The Savior Of Infants Alone
Luke-Acts, vol. I: The King of Jubilee
The Savior of Infants Alone
Baptism, if applicable
Scripture Readings
OT: Ezekiel 36:22–28
Ps: Psalm 127
NT: 1 Cor 1:18-31
Gospel: Luke 3:15–22; 12:49–53
Our OT Lesson is from the prophet Jeremiah, chapter 31..
OT Lesson - Jeremiah 31:7–10
[7] For thus says the LORD:
“Sing aloud with gladness for Jacob,
and raise shouts for the chief of the nations;
proclaim, give praise, and say,
‘O LORD, save your people,
the remnant of Israel.’
[8] Behold, I will bring them from the north country
and gather them from the farthest parts of the earth,
among them the blind and the lame,
the pregnant woman and she who is in labor, together;
a great company, they shall return here.
[9] With weeping they shall come,
and with pleas for mercy I will lead them back,
I will make them walk by brooks of water,
in a straight path in which they shall not stumble,
for I am a father to Israel,
and Ephraim is my firstborn.
[10] “Hear the word of the LORD, O nations,
and declare it in the coastlands far away;
say, ‘He who scattered Israel will gather him,
and will keep him as a shepherd keeps his flock.’
Psalm 127
Our NT Epistle reading is Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians.
NT Lesson - 1 Corinthians 1:18–31
[18] For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. [19] For it is written,
“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise,
and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.”
[20] Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? [21] For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. [22] For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, [23] but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, [24] but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. [25] For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.
[26] For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. [27] But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; [28] God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, [29] so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. [30] And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, [31] so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.” (ESV)
And our Gospel lesson and sermon text is from Luke chapter 18.
Gospel Lesson - Luke 18:9–43
[9] He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt: [10] “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. [11] The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. [12] I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’ [13] But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ [14] I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”
[15] Now they were bringing even infants to him that he might touch them. And when the disciples saw it, they rebuked them. [16] But Jesus called them to him, saying, “Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. [17] Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.”
…
[35] As he drew near to Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging. [36] And hearing a crowd going by, he inquired what this meant. [37] They told him, “Jesus of Nazareth is passing by.” [38] And he cried out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” [39] And those who were in front rebuked him, telling him to be silent. But he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” [40] And Jesus stopped and commanded him to be brought to him. And when he came near, he asked him, [41] “What do you want me to do for you?” He said, “Lord, let me recover my sight.” [42] And Jesus said to him, “Recover your sight; your faith has made you well.” [43] And immediately he recovered his sight and followed him, glorifying God. And all the people, when they saw it, gave praise to God.
Prayer for Illumination
Guide us, O God, by your Word and Spirit, so that in your light we may see light, in your truth find wisdom, and in your will discover your peace. Add Your blessing to the reading, the hearing, and the preaching of Your Word, and grant us all the grace to trust and obey You, and all God’s people said, “Amen.”
For the Kids
Alright kids, I have a homework assignment for you, and you’re not going to get a sucker until you do it.
Are you ready for your assignment?
I want you to thank your parents for bringing you to Jesus, for having you baptized, and for bringing you to a church that lets you eat with Jesus every Sunday.
Go ahead, you can do it right now so you don’t forget because I’m going to ask you if you thanked them before you get a sucker.
Teenagers and grownups, you might not want a sucker, but if your parents brought you to Christ, I would encourage you to thank them too, even if it’s just with a text later today.
Now, I’m sure there are many other things you should be thanking your parents for, but even if they never did any other good thing for you the rest of your life, they gave you the very best thing anyone could give anyone - they gave you to Jesus.
And, if you understand just how amazing Jesus is, how much He loves you, and how much He continues to do for you, you should be always and eternally grateful to your parents because not every kid has parents who will bring them to Jesus, and that even includes some Christian parents.
Now, to be fair, it’s not always those parents' fault for not letting their kids get baptized or take communion because most of them are just doing what the people in our story today would have done if Jesus weren’t around to rebuke his disciples.
And thankfully these Christian parents’ theology and practice are inconsistent, so they still teach their kids about Jesus and even tell them things like Jesus loves them, so God be praised for all of their good work despite their bad theology.
Introduction
Now, I know for some of you it’s shocking to come to a church where we call out other Christians for deviating from the Scriptures and Church history, but that’s literally one of the main things a pastor is supposed to do.
