From there Elisha went up to Bethel. As he was walking along the road, some boys came out of the town and jeered at him. “Get out of here, baldy!” they said. “Get out of here, baldy!” He turned around, looked at them and called down a curse on them in the name of the LORD. Then two bears came out of the woods and mauled forty-two of the boys. – 2 Kings 2:23-24.

“And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.”

“If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.” – Matthew 18:5-6.

Kids in America buy baseball trading cards, swap them among themselves, and attend conventions where they ponder the value of advertised collectibles. Kids in Jerusalem’s ultraorthodox neighborhoods can’t indulge in secular heroes, so they have developed a flourishing enterprise in collecting and trading rabbi cards. Keenly aware of the fame and influence of individual rabbis, they haggle freely with each other to get the advantage in any trade.

Children need authentic heroes, whatever their culture or age. Youngsters nearly always look to adults as models; they need to see men and women of courage and perseverance. They need to see mothers, fathers, and teachers who freely admit their guilt when wrong and who apologize. Young people need to see adults whose uncompromising faith in God inspires them to high values and morals. These adults attract youth by character, not glitter. If adults will summon their strength to lead, multitudes of youth will summon theirs to obey!

Courtesy of Speaker’s Sourcebook of New Illustrations by Virgil Hurley © 1995 by Word, Incorporated.
Unless otherwise noted, Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV © 2011 by Biblica, Inc.®
Used by permission. All rights reserved.