Simplicity, Childlikeness and Humility

Matthew 18:1-6 At the same time came the disciples unto Jesus, saying, Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?
2 And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them,
3 And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.
4 Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
5 And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me.
6 But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.

The person who is childlike is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven. It is the quality of childlikeness and not the child itself that Jesus was referring to. This quality of childlikeness is the representation of purity for mankind. A human being who is childlike in the real sense of the word has attained to purity. This purity links him to the Luminous Heights. The more childlike we are the purer we are and the purer we are the higher we rise and as such the greater we are and as such the more powerful. The quality of purity is therefore the most important because it links us in the most direct way to the Purity of God from Whom we receive the greatest power.

We should therefore as human beings pursue this purity which is the most important. The purer we are the purer our intuitions. This has the effect of keeping us linked with the Paradise which is our home. Occasionally we feel the presence of the Power of God just like the perfect human spirits in Paradise continuously feels this protective Power. Again Jesus speaking comprehensively and symbolically could not be referring to a specific child. He was saying that we should be like them in their simple unassuming nature. This is, however, difficult for the man of today because of his intellectual sagacity. Yet he can achieve nothing for his spirit without this childlikeness.

The lack of understanding here has led many to believe that all children are innocent. There is nothing further from the truth. Certainly we know of children who are definitely not innocent. How do we account for this discrepancy. This once more proves that Jesus was not speaking about children or a particular child but was as usual speaking in a broad form about the quality of childlikeness.

Children are nothing but souls who have reincarnated either as a result of their own fault or forced to do so because of one karmaic burden or the other. Or because they need to complete their development. No child is innocent in the way that we like to ascribe innocence. Children often come with very heavy karma which as maturity sets in they have to start making the efforts to cast off. We should already have arrived at this conclusion with our experiences.