“Let the Little Children Come to Me”
(Mark 10:13-16 – Pentecost 20 – October 6, 2024)
Mark 10:13-16 – 13Then they brought little children to Him, that He might touch them; but the disciples rebuked those who brought them. 14But when Jesus saw it, He was greatly displeased and said to them, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God. 15Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it.” 16And He took them up in His arms, put His hands on them, and blessed them.
Dear children of God through faith in His Son, Jesus Christ:
Jesus says: “Let the little children come to Me.” Jesus loves little children. This should go without saying, for He has given them life. The Bible teaches that Jesus is active in creating every human, giving life to body and soul from the beginning. According to John 1:3-4, He is the Word of God who spoke at Creation: “All things were made through Him… In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.” As the Son of God, He was there with the Father and the Holy Spirit to form Adam from the dust of the ground and breathe into his nostrils the breath of life, thus creating his body and soul. He was there when Adam’s rib was taken and used to form Eve. He was there to institute marriage between man and woman and give the creative blessing to our first parents: “Be fruitful and multiply” (Genesis 2:7, 21-24; 1:28).
To this day, Jesus is there as every child is conceived. Psalm 139 expresses the wonders of God’s creative love from conception: “For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb. I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; marvelous are Your works, and that my soul knows very well” (vs. 13-14). From the moment a baby is conceived and a living soul is created, God forms the body from the inner cells and organs to the growing frame of bones. His loving design and purpose for each child does not stop at birth. Psalm 139 goes on to describe His loving care over one’s whole life: “And in Your book they all were written, the days fashioned for me, when as yet there were none of them” (vs. 16).
Not only does Jesus love the little children as their Creator and Life-Giver; He loves them as their Redeemer and Eternal-Life-Giver. When our first parents fell into sin, they lost the perfect image of God. Since then, every generation of Adam’s children is conceived and born in his sinful image. We all must say with Psalm 51:5: “Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin my mother conceived me.” Due to this inherited sin, all the children of Adam die (Romans 5:12).
But as the loving Redeemer, Jesus came to win salvation for every child of Adam. As the Son of God, He humbled Himself to be conceived by the Holy Spirit in the womb of the Virgin Mary. Jesus developed as a tiny baby, a little child, a teenager, and a man. His sinless life from the womb to the cross covers our sinful life from conception to death. On the cross, He suffered for our sin in His own body and soul. He paid with His precious life to redeem us from death and hell. And He rose again to give us the blessing of His forgiveness, salvation, and eternal life.
As the loving Creator and Redeemer for every child of Adam carried out His ministry on earth, He showed His power to overcome the corruption of sin. Parents heard of Him healing the little ones. The Canaanite woman, whose daughter had been demon-possessed, found her child restored by Jesus’ Word (Mark 7:29-30). Jairus, whose twelve-year-old daughter had died, saw his child raised from death by Jesus’ words: “Little girl, I say to you, arise” (Mark 5:41).
So it is no wonder, as it says here: “Then they brought little children to Him, that He might touch them” (vs. 13). These loving parents, grandparents, and caregivers wanted Jesus to touch and bless their children. They knew He was the Messiah God had sent, and they wanted their children to be blessed by this Savior of fallen sinners.
Today, Jesus continues say in the words of our text: “Let the Little Children Come to Me”: 1) Do not forbid them, 2) For of such is the Kingdom of God.
1) Do not forbid them
Why would anyone want to keep their children from Him who gave them the gift of life? And why would anyone want to forbid their children from coming to Him who alone can give them eternal life?
Resistance to His blessing often comes from the least expected ones, as we read: “But the disciples rebuked those who brought them” (vs. 13). The disciples wanted to turn the little ones away. They thought Jesus had no time for children. They thought He had more important things to do in establishing His Kingdom, a kingdom they imagined in all too worldly terms. They thought little children were too immature to benefit from Jesus’ ministry, and they did not need Him as their Savior.
Sadly, many forbid little children from receiving the blessing Jesus wants to give them. They feel there are more important things in the worldly kingdom they seek. We see an extreme case of this in the awful sin of abortion, as life is cut off in the womb just as God was forming a precious child with His loving design and purpose.
