What the Bible says about Child-like Attitude
(From Forerunner Commentary)
Suppose we were asked, "Who are the greatest people in your town?" What would we turn to as qualities that exemplify greatness? Would it be money, prestige, learning, or military conquest? Just before this incident, the disciples were arguing about which of them would be greatest among them (Mark 9:33-37). Jesus responds to the disciple's question by using a child.
He is not saying that heaven is populated by little children. He means that a child's attitudes of easy dependence, trust, unpretentiousness, awareness of weakness, lack of knowledge, and submission to parents illustrate what we as converted adults must become toward God. Jesus is not saying every child is like His illustration; He is using one to illustrate an ideal. It is essential that we grasp that we must turn, change, to become like the ideal.
John W. Ritenbaugh
Fully Accepting God's Sovereignty, Part Three: The FruitsRelated Topics: Child-like Attitude
"Fool" means someone who is inconsiderate, somebody who is not considering the knowledge, the truth, the teaching, that they already had. They were not considering the events of the day in the right context. They were inconsiderate. He says it as if He expects them to come to the right conclusion about who was walking beside them and expounding the Scripture.
He also calls them "slow of heart," which means someone who is backward or not easily persuaded. A child-like mind was not yet developed in these men. So what do they do? They easily give in to doubt. This continued to the point that He actually had to make Himself known to them miraculously.
John W. Ritenbaugh
We Are Unique!Related Topics: Child-like Attitude | Doubting | Fool; Foolish; Foolishness | Inconsiderate Attitude