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Children are the focus of this little passage. “And they brought young children to him, that he should touch them.” (v13) Someone, probably the parents, brought the children to Jesus. Their purpose was to have Jesus bless their kids. Matt 19:13 tells us more: “that he should put his hands on them, and pray”. This resembles our child-dedication ceremony in today’s churches. Christian parents do want the church pastors to bless their children with prayers so that their children can have a healthy development in their spiritual growth.
(unwelcomed by the disciples)
It is a good thing for Jesus to bless the kids with prayer. However, the kids were not welcomed by the disciples at all, who even “rebuked those that brought them.” (v13) Why were they so unhappy when seeing the children coming to Jesus? No reasons were given in both records. Perhaps they felt that their ministry was mainly to preach the gospel, to heal the sick and to cast out demons. Since the children that were brought here were very healthy, they did not need any healing. And they were too young to understand the gospel. The healthy kids were simply not their objects of service. Jesus was already tight in his schedule. Bringing them here merely served to interrupt his normal activities and increase his workload. Therefore, the disciples intended to send the children away instantly.
(welcomed by Jesus)
Jesus, however, gave an opposite attitude toward the children. First, he was “much displeased” with the way the disciples treated them and those who brought them. Their impolite manner did tarnish his merciful character. The children were brought to him with a kind motive and it was a natural expression of parental love and concern for their kids. The parents or those who brought them did not deserve any rebuke at all. Besides, Jesus himself loves children. He immediately comforted the parents and commanded the disciples, “Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not.” (v14)
(the relationship between the children and God’s kingdom)
No matter how busy Jesus was, he welcomed anyone who came to him with a humble heart. Not only did he comfort the parents and receive the lovely kids, he spoke something that really shocked everyone: “for of such is the kingdom of God.” (v14) This is really a marvelous saying, for he linked the children to the kingdom of God! He took this chance of meeting the children to teach something about the kingdom of God. In fact, he never gives up any good chance to teach us about the kingdom of God. He did so before he took the action of blessing the children.
How are the children related to the kingdom of God? He then explained, “Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein.” (v15) First of all, “verily I say unto you” is a characteristic of his solemn announcement. The purpose is to catch the attention of the audience as to what he was about to say to them. This is definitely one of the serious statements that he has ever proclaimed, and he was not 'kidding' at all. Why? He was now speaking of a situation that could disqualify a person from entering the kingdom of God! Therefore, if we ignore his saying or miss his point, how serious the outcome can be! So, what did he mean by that? The general interpretation for this statement is that we ought to hope for God’s blessing with a simple child-like heart, just like the children who came to Jesus with a simple mind and a humble heart, not carrying any selfish or evil motive. All they wanted was God’s blessing through Jesus’ hands and prayer. We should have such a sincere desire for the blessing of God. Hence, Jesus did not just welcome the children, he also welcomed the parents to receive God’s blessing since their acts reflected their simple faith of receiving Jesus’ blessing. After the simple but meaningful teaching of the kingdom of God, Jesus fulfilled the parents’ wish by laying hands on the children and blessing them: "And he took them up in his arms, put his hands upon them, and blessed them." (v16)
As an adult, we already have a mature mind, thinking more deeply and cautiously about anything that we see or hear. However, a sophisticated mind may obstruct someone from accepting the gospel that requires us to receive the salvation of God with a simple belief. Any time we come before God, we’d better bring with us a simple heart like a child if we are to gain God’s favour and eternal blessing.