According to Paul, if a man doesn't do that, he’s not qualified to be an elder.
So when we call attention to places we believe other brothers and sisters are deviating from Scripture, we’re simply trying to follow the example laid out for us by God in His Word which He has preserved to teach and correct and train His people in all righteousness.
God’s word is for God’s people, and from cover to cover one of the main themes is that there are teachers inside the Church that God’s people need to be warned about.
Sometimes those people and their teachings are so bad that they’re condemned as heretics.
Paul says those guys should be cut out of the church altogether - so for example, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Mormon’s, and other anti-Trinitarian sects are obviously not our brothers and should not be considered Christians at all.
But other times these teachers are simply in errors that if followed could eventually lead to major problems, and Paul writes letters of warning or rebuke to get them back into line.
For guys like this, Paul writes, “If anyone does not obey what we say in this letter, take note of that person and have nothing to do with him, that he might be ashamed. Do not regard him as an enemy, but warn him, as a brother” (2 Thessalonians 3:14-15).
In a world prone to polarization and demonization, we’re not used to someone saying, “That’s wrong; that’s bad; that’s stupid; and that’s dangerous,” and then finishing it off with, “Brother.”
But if we are going to pursue true, biblical peace and unity, like we are also commanded to, then Christian leaders have to be able to have those awkward, difficult, and as well see today, sometimes heated conversations as brothers because we’re brothers and want each other to be faithful to God and His Word as revealed in the Scriptures.
Instruction
The conversation we’re dropping in on today is one of those brother to brother difficult conversations - this time from Jesus to his disciples.
I had us read all three retellings of the story because whatever is going on is so important that all three Synoptic Gospels include it, and the reason I think it’s so important is because what’s going on in this story really does have implications, that if followed out, reveal or lead to a distorted understanding of God and the gospel of our Lord Jesus.
To misunderstand this story, and act like the disciples in it, is to fundamentally misunderstand the gospel, and that’s not to say the people who get this story wrong aren’t saved.
It’s simply to say that they are in an error that has serious enough implications that it would receive a stern rebuke from Jesus.
Now, I’m going to try and stay relatively calm about this as we go because I want you to be able to share this with people you know, and I don’t want to be too offensive, this time.
But if you noticed, in Mark’s rendering of this account, the actions of the disciples of Jesus that day made His blood boil, so if the indignation of Jesus boils over a bit, well, sorry, kind of.
God’s desire to shower His covenant love on the children of believers is a gospel issue, something that Luke’s ordering of events helps drive home.
If you remember from a couple weeks ago, Jesus told the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector.
That parable is only in Luke, and when you read the stories that come after that parable, again some unique to Luke, it’s clear that he’s given us that parable as a lens to understand what’s happening next.
Jesus has just told a parable explaining that salvation is all of grace and all of mercy and only for the lowly.
We may cover these more in depth next week, but here’s the flow of who can and can’t be saved by Jesus after the telling of the parable.
Can infants be saved? Well, yes; obviously.
What about rich young rulers? Well, no; obviously.
Oh, so babies yes and rich people no?
Well, not exactly.
Yes, Jesus said only those who become like little children will enter the kingdom, and it is harder for a rich man to enter the kingdom than it is for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle.
Understandably, then, the disciples ask, “Well then who can be saved,” to which Jesus says anyone God so chooses, from blind beggars to rich tax collectors - salvation is all of grace for the lowly, no matter their age or station.
Now, again, I hope to break those down a little more next week, but the general point remains - Luke puts that parable, then this infant story right here at the top because every story of salvation is a story of God's unmerited grace through and through.
From womb to tomb, Jesus only raises dead people; He only grants sight to the blind; He only exalts lowly sinners; and He only regenerates infants.
You see, the King of Jubilee only lifts up the lowly, and who is lower and more incapable and useless than the infants of believers - if anything, they’re just getting in the way of kingdom work, or are they?
You see? Anyone who thinks they’re smart enough or rich enough or able to express just the right amount of theological jargon with just enough emotion to be convincing are somehow proven worthy of God’s grace fundamentally misunderstands the very grace they claim to believe in.
If you remember, even the Pharisee in our parable thanked God for His grace.
So it’s possible to profess to believe in salvation by grace alone and to believe in God’s sovereign election while completely undermining it in real life - basically, you can be Reformed in name only.
