The Master Welcomes The Little Children

Late Winter, c. 33 AD

The Master Welcomes The Little Children

Despite the mounting political tension and His own solemn prophecies regarding the cross, Jesus of Nazareth continues to demonstrate a kingdom defined by gentleness. As He travels through the region bordering the Jordan, crowds have brought their infants and young children to Him so He might touch them and offer a blessing.

The disciples, likely trying to protect the Rabbi's time and energy during this critical journey to Jerusalem, rebuked the parents. However, Jesus became indignant at His own followers. He ordered them to let the children come, declaring that the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. He solemnly warned that anyone who does not receive the kingdom like a child will never enter it.

"But Jesus called for them, saying, 'Permit the children to come to Me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.'"
— Luke 18:16 (LSB)

Timeline Box: This event is recorded in the Synoptic Gospels as occurring during the final journey toward Jerusalem, just prior to His encounter with the rich young ruler and the approach to Jericho.

Pre-Exilic Era, 587 BC

Imprisoned Prophet Purchases Land In Anathoth

With the Babylonian army actively besieging Jerusalem, the prophet Jeremiah has made a seemingly foolish financial decision. While confined in the court of the guard by King Zedekiah, Jeremiah purchased a field in Anathoth from his cousin, weighing out seventeen shekels of silver. He placed the deed in an earthenware jar to preserve it, prophesying that houses and fields will once again be bought in this doomed land.

"For thus says Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel, 'Houses and fields and vineyards will again be bought in this land.'"
— Jeremiah 32:15 (LSB)

Timeline Box: Jeremiah purchased this field during the final siege of Jerusalem, a prolonged event that enveloped the winter and spring months before the city's fall.

Mosaic Era, 1446 BC

Thick Darkness Covers The Land Of Egypt

Reports from the Nile Delta indicate that a terrifying, palpable darkness has fallen over the entire land of Egypt. For three days, the sun has vanished, leaving the Egyptians unable to see one another or leave their dwellings. Yet, miraculously, all the sons of Israel have light in their dwellings in the land of Goshen. This ninth plague is a direct assault on the Egyptian sun god, signaling that Yahweh's final judgment is imminent.

"Then Yahweh said to Moses, 'Stretch out your hand toward the sky, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, even a darkness which may be felt.'"
— Exodus 10:21 (LSB)

Timeline Box: The plague of darkness occurred immediately prior to the tenth plague (the death of the firstborn), placing it in the late winter weeks leading up to the first Passover in Nisan.

Faith In The Darkest Hours

It requires a specific kind of faith to trust God when the world goes dark. In Egypt, the Israelites had to sit in their homes with light while the greatest empire on earth was plunged into a darkness that could be felt. They had to trust that this terrifying anomaly was the prelude to their freedom. Centuries later, Jeremiah, locked in a courtyard while a foreign army starved his city, bought a field he could not use. He put his money on the promises of God rather than the present reality of the Babylonian siege.

Jesus asks for this exact same childlike faith from His followers. To receive the kingdom like a child means to trust the Father implicitly, even when the disciples are rebuking you, or the cross is looming, or the world is falling apart. As we navigate the final, tense days of this ecclesiastical year, we are called to invest in the "Anathoth" of God's promises and rest in His light, no matter how dark the surrounding empire becomes.

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