Matthew 18:1-4 - Innocence Restored

What do you do when innocence is lost?

"[At one] time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who is greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven?” 2 Jesus called a little child to him and put the child among them. [For the child to respond, they must have been at least a toddler.]  Then he said, “I tell you the truth, unless you turn from your sins and become like little children, you will never get into the Kingdom of Heaven.  So anyone who becomes as humble as this little child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven."
(Matthew 18:1–4, New Living Translation)

"Turn from your sins" is another way of saying "repent."
Why do people trip up over the word, "repent?"
Perhaps they are insulted to to be told they need to repent of anything.
Perhaps it offends a relativist idea that everyone is right; no one is wrong.
Perhaps it stirs a fear of embarrassment, a fear of change.

To explain repentance, Jesus "called a little child to him." The child probably belonged to one of the disciples, to be nearby in the first place. To the child, Jesus would be a relative stranger--yet they trusted Jesus when He called them out in front of a group of adults who then stared... wondering what Jesus was going to say.

Jesus then makes this amazing statement.
He says repentance is "becoming like a little child."
He further clarifies the key characteristic of little children: Humility. 

Someone* once said,
“True humility isn't thinking meanly of one's self;
it's simply not thinking of one's self at all.”
        *Attributed to Andrew Murray; others have rephrased it.

LITTLE children are lacking in self-awareness. They don't worry what others think of them. They don't have a pride to get wounded. They don't wonder whether they are the greatest or not. They are too busy being in awe of all the new things they encounter. They innocently trust their parents... and Jesus.

Father, We need the humility of little children. A humility that is neither afraid or embarrassed to repent and turn to You. You are the only one that can declare us innocent because we're forgiven.
In the name of Jesus and by His blood we pray, Amen.