Now here is a jarring text, that nobody has paid attention to its implications or even the whole gamut of ramifications. Let us look at Mark 10: 14 - 16
13 People were bringing little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them, but the disciples rebuked them. 14 When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them,“Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. 15 Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” 16 And he took the children in his arms, placed his hands on them and blessed them.The uncomfortable polemic, is painfully obvious - We have to become children to be received. Children don't have to become into adults to be received! This is doctrinally radical. Its counter-trend to the definition of who is an adult, and what are his privileges.
Then why are there so many bitter arguments over water? About when to immerse, and how to immerse and how much of water is to be used! The disciples rebuked people for bringing children to Jesus (13), just as today there is an entire category of denominations that do exactly the same. But Jesus welcomed the children, took them in his arms, placed his hands on them and blessed them.
We are yet to learn how to be united in essentials, in spite of the different ways we believe in non-essentials. We are yet to learn that the kingdom of God is much greater a phenomenon than our narrow-minded bigotry.
