What is it about children that Jesus wants us to have? I’ve often heard this passage taught as if Jesus wants us to imitate the humility and trust of children. In this interpretation, children are presented as inherently virtuous, and we need to cultivate the same kind of virtue. However, in context, I don’t think that’s the right conclusion. The passage under consideration comes right after Jesus’s parable about the self-righteous Pharisee and the tax collector who prayed, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner.” In that parable, the empty-handed tax collector went home justified.

I’m a snob about fairs. Every year, my community has one, and during fair week, I pass it daily without ever experiencing even the slightest urge to attend. You see, I was spoiled as a child. In my hometown of Dothan, Alabama, we had the National Peanut Festival every fall. They still do. The National Peanut Festival was a regional event, and it shut down the entire city. Everyone went. People came from other states. Status rose by going multiple nights and wearing the wrist bands to school. It had a parade and a pageant. It’s where I first encountered the joy of live music in the presence of the Charlie Daniels Band. When I got a little older, it’s where my friends and I reenacted the carnival ride scene from the Sandlot after sneaking free samples from tables in the exhibition center. If you know, you know.

It’s also where I first experienced the pain of entry denial. One year, I tried to follow my big sister and cousins onto a ride, but I didn’t meet the height requirement. The plywood clown’s hand rested an inch or two above my head. In my MaMa’s words, I pitched a fit. Exclusion never feels good. When we want to enter, we don’t like being told no.

In Luke 18, we encounter back-to-back stories about entry and exclusion, but the destination isn’t a fair ride; it’s the kingdom of God. If you hang around Jesus long enough, eventually you’re going to want to know how to enter his kingdom. In this passage, he clearly defines the requirements.

First, in Luke 18:15-17, his disciples rebuke people for bringing their babies to Jesus to bless. Jesus responds with his own gentle rebuke: let them come, for “to such belongs the kingdom of God.” In fact, Jesus continues, if you don’t receive the kingdom like a child, you can’t enter either.

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