Matthew 19:13-15 Jesus Blesses Little Children
Then little children were brought to Him that He might put His hands on them and pray, but the disciples rebuked them. But Jesus said, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven.” And He laid His hands on them and departed from there.”
It’s a busy morning, the crowds are pushing and pulling, becoming more difficult to handle, and the disciples are fed up! It’s bad enough that all the lame, the sick, the blind, the deaf and mute, and the demon-possessed people are showing up. Now parents are bringing their children to Jesus for him to bless them. KIDS? What’s the point of having Jesus bless kids? Surely, the disciples can thin out the crowd a little by dispatching these anxious parents. But when the disciples begin exerting even a little authority, Jesus says, “Stop! Wait!”
While the disciples are becoming agitated, Jesus is sitting on a large rock with little kids crawling all over him. Jesus is praying for the kids, tickling the kids, hugging the kids, and generally having a great time, and so are the kids. When Peter tries to begin sorting out the children by grabbing one little boy by the arm, Jesus stops him. Peter is incensed; all he’s trying to do is to simplify matters, so why won’t Jesus let him go ahead? That’s when Jesus tells the disciples, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven.”
You see, Jesus knows things about those children that the disciples don’t. Jesus knows that many of these children may not live to reach adulthood; now is the time to pray over them, claiming them for the Kingdom of God, and blessing them. Jesus knows that some of these children are going to suffer when the Romans finally choose to put down Jewish rebellion; no is the time to pray prayers of protection over them. And Jesus knows that these children want to be with him because children have a much clearer sense of holiness than most adults; if Jesus prays for them now, they will serve God faithfully for the rest of their lives. While the disciples only see children as an aggravation and a hindrance to their work, Jesus sees the children as God’s purpose for his work this morning.
How old must a child be to learn about God? How old must a child be to serve God? Only God truly knows. Thinking about the children I have seen during more than four decades as a doctor, I cannot list a lower age limit on faith. Guideposts Magazine has documented examples of children as young as two years old who have seen angels or Jesus during near-death experiences. There may be children even younger who have had such experiences but who are unable to speak properly so we never hear their stories.
Several times in Jesus’ ministry he refers to the need for “child-like faith,” that is, faith that trusts God completely, just as small children trust their parents. Can those same small children be holy terrors? Absolutely! But the potential for bad behavior does not negate the faith of a child, nor an adult, for that matter.
There are many examples of children who have believed and have followed Jesus from an early age. One such child was the football player and evangelist Paul Rader. At the age of seven, Rader was standing outside the door of an auditorium crying because the ushers refused to allow him to enter so he could hear D. L. Moody preach. As Moody was about to enter, he spotted Rader. Upon learning about Rader’s desire to hear him, Moody ordered Rader to cling to his coattails and thus enter the auditorium. Not only did Moody make sure that seven-year-old boy gained entry, but he also secured a front row seat for him. Rader later became one of the foremost evangelists of the early twentieth century, and eventually the pastor of the Moody Church in Chicago. One of the most effective missionaries ever to work in Nigeria, Mary Slessor, accepted Christ at an early age, working in textile mills until she gained acceptance by a mission group.
Today Satan is doing everything possible to snag children at an early age. We make terrible mistakes when we view these children as incapable of making life-changing decisions. Helen Roseveare tells the story of a young student in Zaire, now DRC, who saved several others fleeing from terrorists by pretending to be deaf and dumb. This brave boy stood his ground internally chanting “For Him! For Him!” while drunken soldiers attempted to question him.
There is no lower age limit on teaching children about Jesus Christ. I have always enjoyed cartoons; however, most of the cartoons these days feature ugly or even demonic characters behaving violently. It’s a mistake to assume that evil spirits cannot be transmitted through the things that we watch; adults addicted to pornography can testify to that. Why expose innocent children to things that will only warp their spirits?
Years ago, one unbelieving mother allowed her eight-year-old son to attend Sunday School at a local church. This lady would walk her son to church and then return home, later coming to collect him. For the Christmas program that year, the kids were singing a song that said, “Christmas isn’t Christmas till it happens in your heart.” That little boy practiced the song every chance he got, and it was that simple message that convicted that mother and eventually brought her to faith in Christ.
The question for us is simple: If we are refusing to allow little children to come to Jesus, is it because we ourselves are refusing to follow him? Have we been resisting the call to become Jesus’ disciples? It is purely evil to allow our lack of faith to handicap a child. Let us examine ourselves, turn and become disciples, and allow the little children to come to Jesus.
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help all who read these words to come to faith in You and to become fervent disciples. Help all of us to lead children to You, the only wise Father, who will protect them spiritually throughout their lives. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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