NOTES: 1] 15-17 are often quoted in relation to infant baptism, but clearly Jesus is not talking about Baptism. 2] In 17, if  'as' is used, it means 'as' = 'like'. 3] In 18, 'ruler' means 'of the ruling classes'. There was no middle class. 'Eternal life' is a quality of life that starts now, not in some future. If our life is Christ-filled, it is eternal in quality right now. Someone has called it 'real life'.

WARMING UP: What's the difference between childish & childlike?

TREASURES OLD & NEW: Identify God at work in anything that's happened since last week's group?

EXPLORING GOSPEL:

15-17   Do parents sense that this person or that (e.g. Jesus, here) is child-friendly? Do the children have the same sense? Do parent & child make their judgment the same way, or differently? In our eagerness to demonstrate Jesus as 'child-friendly', is it possible we've turned Him into 'someone for the kids', someone to grow out of as we grow older? Have our churches historically latched onto 'kids' because they were easier catches than their adults? What about the school of thought that says, "church (& religion) isn't for children" (i.e. we need to come to it when we can make a better judgment about such things)? Given that many churches bemoan the lack of children in their congregations, how much might that be a result of not having paid enough attention to the parent generation? Is our congregation a genuinely welcoming one when children do appear? While it's easy to give children, or anyone else for that matter 'a blessing', what do we need to do to make sure a blessing 'sticks'? Or, is that God's job? If so, how does he achieve that? What does it really mean to 'receive the kingdom (Rule) of God like a child'?

18-23  If we were to ask a question about 'eternal life', would we be likely to ask about how we 'inherit' it? What might that mean for us, if anything? Can we learn anything from the fact that the commandments Jesus quotes are all from the human-to- human section of the Ten. Can we see any reasons why Jesus might have focused on these five? Would we expect Jesus to focus on those same commandments if he were answering us?
           Honestly, would we be likely to set out & follow Jesus in any way that involved us selling up & giving everything to the poor? Is 'treasure in heaven' a bit too far out of reach for most of us today? A bit like a Swiss bank account, only for the few?

24-27  Why is it so hard, as Jesus sees it, for rich people to enter the kingdom of God? What's the problem? Rather than trying to explain away what Jesus says about the camel & the needle, do we just have to accept that it's a total impossibility? So why do we keep on trying to squeeze through? Have we ever experienced something 'impossible for human beings' that proved not to be 'impossible for God'?

28-30  Is 'What's in it for me?' ever an issue for us as we try to be disciples? Have we ever lost someone or something over the kingdom of God & then 'received back' very much more? If we have, isn't Jesus saying we've already experienced eternal life? Does experiencing eternal life have to be as extreme as that? Maybe there's a way through the eye of that needle after all?