Even though we just spent the last week celebrating the Reformation that reclaimed these doctrines for the Western Church, I’m still convinced that in 1000 years, the Church is going to look back on these last few hundred years or so the way we look back on what we call the dark ages because by and large, even so-called Reformed people do not let their kids come to Christ in a way that reflects the Protestant faith we profess to believe.
I’m going to give you parents two theological pills to swallow.
Now, they’re both poisonous for different reasons, but you tell me which one is more reflective of God’s saving grace in Scripture.
The first theological pill starts your child off in a state of special grace by bestowing the life-giving waters of baptism on them. The expectation is then that your child should come to church every week, grow in grace, trust God’s promises, and obey His word because He is their God and they are His children.
At about 7 or 8, your child can take a year or so of classes to prepare them to take communion to sustain their faith while they perform the necessary works to be justified in God’s sight. Sure they might have to burn off a few sins in purgatory, but it’ll be okay in the end because Jesus has merited their salvation, which is all of grace, albeit still a merited grace.
That’s pill number one, which again is laced with poison, so don’t take it; it just is what it is.
The second pill, one which most of us have taken at one time or another is one that, unlike pill number one, refuses to follow Paul’s example to call the children of believers saints.
Instead of starting them out in a state of grace, pill number two starts your kid out in a state worse than purgatory.
This pill tells them from day 1 that they’re vipers in diapers.
This one refuses to tell the children of believers that God is their Father; refuses to tell them that His promises really are for them; refuses to declare over them, “For you, little one, Jesus Christ came; for you he fought; for you he suffered; for you he entered into the shadows of calvary uttered the cry, “It is finished;” for you He rose from the dead and ascended into heaven, and there, for you little one, He intercedes.”
And to make matters worse, even though the child has told their parents and pastor for years they believe in Jesus, this pill keeps the grownups telling the kids that they aren’t quite sure if Jesus is willing to save them because they aren’t sure the kid is saved, however that math checks out.
Now, assuming that kid grows up and even wants to be a part of an institution that has for their entire life told them isn’t for them, then probably sometime in their teens, if they can get just the right theology with just the right emotion and just the right amount of good deeds, they can prove to their pastor, who is using his own completely subjective standard, that God has indeed been gracious and merciful to regenerate this kid enough that they can finally get baptized and be a part of the church.
Now, which one of those poison pills sounds more representative of God’s disposition to the children of believers in the Bible?
I don’t care which pill stole a Reformed label and slapped it on the bottle.
You tell me which one is more reminiscent of the Reformation that sought to recover the wonderful doctrine of salvation by unmerited grace alone.
Which pastors are more like God, and which ones are more the foolish disciples that Mark says make Jesus’s blood boil because they refuse to let parents bring their babies to Jesus?
Again, I’m not saying you should take either pill - both are dangerous.
I’m simply trying to help you see that just because something calls itself Reformed and Protestant doesn’t mean it actually is.
And I think all three Gospel writers include what seems like such an insignificant little story such as this one because it’s vital to understanding, not just a theology of the sacraments, but vital to understanding the nature of God.
Jesus is the revelation of the glory of God and the perfect image of God, and from cover to cover, God’s love for His people has always included promises for them and their children.
The very first gospel message that God preached after the Fall was that He was going to bless the mother of all living with a child that would make all wrong things right.
A few chapters later, in a world full of wickedness and evil, God saved Noah and his family, baptizing them with water from heaven.
A few chapters after that, God promised Abram that He would bless the world through His children’s children.
Baby Moses floated safely across a river and eventually grew up to baptize a nation full of men, women, and children, Jew and Gentile, as God delivered them all from a wicked Pharoah and fed them all with bread from heaven and gave them all water from the Rock which Paul says was Christ.
God promised David that he would always have a son to sit on his throne, and his son Solomon wrote the Psalm we sang this morning, “Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD; the fruit of the womb a reward.
Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one’s youth. Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them!” (Psalm 127:3–5).
And as we heard from Jeremiah 31, God’s prophets all declared that God is the Father of His children’s children and made promises to save them.
[8] Behold, I will gather them from the farthest parts of the earth, among them the blind and the lame, the pregnant woman and she who is in labor, together; a great company, they shall return here. for I am a father to [my people].
God’s promises to be gracious and merciful have always been to and through and for His children and His children’s children, to a thousand generations.
