Numbers 35-36 Mark 10:1-31

“Some people brought their little children to Jesus so he could touch them, but his followers told them to stop. When Jesus saw this, he was upset and said to them, ‘Let the little children come to me. Don’t stop them, because the kingdom of God belongs to people who are like these children.’” (Mark 10:13-14 NCV)

Based on the reactions of Jesus’s disciples, I believe the disciples of a teacher were supposed to run interference for the teacher and keep him from annoyances. They were supposed to care for him when he was tired. Jesus’s disciples appeared to take their jobs seriously. After a day of teaching, some people brought their children to Jesus, hoping that He would bless them by touching them. The disciples were ready to do their job and tried to stop people from bringing their children to Him. Then Jesus saw what was happening and He was upset. He chastised the disciples and told them to let the children come to Him. He knew that the future belonged to those children, and He wanted them to remember Him.

One of the saddest things for me today is to see so many children without a basic knowledge of who Jesus is. They not only have no idea who He is, they’re clueless about Bible stories in general. Modern day disciples of Jesus have stopped shooing kids away, and, in fact, tend to welcome and support children coming to Jesus. Using the phrase, “we want our children to be able to make their own religious choices,” many younger parents aren’t showing up at church, nor are they bringing their kids. That means that we are called to bring the amazing gospel of grace to younger parents and their children. This is a command of Jesus (Matthew 28:18-20) that should be a source of joy as we introduce people to the amazing love of God.

Lord, there are so many children that need to come to You and experience the fullness of Your grace. Use me as a witness and an example of Your love to children and to their parents.

Scripture taken from the New Century Version®. Copyright © 2005 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.