.g. A.C.T.S., P.R.A.I.S.E., P.R.A.Y., etc.)? God wants us to approach Him as his children. This means coming just as we are, with no pretense, no planned agenda. This means coming to Him in whatever “messy” state we are in.

 

Matthew 11:28 (ESV):

28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 

 

Jesus says nothing about coming to Him when you are presentable or in the right state of mind. He implores all who are burdened, anxious, stressed, over-worked, and over-whelmed to come to Him. Come just as you are, carrying more than you think you can handle, messy and messed up.

 

Luke 15:1-2 (ESV):

1 Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him. 2 And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.”

 

To the Pharisees and scribes (the self-appointed upstanding Israelites), the dirtiest groups of people in Jewish society were the tax collectors and sinners. These were the messy ones. Yet, whom did Jesus choose to spend intimate time with, sitting and sharing a meal with; it was the tax collectors and sinners. He spent time with those who knew they were far from perfect. Jesus while on earth came to the messiest people. Why should it surprise us that this is exactly how He now wants us to come to Him? He welcomes us and embraces us just as we are, messy. It pleases Him when we come and pray without pomp, without pretense, without agenda, and without a script.  

 

Study and Reflection Questions:

1. Read Mark 10:15. How serious do you interpret Jesus to be? What do you think he means by this statement? What areas of our life are we supposed to apply this to?

2. In this passage Jesus rebukes the Disciples for hindering the children from coming to Him. What can you think of that is hindering you from praying to Jesus, coming to Jesus, like a child?

3. Try to think of a specific instance in your childhood that relates to being messy (either physically or in your behavior). Now that you are an adult how would that situation change if you relived it? How would the resulting experience be different?

4. Think about your prayer life. Do you find yourself trying to pray the “correct” way? When you are praying out loud in a group do you sometimes find yourself distracted because you are wondering what others think of your prayer?  

5. Reflecting upon the Luke 15:1-2 passage how do you think the Pharisees might converse differently than the sinners with Jesus? Which group do you think would be more careful with their statements and choice of words? What does this say about how much Jesus cares for formality and propriety?

6. From the passages above, what do you think God is most concerned with when we pray to Him? What do you think He desires to hear from us?

7. God wants you to receive Him like a child (Mark 10:15). This would mean coming to Him in your messiness. In your own words what does this mean to you and to your prayer life?