Receiving the Kingdom

"Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at all." - Mark 10:15 (NASB)

In Mark 10, Jesus pulled aside several children whom the disciples had been attempting to keep away from Jesus. He explained to His disciples that the kingdom of God belongs to children. In verse 15, He went on to say that unless you receive the kingdom of God like a little child, you will not enter it.

In order to understand this verse, the first thing that we need to figure out is the concept of the "kingdom of God". Scripture teaches us a lot about the kingdom of God. It is mentioned 54 times in the Gospels. Additionally, a synonym for the kingdom of God, the "kingdom of Heaven" is mentioned 32 times in Matthew. Matthew, writing to a primarily Jewish audience, removes the word God because Jews do not speak the name of God for fear of taking it in vain.

In Matthew 19:23-24, the kingdom of God and kingdom of Heaven are mentioned together. Thus, they are interchangable. The kindom of God is the new kingdom that was ushered into humanity with the arrival of Jesus. He proclaimed that it was here (Mk 1:15; Lu 11:20; Lu 17:21) and stated often that He needed to preach it (Mk 1:14; Lu 4:43, 8:1, 9:2, 9:11, 9:60). Jesus taught about the kingdom of God through many parables and stated at times that part of it was still to come in the future (Lu 21:31). Jesus also stated that only those who were born again would receive it (Jn 3:3, 3:5).

Therefore, the kingdom of God represented both a present and future reality that could be experienced now upon His first coming. Many teach that it will not be realized until His Second Coming but this simply cannot be understood in light of the whole of Scripture on this topic. Yet, it is clear that only those who receive the Kingdom of God will experience Eternal Life. The Kingdom of God is reserved for those who are God's children. It is for those who love Jesus and long for His appearing.

Yet, according to this verse, many who are religious and appear to know God will not get in unless they receive the Kingdom. It cannot be earned or bought. You can't come into the kingdom thorough your good works or your money. Jesus said, "Again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." (Matt 19:24) So, how do we receive it? What does it mean to receive it like a little child?

A child receives something willingly, joyfully, and without questioning. A child recognizes and does not hide the fact that he or she cannot do anything to receive it. They recognize it as a free gift and simply receive it. Therefore, the question for us is whether or not we will humble ourselves, remove our selfishness and our pride, and admit that we can do nothing to earn the gift that has already been given. We simply need to receive it like a little child.

In the Greek, this verse contains a double negative. The Greek words OU MH are two different words that both mean "not". It's like saying "not not" or "certainly not". We could translate this verse to mean something like "Truly I speak to you all, whichever person does not receive unto himself the kingdom of God like a child, he will certainly not enter it." Thus, Jesus' uses the double negative to emphatically proclaim this truth.

Have you received the kingdom of God? You can only do so through accepting Jesus as Lord. You must be born again to receive it (Jn 3:3, 3:5). If not, please do so. If so, how have you received it? If you have not received it like a little child, you have not received it at all. The "kingdom of God belongs to such as these" (Mk 10:14).