Unhindered Reception

13 And they were bringing children to him that he might touch them, and the disciples rebuked them. 14 But when Jesus saw it, he was indignant and said to them, “Let the children come to me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. 15 Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.” 16 And he took them in his arms and blessed them, laying his hands on them. – Mark 10:13-16

This pericope is a fitting follow-up after the Lord taught in the sanctity of marriage. In a God-fearing Jewish household, the marriage vows are held in high esteem for it is the will of God that when a man and a woman are joined together, no human authority can ever dissolve it. It is in this same household that the Law of YHWH is held in the highest esteem for their very lives revolve in the revealed will of God.  Included in this God-centered life is the instruction to teach them children in the way of the Lord at every opportunity daily.  Here we also seize the fact that a sanctified marriage is a good ground for planting the children into the knowledge and presence of the Lord. Not only are the parents to grow in the knowledge and grace of the Lord Jesus Christ but their marriage should also display the reality of His presence when husbands love their wives as Jesus love the church and when wives submit to their husbands as to the Lord (Ephesians 5:22-32).

And so we have here a continuing stream of children being brought to the Lord.  We are not told who are bringing these children, but it is obvious that whoever is leading them to Him, whether a father, a mother, a sibling or guardian, desired his blessings upon the children. A parallel story in Matthew 19:13 reveal the intention to have blessings conferred to the children.  Greater possibility still is that they bring their children to Him because they understand – how much, we do not know – who Jesus is – someone who can confer heavenly blessing, whether they perceive Him to be a prophet or the Messiah or the Son of God. That fact is still unknown here the overwhelming evidence of His ministry has provided them a good amount of understanding on His close relationship to Yahweh. Remember how people are; they would protect their children more than themselves when a stranger is involved. But to them Jesus in not a stranger anymore but are convinced that He is indeed a ‘man of God’ as evidenced by their desire for Him to confer the good blessing of God.

It is a common practice among the Jews to lay their hands on the head of those whom they will confer blessing, especially from since the time of the patriarchs in Genesis. But we know here that the children are up for the greatest conferring of God’s blessing for this one comes from the Lord who spoke to patriarchs themselves. Oh, if all Israel knew, that place at that moment would have been filled with all their children! Matthew Henry comments that this conferring of blessings upon children is a revealed will of the Lord through the prophet Isaiah 44:3 “…I will pour out my Spirit upon your offspring, my blessings upon your descendants”.

Having this in mind, it is no wonder why the Lord would be indignant (Greek eganaktesen – deep emotion, pained emotion) when the disciples rebuked those who were bringing the children to the Lord. This is not an isolated indignation. Another incident in Matthew 21:15 when the children as they shouted ‘Hosanna, hosanna’ to Jesus were rebuked by people who presume to know more about God – the Pharisees!  These children were rejoicing that the Savior has come; perhaps the very children who were brought to Him that Mark has now written about. In truth, Jesus is the only source of their blessing from God and to hinder them that privilege is to prevent them from coming to God himself. At their tender age, they do not know how, but as they are taught the knowledge of God, they will themselves have the privilege later on to come on their own.  It is the desire of God therefore that children at the youngest of age be brought to Him.  The young Israelite is taught the Law on all occasion that a child should build his or her entire life centered on the true God.  This particular moment was the greatest opportunity for them to see and hear whom that was spoken to them by their parents from the very pages of the Old Testament scriptures. And to hinder them caused deep, pained emotions for the Lord who loves them. Love is evident by what He said, that the kingdom of heaven belongs to them.

The secular world understands that people are best indoctrinated while they are young. The Chinese communist leader, Mao Zhedong (or Mao Tse Tung – more familiarly), once instructed the nation to catch the mind and heart of the Chinese people while they’re young – to indoctrinate them with Maoist communism in their childhood years. Even MTV, in one of its infomercial, in a sinister kind of way, mentioned the importance of grabbing their viewers at a tender age because that is the greatest time of influence.  Would the children then be rather exposed to corrupting influences of man’s sinful activities? Jesus forbids it so and would have the little ones know Him from a tender age.

Let the children therefore come to the knowledge of Christ Jesus and God’s saving grace while they are young. No hindrances should be spared for this one great privilege for any Christian adult to bless their children with.