So what in the world makes anyone think that with the coming of Jesus and the supposed explosion of grace in the New Covenant, that somehow God’s saving grace for His people no longer includes their children?
What makes us think that we’re pro-life if we don’t even bring our own children to the Giver of life?
This story is in all three Gospels because it reveals the character of God and reminds us all that salvation is all of grace.
For the Son of God to take on flesh, enter the world as a baby Himself, and then grow up to proclaim that all the promises of God were coming true in Him, and then for these parents who are trusting this Jesus and bringing their covenant children to Him, for the disciples to respond with, “No, the king is too busy for babies,” is for them to completely misrepresent the character of the King and the nature of His kingdom.
Now, I can hear someone saying, “How do you get all of that from this little story about parents bringing their babies to Jesus?’
And I can understand why a NT only Christian would ask that, particularly if they think that our theology of baptism and the Lord’s supper dropped out of heaven in AD 30.
But if you are familiar with the language of the whole Bible, what’s being asked of Jesus is crystal clear.
These parents are bringing their children to Jesus for Him to bestow God’s blessing, God’s saving grace, on them.
Matthew says that people are bringing children to Jesus so that He might lay His hands on them and pray; Mark says that Jesus responded by taking them in His arms, laying His hands and blessing them; and Luke says they were bringing their infants to Jesus so He would touch them.
This is all language straight out of the Aaronic benediction that we sometimes pray over you at the end of the service and that many churches sing at baptisms
Numbers 6:22–27
[22] The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, [23] “Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, Thus you shall bless the people of Israel: you shall say to them,
[24] The LORD bless you and keep you;
[25] the LORD make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you;
[26] the LORD lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.
[27] “So shall they put my name upon the people of Israel, and I will bless them.”
So when people are bringing even their infants to Jesus for Him to lay His hands on them and bless them, they’re doing far more than just saying, “Here, Jesus, isn’t my baby cute?”
If you remember from Luke’s Gospel, when people come to be touched by Jesus; it’s not a casual throw away line.
People wanting to be touched by Jesus are wanting to receive the healing grace of the Jubilee King who has come to save His people.
Listen to the only other times this word is used, and you tell me what these parents were wanting for their children.
In Luke 5, we are told a man full of leprosy came to Jesus and begged, “Lord, if you will, make me clean,” and Jesus stretched out His hand and touched Him saying, “I am willing, be cleansed.”
In Luke 6, we are told that all the people were trying to touch Him for power was coming out from Him and healing them all.
In Luke 7, Jesus touched the coffin and raised the widow’s son from the dead, and He forgave the sins of the woman who was touching Him with her hair and kissing His feet.
In Luke 8, the woman with the flow of blood for 12 years was healed simply by touching the cloak of Jesus, and later on in Luke 22, Jesus touches the ear of the High Priest’s servant and heals him.
And all that’s not even to mention all the occasions where Jesus healed people who were brought to Him by others w/o touching them.
These people are bringing their infants to Jesus because they trust that His touch will bring life and healing and peace and salvation, and for the Gospel writers to record these events is simply to reiterate what God’s people have always believed: the promises of God were for them and their children, and anyone who would say the kingdom of God doesn’t include the children of believers radically alters the character of the King and the nature of His kingdom.
To keep the children of believers away from Jesus in any way is to fundamentally misunderstand the gospel of salvation by grace alone.
From Genesis to Revelation - There is biblical precedent as to why our church and our communion of churches requires any member churches to let you and your baptized children commune when they visit.
And there is biblical rationale as to why our Confession declares that even elect infants dying in infancy are regenerated, and saved by Christ, through the Spirit, who worketh when, and where, and how he pleaseth (10.3): and so also are all other elect persons who are incapable of being outwardly called by the ministry of the Word.
Jesus loves the little children, and His kingdom is full of them, in heaven and on earth.
Exhortation
Beloved, if you have lost a child, as I know many of you have, or if you have a child who you think mentally incapable of really understanding the things of the Lord, do not fear.
Salvation is all of God’s grace from womb to tomb for you and your children - you can trust you will be able to rejoice with your children in the resurrection when all wrongs are put right.
Kids, Jesus loves you and is for you.
He has put His name on you and invites you to eat with Him every Lord’s Day - if anyone tries to keep you from Jesus, you come tell me.
Teenagers, Jesus loves you.
You’re the arrows that He’s about to send out into the world to still the enemy and the avenger.
