Matthew 19:14 English Standard Version (ESV) but Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.”

The imagery of teaching little children is one of a parent instructing their own children. They have had them since the day they were born and know them intimately better than anyone else. I get it.

Now accept that being born again happens at any age, 8 to 80 as they say. Do you instruct an 80 year old in the same way you instruct an 8 year old? If they are born again yes, because they are both newborns.

The work of presenting the gospel has already taken place and the seed planted has died to the ground and has brought forth new life in the Kingdom.

Kingdom dwelling is vastly different from living in the world. Both the 8 year old and the 80 year old begin on day one. They have no experience.

Which one is easier to teach? The 8 year old of course because they have fewer expectations, less experience in the world, less baggage that they brought with them.

The first lesson on day one should be on unpacking their bags and discarding anything that has no value in Kingdom living.

The 8 year old might have a small bag if any at all. The 80 year old however has decades of life to examine and evaluate. They may have packed some things away so long ago that they don’t remember them until the unpacking begins. They will also hold on to some things that are not needed because they just do not want to part with them.

The 8 year old will likely embrace Sunday school. They are in school at that tender age and will accept that there are things to be learned. The 80 year old might not be as receptive to the idea that they need to attend Sunday school. They heard the gospel in the congregation with others and they may want to remain in the congregation with everyone else. They will have a more difficult time accepting they are just a babe in Christ.

Luke 18:11 English Standard Version (ESV) The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed^[a] thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector.

Footnote ^[a] Or standing, prayed to himself

Let us try and put this in simple terms. The Pharisee represents a scholar who has studied the law and knows the law inside and out. He believes that he obeys the law and that his belief in his obedience of the law sets him apart from everyone else. He believes his actions have given him a right standing before God.

At the end of this tale Jesus announces that the tax collector that acknowledges his sin condition and begs for mercy will go home justified, not the Pharisee.

What did the Pharisee do wrong?

This is a lesson that all of us need to understand and to explain to those who question our choosing to place our faith in Jesus Christ.

The law was given to show us that we are sinners.

If we cannot see ourselves for what we are, we will never repent. The knowledge of condition is the first step toward salvation. The second step is accepting that nothing we have done so far has changed that condition. The third and most vital step is a sincere desire for change.

Only Christ has said to His followers “I am the Way the Truth and the Life.” Only Jesus has said “No one comes to the Father except through Me.”

That is offensive to the religions that deny Christ. Some religions that embrace Christ do not make it simple to follow Christ. They make it complicated in order to retain control over the masses for their own selfish reasons.

All those other religions want to make us Pharisees of their own making. They want us to believe that we can do enough to be accepted by their god.

It is a lie.