Proceeding now to verse 15, careful reading of it allows us to see an important shift in the focus of the statement of the Lord, yet it provides us a heavenly truth with regards to how we should welcome Him. Sometimes when we read a particular section in God’s word, presuppositions are injected into what is being read resulting to a failure to comprehend properly. In this particular verse, there can be failure of the reader to see the shift from ‘children to whom the kingdom of God belongs’ to ‘the kingdom of God to be received like the way children were received by the Lord’ – unhindered.

Yes, there should not be barriers or obstacles in receiving the Lord. The parallel of Jesus and the kingdom of God is established here. To receive the kingdom of God is to receive Jesus Christ. Nothing should be placed as a hindrance in between the Lord and children in particular, and all men in general.

Verse 16 now continues and as all hindrances now removed, Jesus proceeds to bless the children. He blessed them not only by His prayer but by showing to them Himself.

Observe then that this narrative is set between two other stories: the teaching on marriage and its sanctity (Mark 10:1-12), and then the rich young ruler (Mark 10:17-27).  In both pericopes, hindrances were the contributors of the discontinuing of what should be. 

• In marriage, a hindrance such as infidelity committed by one of the partners would result to the discontinuing of the marriage. From the very beginning it is ordained that marriage should not be broken for it runs contrary to the expressed will of God. In order for a disobedient heart not to further hardened, divorce was allowed but each divorcee are never to remarry until one of the partners die for this is the only acceptable means to God for a remarriage.  To contradict God in this matter and marry another person while the divorced partner is still alive is to fall into the sin of adultery – consequently putting the idol of ‘self’ in place of God (this is the very essence of the Ten Commandments where the breaking of commandment nos. 4-10 is ultimately breaking commandment no. 1-3).
• In the next pericope of the rich young ruler, it can be perceived also to be the amplification of the narrative about children coming to Christ.  This time it is a rich person coming to Jesus and asking how he should inherit the kingdom of heaven. Yet his desire is prevented by the very statements he was asserting about himself to the Lord.  I will discuss this in another post but to be sure another hindrance this story was preventing a union between Lord and himself.

And it is no coincidence either the pericope on marriage and this narrative was taught in one sweep for many times in the Scripture the union between God and his people is represented by the metaphor of a marriage that cannot happen when there are hindrances nor can be dissolved what God has already joined.  Although I use the word ‘hindrance’ here often, one thing is true, whatever that hindrance be, is definitely considered sinful for it rubs against the will of God. 

Suffice it for us to understand that no hindrances must be placed in between the kingdom of God and ourselves.  Encouraging as this may sound, it is unfortunate that the reality is that we always have something that hinders us from receiving Him.  It is called sin. And like the disciples we hinder.  Who then can be saved? The answer of the Lord is still the same, “with man it is impossible, but with God nothing is impossible” (Mark 10:27).

Going back to the verses that we are particularly studying here, Christian parents primarily are conferred by God the responsibility of telling their children who Jesus Christ is at whatever age they are in.  All Christians are by extension conferred this responsibility for all children.  We take all what is possibly necessary to bring to them the Gospel and at the same time, protect them from the corrupting influences of the world. Also, let us be careful in teaching them.  Many times, we do teach them that by obeying commandments they go to heaven without perhaps realizing that we put a false gospel as a hindrance. And many times, like the disciples who prevented the children to be brought to Jesus, we presume to know the Lord’s mind when we say things that the Scriptures have not instructed us to say or do.  We should teach them that Jesus is their only means of their salvation, the One who paid with His life so that they will be at peace with God, and this promise is their blessing.  And because it is so, they are supposed to be taught to receive Him, to receive Him by faith, to entrust their lives to Him alone – to do all these without any hindrances for the Lord says that the kingdom of heaven belongs to them. And they would not know until we bring the Gospel to them and pray to the Lord for their salvation.

As a footnote, let this be a means of joy to parents who have lost young children whether in disease or mishaps, that as Jesus explicitly says, that children belong to the Kingdom of God. Not that the children are sinless for also in them is the seed of Adam, a sinful nature, but rather it is a gracious blessing conferred by the Lord Jesus Christ to them. This is also an encouraging truth for me for I have a sister with Down’s syndrome who will never know her left from her right, nor will she comprehend the fullness of her blessings in Christ.  Yet while she is still alive, we endeavor to teach her through biblical songs and stories about God’s salvation through Christ. And when she gives praise to the Lord, it is the most wonderful sight and sound to behold from her. To God be the glory!