I’m so glad you’ve joined me for today’s Live to Love Scripture Encouragement from John 13:33 “Little children, I am with you a little while longer. You will seek Me; and as I said to the Jews, now I also say to you, 'Where I am going, you cannot come.’”
Why does Jesus call His disciples, “Little children” at this point? He hasn’t referred to them as children at all since they met in the upper room. However, obviously in Jesus’ mind it’s necessary and an expression from His Father to them. Jesus had taught them about the quality of abiding that little children have in relationship with their parents. A little child simply receives his life from his parents without question. On two occasions they had heard Jesus say, “Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at all” (Mark 10:15) and “Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 18:3). He was telling them something that would be troubling if they didn’t receive it like a little child. Remember at the first of Chapter 13 we were told that all that occurs in this chapter flows out of His knowledge that His hour had come to depart out of this world, that His Father had given all things into His hands, and that He was going to go back to God soon. So now in this verse, He told them what He knew was going to happen before it happened so they would believe in Him. Basically He told them He was leaving them, and He was going somewhere that they could not go to at this time. The only way to receive such news peacefully was for them to remember that they were to receive the Kingdom, the work of God, like a child receives direction from his parents. He was about to give them direction that would become the direction for the body of Christ for the rest of the history of mankind. We’ll take that up tomorrow. For today, be encouraged to receive the kingdom of God, the work of God in your life like a child—with unquestioning trust and reliance upon God’s wisdom and purposes. It’s necessary to living to love with Jesus.
Acknowledgment: Music from “Carried by the Father” by Eric Terlizzi. www.ericterlizzi.com
