On October 2, 1950, the comic strip Peanuts made its first appearance in seven newspapers. The strip was originally called Li’l Folks, and creator Charles Shultz was paid $10 for each submission. He later managed to have the strip syndicated after redeveloping it as a four-panel strip and a set cast of characters. Because the name was too close to Al Capp’s Li’l Abner and a strip called Little Folks, the name Peanuts was chosen. It ended up running for 50 years, followed by reruns, with 17,897 total in over 2,600 newspapers with a readership of about 355 million in 75 countries and 21 languages, earning Shultz over $1 billion.
“Words from Above” in the Bible tell us that Jesus had a special place in His heart for the little children of His day. The Gospel of Matthew records people bringing little children to Jesus for Him to lay His hands on them and bless them. His disciples objected to this, but Jesus directed little children be allowed to come to Him, and said that “of such is the kingdom of God”. Jesus said in Luke 17 that it would be better for a person to have a millstone hanged around his neck than for him to offend a little child.
Psalm 127 in the Old Testament says that children are a “heritage of the Lord”, and Psalm 27 says that “children’s children are the crown of old men, and the glory of children are their fathers”. The apostle Paul cautions fathers in Ephesians 6 to not provoke their children to wrath, but to bring them up in the nurture and the admonition of the Lord. The writer of the Book of Proverbs tells us in Proverbs 22:6 that children should be trained up in the way that they should go, and that when they are old, they will not depart from it.
It is important to know that children are not to be left to their own devises, and that is why the apostle Paul encourages children to obey their parents in the Lord, which he says is the only right thing to do. He also says that the father that loves his son corrects him when necessary, for otherwise he brings shame to his parents.
The apostle John writes three letters to the churches of his day, and refers to some of the members as “little children”, referring to them being new in the Christian faith. He encourages them to look to Jesus as their advocate if they sin against the Lord. In other words, he is suggesting that if they confess their sins, Jesus will plead their cause to the Father.
Larry R. Steffee is pastor of the Center Hill Brethren In Christ Church on Miller Road in Smithville. Everyone is welcome to attend. For information, you may email lrsteffeetn@yahoo.com.
