Matthew 18:10 “See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven."
With all the shootings happening and the children being hurt, how do you reconcile this verse?
Thanks for your question JohnB. Jesus uses the term 'little children' to describe all true believers. Earlier in Matthew 18 he clues us in to this by saying that 'little children' are
those who are converted to Christ and believe in him. "Except
ye be converted, and
become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven." Also, we read "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." Jesus is highlighting that true believers should not be rejected. If a person rejects the true believers' gospel message then they will be unsaved. This is of course the case, for anyone who rejects the gospel. However, if someone receives the gospel message, they are receiving Jesus, and are saved. "And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me." A little child was used as an example, a metaphor if you will, but Jesus is talking about not rejecting true believers and their gospel.
From any human perspective, the shooting event that recently happened that you refer to was horrible and it involved actual children and others I presume. Whether those involved were saved in Christ I have no idea, but that is slightly different from the idea being presented in Matthew 18. The idea of Matthew 18 is that when one humbles him or herself before Christ, believing in Christ as a saved person, God is always being beheld by those persons, and to reject them means to reject God.