Mark 10:13 And they brought young children to him, that he should touch them: and his disciples rebuked those that brought them.
14 But when Jesus saw it, he was much displeased, and said unto them, Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.
15 Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein.
16 And he took them up in his arms, put his hands upon them, and blessed them.
The Bible is the greatest book there ever was or ever will be. It is the Word of God. It never changes. It addresses every question man will ever have. It gives wise counsel in all things. It is a shame that we sometimes come so late to see the true value of the Word of God.
The Bible tells us that we are born as lost sinners. We are dead in trespasses and sins.
Ephesians 2:1 And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;
It is amazing that this world has stood for some six thousand years, when lost humanity is so destructive in nature. It is not we who are keeping this world going. It is God in His mercy that is keeping us from destroying what He has created. As we look at what God has done and is doing, it should be obvious to those who are truly born again, that it is of God’s grace that we are changed and that we can look at life in the proper way.
In our text, Jesus again reminds us of the blessings of children. The Bible tells us:
Psalm 127:3 Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward.
Children are not to be worshipped. The Bible teaches us the importance of training them in the right way. We have the Word of God and we can teach our children the truth if we know the God of Truth ourselves. The world is not the friend of God. We are constantly reminded of how important the home and a true local church must be to the God-fearing family.
In our text, we read that parents brought their children to Jesus. They wanted Him to touch them. They understood the importance of His touch upon their young ones. We read nothing here of Jesus providing any kind of entertainment for the children. There were not silly children’s songs. There were not puppet shows to distract them from the truth. The children were brought to Jesus and they sat in on His teachings of doctrine and they heard His rebuke of the Pharisees.
When we look at some of the great men of church history, the thing that made the difference there was the same thing that will make the difference now. Parents that know God and put Him first will set an environment for their children that will draw them in a different direction. The Bible shows us that there were children that were rebels.
II Kings 2 tells us of a group of Jewish children that lacked the fear of the Lord in their lives. They mocked Elisha. He was directed by God to teach the Jews a very important lesson. The Bible tells us two she bears came out and tore forty-two children. We read nothing of the parents of those children gathering together to attack Elisha. They knew better than to do that. God is not telling us that we need to ask Him to send bears or any other animal to destroy children. The point is that children need to know the fear of the Lord as do adults.
The adults in our text understood the importance of bringing their children to Jesus. The disciples did not yet understand the imperative of this. They assumed that Jesus must be tired, and they tried to stop the parents from bringing their children to Jesus. Rather than seeing children rush off to the arena to skate or off to a ballet class somewhere or some other worthless venture, children need to see the value of listening to a true Bible story or learning some good songs to sing or a verse to memorize.
We have been brainwashed into thinking that life has to be fun. We might not define fun as worldliness, but in essence that is what it is. In my years as a pastor, I have pastored churches of one hundred or so people and I have pastored churches with few people. When I have pastored churches with few people, one of the common excuses given for why parents do not want to attend our church is because there are no programs for the children. They want distractions for the children so they can be well groomed to find distractions when their children grow up.
Jesus was displeased with the attitude of His disciples. He told them to “suffer” the children to come unto Him. The Greek word translated as suffer has several different applications. In our text, Jesus was telling the disciples to “yield up” the children to come unto Him. The parents were willing to have their children come to Jesus. The disciples needed to understand that Jesus was committed to yielding of Himself and His time to minister to the needs of the people. That included the needs of the children.
Jesus declared the kingdom of God is made up of people with child-like faith. Child-like, not that it is weak or still needing milk. Child-like in that it is trusting in the true God and willing to follow Him faithfully.
Jesus made this clear in verse 15. Too often adults come to God with their demands. We approach God as though it were a job application and we want to know if it is something we can agree to. Pastors need to be in the Word faithfully so that we can help people to understand that God’s salvation belongs to Him. He sets the terms and He provides the blessings based on His terms. His terms are always right for each person. We need our hearts changed and God does that in salvation. He gives us a new heart and then He shows us how to feed that new heart.
In the physical realm, I have needed attention given to my heart now a few times. Every time I have gone into the hospital with issues, I have left feeling much better because the doctors and nurses addressed the need. Every time I have left they have also told me there is one area they cannot fix because they cannot get at it properly. Thus I never leave fully repaired, but better.
In the Spiritual realm, there is no area of a person’s heart that God cannot get at. He creates a new heart and He then provides His Holy Spirit to indwell the true child of God. Thus each true child of God can grow. God expects that growth to take place. The blessing is in surrendering to God, not in fighting against Him.
Jesus took the children that were brought to Him. He took them up in His arms. That is a sign of welcoming. That is a sign of protection. That is a sign of caring. Jesus put His hands upon them and He blessed them. What greater gift could any godly parent want for their child? There is no greater gift that we could ever provide for them. It is a great blessing to see a young child excited about learning a Bible verse or learning to sing a good, godly song. It is a blessing to hear them talk with anticipation of what they are learning in Sunday school or in church.
Parents have a great impact on their children. Unsaved parents are not going to help their children in that which is most important. Compromised parents may be worse for the children than those that are lost. Compromised parents teach their children that sin is acceptable. Compromised churches will also do the same. It is important for godly parents to choose a true, Bible-believing church to attend. Not going to church is not an option. Choosing a good church is important. Godly parents will be parents who pray faithfully. God will direct them into a good church for their own benefit as well as that of their children. Trust God and serve Him faithfully.
Pastor Bartel
