It’s On Like Donkey Kong | August 11, 2015

 August 11, 2015

Let’s face it, we all want to know if we are someone’s favorite. My brother and I poke at each other all the time claiming to be our parent’s favorite, as I’m sure many siblings do (cough cough – even though I’m still their obvious favorite). Well it seems like Peter, James, and John were fishing themselves by asking (hypothetically, of course), so Jesus, “Who is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven?” Come on, we are all probably guilty of thinking that there are degrees of heaven. There’s got to be different levels, like Donkey Kong, and if you work hard enough, pray better than others, cross your t’s and dot your i’s, you definitely deserve to be in one of the upper levels! Like Mario, you’ve been collecting your extra points along the way to give you superpower strength to reach the highest level that you can. I know it sounds ridiculous but if we’re being honest, it might just ring true.

Jesus, in mind-blowing Jesus fashion, has something to say about that so listen up, y’all. I imagine that Jesus was good with children, like everyone’s beloved uncle that would pull quarters out of your ear, or tickle you until you pee’d, or play pull my finger, or tell the greatest knock knock jokes…you know the guy. He calls a child over and I picture the child running over and jumping into His arms with Jesus spinning them around and lots of giggling ensues. With the child on His knee, he tells them, “Unless you turn and become like children, you will not enter the Kingdom of heaven.”  What’s with the turn? We need to turn away from the complications, sin, drama, and pride of adult world, and point our lives toward the path that leads to heaven. This path is filled with the simplicity, innocence, authenticity, and humility of children. In my opinion, children are the most genuine version of God’s image and in that very essence is true holiness. They have not had any reason to re-fashion themselves into the image of the world and simply live as the image of God.

That pretty much sums it up. Children are not filled with delusions of grandeur and because of this special humility, they have collected all the extra Donkey Kong bonus points to get to the highest levels in the game of eternity. Actually, because God’s freely given grace, they need only to be who they were created to be to receive those graces. That’s where we get it wrong. We think we need to be a certain way, or say certain things, or play by certain rules, or jump over certain obstacles in order to gain points for heaven, but what God wants is that we be who He created us to be. Children get it. Jesus knew that telling Middle Eastern men and women to model their lives after children was down right scandalous and that’s exactly why he used it, because it pulled their focus immediately so he could wreck their current status and get them to look at the heart of the matter. Genius.

The gospel ends with Jesus asking them a question, “What is your opinion?” I love when people ask me what my opinion is because it gives me permission to step up on my obviously correct soapbox and persuade them onto my team. Yes!! Then he presents a conundrum that baffles the typical Middle Eastern mind: “If a man has a

hundred sheep and one of them goes astray, will he not leave the ninety-nine in the hills and go in search of the stray?” In case you were wondering, the right answer for the ancient Middle East would be “Hell no!” Something along the lines of “I didn’t lose that sheep, he lost me.” Again with the scandalous answer, Jesus, blows their minds, “And if he finds it, amen, I say to you, he rejoices more over it than over the ninety-nine that did not stray. In just the same way, it is not the will of your heavenly Father that one of these little ones be lost.” There are two things going on here: God is not like us, but we can strive to be like Him. We have a responsibility to emulate children in their holiness and we have a responsibility to not corrupt their innocence. Jesus tells us don’t become lost sheep and don’t lose the sheep that have been entrusted to you.

As a Youth Minister, this gospel really tugs at my heart. I have been entrusted with beautiful children to lead, to teach, to pray with, to hold, to learn from, and while I might think that I have something to offer them, what I really need to remember is that Jesus has “placed them in my midst” and tells me to “turn” and be like them. I wonder if they know that Christ believes in them so much that He has recorded it in His book for the entire world to read, to know, and to believe? It’s on like Donkey Kong and I will be the one following the children right through those pixelated gates to eternity.

Gospel MT 18:1-5, 10, 12-14

The disciples approached Jesus and said,
“Who is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven?”
He called a child over, placed it in their midst, and said,
“Amen, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children,
you will not enter the Kingdom of heaven.
Whoever becomes humble like this child
is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven.
And whoever receives one child such as this in my name receives me.

“See that you do not despise one of these little ones,
for I say to you that their angels in heaven
always look upon the face of my heavenly Father.
What is your opinion?
If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them goes astray,
will he not leave the ninety-nine in the hills
and go in search of the stray?
And if he finds it, amen, I say to you, he rejoices more over it
than over the ninety-nine that did not stray. 
In just the same way, it is not the will of your heavenly Father
that one of these little ones be lost.”