Sermonette: Children's stories

In the book "Blue like Jazz," the author points something out that I had never thought about. He made a comment to the extent that it is ridiculous that we consider Noah a children’s story. The fact that thousands and thousands of people drowned is central to the whole story, and yet, we teach the story to children. Even in the Hollywood flop “Noah” movie, there is at least one shot where the people notice the flood waters and rush to Noah’s boat, only to be turned away. I imagine that “as the rains came down and the floods came up” there had to be at least one person who pounded on Noah’s ark seeking salvation until eventually the pounding stopped when they could no longer tread water.

Now, this got me thinking, are there other stories in the Bible that we have labeled as “Children’s Stories” that really shouldn’t be? I think there are. Zacchaeus isn’t an amusing story about how the short guy climbed a tree but got caught by Jesus. No, it’s a story about a man so determined to see Jesus he was willing to risk embarrassment in front of all his neighbors and friends. A man whose mere example should embarrass us. I mean, do we seriously expect to stand next to Zacchaeus someday? Have any of us done anything even remotely close to what Zacchaeus did to demonstrate our faith in Jesus? No, the story of Zacchaeus is less of a children’s story, and more of a challenge that just about every Christian fails to live up to.

If someone thinks about it, the Bible is full of other such stories that have been unjustly labeled as “Children’s.” Is Jonah about a big fish who swallowed and then vomited a man, or is it about a man who was supposed to follow God, and yet when the going got tough, he failed? He was happy to accept salvation for himself and his people, but he refused to spread God’s love to a nationality he thought was unfit.

Or what about the story of David and Goliath? Has anyone else noticed that David’s sling-fired stone merely knocks Goliath unconscious? It’s at that point that David runs up, takes Goliath’s oversized sword and cuts his head off. This decapitation then kicks off a bloody slaughter as the Israelites chop up the Philistines who are fleeing.

The point is this: The Bible wasn’t written with the intention of entertaining children. Not a single verse was written with the author thinking “oh, the children will love this.” No, the Bible was written for those who are serious about pursuing God. Every single verse deals with themes and subjects that adults need to consider in order to grow to maturity of faith. While I understand that we must teach children, and that necessitates simplifying the story, it does not mean we should insult the Bible by labeling any part of it a “children’s story” and thus discarding it at as "kid’s stuff." No, it’s exactly as Paul tells Timothy:

16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,

17 that the man of God may be completely equipped for every good work.

– 2 Timothy 3:16-17

The Bible contains truth for everyone and as we hopefully grow in maturity, our perspective must also grow. We must continue to revisit and reread all the stories in the Bible, even the ones we have known since we were children. For even the most child-friendly stories contains truths relevant to us today.