Even after children are born, many keep them from the blessing Jesus wants to give by not bringing them to Baptism. They do not believe Baptism is a means of grace in which children are washed of sin, born again of the Holy Spirit who gives faith, and joined to Jesus in salvation and eternal life (Acts 2:38-39; Galatians 3:26-27; Titus 3:5; 1 Peter 3:21). Many believe that children are born in a state of innocence and are not responsible for sin until a certain age; or that they are incapable of faith until they reach an age of accountability and can decide to follow Christ. So they forbid little children from receiving Jesus’ blessing in baptism.
Still others, after bringing their children to baptism, forbid them from coming to Jesus by not continuing to teach them in His Word (Matthew 28:19-20) – by bringing them to church, Sunday school, and Catechism, or reading the Bible in the home. How many parents go to great lengths to see that their children develop good health and fitness for their body, but care little for the faith and health of their eternal soul!
Like the disciples, have we ever been guilty of keeping little ones from the blessing Jesus wants to give? Are there times we thought there were more important things to do, when we were too busy to bring them to Jesus in His Word and prayer? Here we might include not only little children, but anyone who has seemed little in our eyes when it came to caring for their spiritual needs. It may be a person we have overlooked in sharing Jesus, because they seemed innocent enough in their own way, and we didn’t want to bring up sin and repentance; or we thought they were not ready to understand the Gospel. Or it may be a person who seemed little in our eyes because they were lower in status or somehow repulsive to our taste, and we had no desire to bring them to Jesus and share His forgiveness and eternal life with them.
At times, have we even kept ourselves from coming to Jesus for His blessing? Have we failed to come to Him as little ones, small in our own eyes, humbly confessing our sins and seeking His grace? Have we neglected the full blessing of His Word and Sacrament ministry and the forgiveness and faith He wants to give?
2) For of such is the kingdom of God
As Jesus’ saw His disciples turning the children away, it says: “He was greatly displeased and said to them, ‘Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God. Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it’” (vs. 14-15).
Here, our Savior’s loving admonition is brought home to us. He includes not only the little ones we know, but all of us. He says the only way we receive His Kingdom is “as a little child.” No matter how young or old we are, we become children of God by faith in His Son. The only way to enter His Kingdom is by a childlike faith. Here Jesus teaches that children can indeed have faith. Earlier in Mark 9:42 He referred to “these little ones who believe in Me.” Luke’s account says: “they also brought infants to Him that He might touch them” (Luke 18:15). Here Jesus holds up the childlike faith of even these littlest ones as a good example for all of us.
Childlike faith is a relationship of humble trust. It is more than just being able to express words when we come to a certain age of reason. Even a tiny infant knows his parents, long before he can say “Mama” or “Dada.” He cries out for their love, trusting them to provide. In a similar way, whether we are young or old, childlike faith is a humble trust God works in us by His Holy Spirit. It is a relationship in which we know God as our loving Father by faith in His Son. Romans 8:15-16 says: “You received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, ‘Abba, Father.’ The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs – heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ.”
A little child cannot work to provide conditions for himself to live. This is a gift God provides through his parents and caregivers. Likewise, with a humble childlike faith we confess that, as sinners, we cannot by our own works provide the conditions for our life and salvation. We look up to the hand of our heavenly Father to provide every good gift for our body and life (James 1:17). Above all, we look up to Him who has provided all that we need for our eternal life, through the saving work of His Son. With childlike faith we come to Jesus, little in our own eyes, humbly confessing our sin and unrighteousness. We trust only His precious blood that washes away our sin, and His perfect life that clothes us as the children of God.
As they brought little children to Jesus, it says: “He took them up in His arms, put His hands on them, and blessed them” (vs. 16). As we bring our children to Jesus in Baptism and His Word, He takes them and us into His arms and blesses us with all the gifts of His Kingdom. He lays His hands on us and says: “I forgive all your sins. I heal you for eternal life. Blessed are you, for yours is the Kingdom of God.”
Dear children of God through faith in His Son, truly we are blessed. Jesus loves the little children; Jesus loves you and me. He who has given us life from the womb, He who gave His life for our eternal life, loves us. At last, He will welcome us home as children of God with His tender words: “Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world” (Matthew 25:34).
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be. Amen.