We are continuing our Questions of the Faith series with a very tough topic.  I will never forget that day.  A nine-month-old daughter of one of our church members had fallen victim to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.  I was asked to perform the funeral.  As I looked into that tiny casket, I suddenly saw the face of my own nine-month-old son.  I had to step out of the room and gather myself.  My sons are my greatest treasure.  I cannot imagine the unspeakable pain of burying one.  But death comes to all—some late, some early.  What happens to those who die so young?

The great miracle of the Incarnation is not that God would enter the world he made.  As Creator, he had every right to visit his creation.  The great miracle was that he would do so as a baby.  Rather than appear among us in his heavenly status, the Lord Jesus chose to become one of us.  And not first as an adult, but as a fetus, then a newborn, helpless infant.  The hands that held the stars were sheltered in a mother's arms.  Christmas tells us what God thinks of children.

King David said of his deceased newborn son, "I will go to him, but he will not return to me" (2 Samuel 12:23).  He believed that his child was already where he would one day be, and trusted him to the God who made him.

Jesus made clear his feelings on the subject in two separate incidents.  The first is his response to his disciples' question, "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?" (Matthew 18:1).  He knew they needed to see the answer more than hear it, so "He called a little child and had him stand among them.  And he said, 'I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven'" (vs. 2-3).  The "greatest" in God's kingdom is the one who is most like a child.

Later some mothers brought their children to Jesus, seeking his blessing (a typical custom with a visiting, famous rabbi).  His disciples "rebuked those who brought them" (Matthew 19:13), so Jesus rebuked them: "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these" (v. 14).

It is obvious that "Jesus loves the little children, all the little children of the world."  Our Creator is also "Our Father in heaven" (Matthew 6:9).  So, what happens to one of his children when they die as a child?  We understand that a youth or adult is responsible for what they know of the gospel.  If they reject God's invitation to salvation, the consequences are their own.  But what of one who dies before he or she is old enough to understand this invitation?  Additionally, what of those who are not developmentally able to comprehend salvation, whatever their physical age?  We will examine these questions tomorrow.

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