Don’t let the cares of this world distract you from the mission - thank your parents for bringing you to Christ and for raising you in the faith, and forgive them for their sins and failures like Christ has forgiven you.
Mothers: don’t be discouraged by what can at times feel mundane and unimportant.
You are doing the Lord’s work, and He will bless the fruit of your hands if you remain faithful to your calling and do not get led astray by those who would call you to other, shinier, easier, and eternally less important things.
Fathers, if you don’t hear a full sermon for 10 years because you’re busy making trips in and out of the service because you’re raising your children in the fear and admonition of the Lord, keep up the good work.
Keep coming to Christ and keep bringing them with you.
Do not put stumbling blocks in front of your children by your behavior and do not provoke them to wrath by causing them to doubt their salvation or by telling them they can’t come to Jesus - that’s not your job.
Your job is to keep modeling for them the Father’s faithful love and to keep reminding them of who God is for them and who they are to be in response.
If you don’t have kids yet or your kids are all grown and out of the house, don’t think this doesn’t apply to you.
Just after this little story, Jesus promised that there is no one who has left house or wife or brothers or parents or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, who will not receive many times more in this time, and in the age to come eternal life” (Luke 18:29–30).
These infants are your brothers and sisters, so look around at the family of God, which is your family, and look especially at the families who might need your help or who need you to step up and serve in ways that they would like to but can’t because they’re hands are full.
I know you might feel too busy, but trust me, you’ll want to practice being faithful when you’re busy now because you’re just getting started.
Children are a blessing from the Lord, and if we understand the gospel of grace, then when we look at them, we should all be reminded that rather than trying to get them to all be like us so that they can receive the kingdom, our Lord calls us to be more like them, for whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the HS. Amen.
Let’s pray.
Our Father, we have heard wonderful things out of your word. We praise you for revealing Christ by promise and shadow in the OT and for revealing Him as the fulfillment of all of these things in the New. Give us your Spirit that we might understand these words and the fulness of your truth as you have revealed Him to us in the person and work of Jesus, who with you and the Holy Spirit be all honor and glory, now and forever. Amen.
Communion
Titus 3:3–7
[3] For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another. [4] But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, [5] he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, [6] whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, [7] so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
Elder Lortz referenced this passage last week during the baptisms, but I wanted to return to it this week to help us see that in a sense, all baptisms are infant baptisms.
Now, it’s obvious for us to see an infant being baptized and recognize that they are not saved by their works, and it’s easier for us to look at what’s happening there and rejoice in the fact that in their baptism we are clearly being shown that they love God because He first loved them.
And that is true for them, but is it not also true for the supposed grown up who is getting baptized?
Is it any less true for the teenager or grown up who has made a credible profession of faith and is getting baptized than the infant?
Are they any wiser or any more righteous or any more worthy of receiving the salvation of God and the waters of baptism than a little child?
Is their faith any more faithful than that of John the Baptist who leapt in his mother’s womb or than that of King David who praised God for taking him from the womb and making him trust God even while at his mother’s breast (Psalm 22)?
If we truly believe that it is God alone who saves and God alone who grants new birth, what baptism is there that isn’t an infant baptism?
And what’s more, what participant is there in the Lord’s Supper who isn’t having to receive the bread and wine with a childlike faith that trusts that somehow God is strengthening us with such seemingly meager rations?
Salvation is all of grace, from soup to nuts, and as Michael said last week, that’s why we insist on giving the sacraments to all believers, even infant believers, whether their 8 days or 80 years old.
Yes, baptism and the LS are ordinances to be obeyed, but more than that, they are sacraments of grace to be received.
Baptism imagery in the bible is that of God pouring water down from heaven on passive recipients, and the Lord’s Supper imagery is that of the True Bread of Heaven coming down from on High to feed a hungry, needy people.
That’s one reason we changed our communion practices from you climbing the mountain to get bread and wine to God’s Table Servants coming down to serve you.
God’s salvation is all of grace for you and for your children and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God shall call.
And as He’s called you, man, woman, and child, and as you’ve responded in faith by coming yourself and by bringing even your infants to Jesus, now be prepared to be served by Him so that you and they might grow in grace and serve Him anew, for His glory and the life of the world. Amen?
Christ, our Passover Lamb, has been sacrificed.
Therefore, let us keep the feast!
