If one has ever attended a bar mitzvah, which unfortunately I have not, I am told that they are something to behold. In the same vein as a Catholic confirmation (however more celebratory and less ceremonial), the Jewish tradition of holding bar mitzvahs is to recognize the individual’s move from childhood to adulthood. No more is the adolescent viewed as an innocent being, rather he or she has graduated to that level of moral and ethical responsibility. Their soul is in their hands now. In our faith, we often hear the term ‘age of accountability’, and I think that there is some confusion as to what this means. This ‘age’ is the moment where a child is grafted into the fabric of volitional creatures, making choices about their own eternal destiny and spiritual allegiances. But, at what age is it when a child typically ‘grows up’ and is held ‘accountable’ for his or her actions? And better yet, why is it that children are exempt from choosing this so monumental fate that ultimately will crystallize their eternal abode?

Well, in reference to the Jewish faith, the bar mitzvah is given when a boy turns thirteen. At this age, it is believed that the boy, in a religious sense, has become man. Naturally, there are no salient examples to reflect this change of the person’s developmental status. The boy still plays with matchbox cars and refuses to be groomed. Yet we all know that the change is gradual. Slowly over time, the boy ‘wants to’ “put away childish things� and inevitably settle into this era we refer to as adulthood. I find that we are always changing and these terms we use only prove our own myopia of what is going on within us and around us.

Concerning girls, when they become ‘women’ is just as hard to define. Of course, by the time they are thirty or so, there is no doubt. We will not continue to refer to them as ‘girls’ or any such term. In fact, I know that, not only in the Catholic ceremony of confirmation, there is a Hispanic tradition where a girl who is turning fifteen is then deemed a ‘woman’. This is called her quinceanera. My wife, who is Hispanic, was given a quinceanera at fifteen. She was dressed all in white with beautiful flowers tucked in her hair. It truly is a gorgeous event. But, she didn’t sell her Barbie doll collection immediately following the party. No, defining precisely when a boy or girl grows up is impossible despite our continuous effort to mark the event. Yet, each person knows in their heart when they need to repent of their ways. An awful lot of young children grow heavy hearts that lead them down the aisle of a church well before these milestones of ‘accountability’ are reached. We should not try to decide when the boy outside is a man inside. He, or she, will know that moment all too well.

However, why is it that children are ‘innocent’ when we are all born sinners? Is this not a blatant contradiction? The fact that children are born into sin yet not responsible for it is summed up in Jesus’ words in Mark 10:15 “Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall in no wise enter therein.� These words tell us something about children that is lost in adulthood, namely, an inherent quality that is necessary for salvation. But, what is this quality? Well, the answer is simple: Faith. In Hebrews the Bible says that Abraham believed and this was credited to him as righteousness. And also, the Bible says in 11:6 But without faith [it is] impossible to please [him]: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and [that] he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. The answer is that we know what children are like, they believe whole-heartedly. Their gullibility as we call it is their stability.

Perhaps when we grow up, in a way, we really fall down. For in this life we puts so much emphasis on maturation that we forget that maturing in Christ is not the same as what we usually mistake for ‘maturing’. And this is just another example of one of those numerous principles in the Bible that challenge us to do the exact opposite thing in order to achieve what is not expected by way of it: To be first, one must be last, to live one must die, to be honored one must be humbled. Growing up is no different. The age at which we are accountable for our sins is the age in which we stop believing. By moving against the current of unbelief, we find Christ on the shore, with outstretched hands, pulling us out of the treacherous waters we are all drowning in. Obviously, I am not saying that becoming an adult is bad. But, when we become one, something happens to our natural sense of belief and trust. It could be a necessary flood we all go through, so that, we are weathered for His purposes and design.

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