Luke 18:15 (NKJV);15 Then they also brought infants to Him that He might touch them; but when the disciples saw it, they rebuked them.

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1 Introduction In this section of Scripture, we have Luke s account of precious children being brought to Jesus for blessing. The story is sandwiched between a proud religious ruler and a rich young ruler. Again the contrast is between those who trust and those who don t, those who are proud and those who are humble, those who are independent and those who are dependent. The Bible is a revelation about the nature of God and the condition of mankind. What kind of a God is God? Who can come to God? Who is acceptable to God? On what basis is a person acceptable to God? Are children saved? Between two parables Luke gives us a living, breathing, parable in the form of children. It seems odd that how God feels and deals with children should be controversial. Yet it is controversial. In every culture people love their children. We rightly desire to protect our children. In the ancient world children did not enjoy social status. In our culture we have child stars. In days gone by child stars included Elizabeth Taylor, Mickey Rooney, Shirley Temple, and in the modern era the Olson Twins! We are a culture that celebrates youth. There is a story about a little girl who climbed up on the lap of her greatgrandmother and looked at her white hair and wrinkles and then asked; Did God make you? Yes, she said. Then the little girl asked, Did God make me, too? Grandma said, Yes. Well, said the little girl, Don t you think He s doing a better job now than he used too? Don t answer that! Jesus reminds us who is acceptable to God; those who in simplicity, humility and dependence are willing to trust Jesus for forgiveness and grace. Bringing The Children (v.15) Luke 18:15 (NKJV);15 Then they also brought infants to Him that He might touch them; but when the disciples saw it, they rebuked them. Parents were attempting to bring their small children to Jesus that he might touch them. The verb brought is the translation of the Greek verb prosphero which means to direct, or bear towards, or to carefully and gently lead in a specific direction. Both Mark and Luke use the imperfect verb tense they were bringing indicating a continuous process over an extended period of time. The New King James properly translates brephos (v.15) infants or tiny, tiny, babies little people! Mark 10:13 (NKJV); Then they brought little children to Him, that He might touch them; but the disciples rebuked those who brought them. In Mark s gospel the word translated little children is paidion which roughly means toddlers, smaller children, what we might call pre-adolescent. 1

2 In other words, it would appear that this incident, recorded in Matthew, Mark and Luke had a big impact on the disciples. Parents just kept bringing their babies; and small children; the opposition comes from an unlikely source Jesus own disciples! They were annoyed! Why would they do such a thing? In the culture of the first century children had no social status. We certainly don t know for sure what was going on in the disciples minds and hearts but they came to the conclusion that it was not important for the children to get near Jesus. Did they think Jesus time was better spent with them? Perhaps the most egregious error made by the disciples is making themselves the gatekeepers of who can and can t come to Christ. The disciples may have thought the parents had impure motives. Jesus does not rebuke the parents or resist blessing the children. We are all fond of saying, Jesus loves the little children and he does! It was not unusual for parents to bring children to respected Rabbi s for prayers and blessings. The Talmud admonished such behavior so children would grow up to be sons and daughters of the law, strong and faithful in marriage and known by good works. I suspect they failed to realize the heart of Jesus and the compassion of Jesus and the importance of the touch of Jesus even for little children. Their understanding of the blessing and the power of God was immature. No one should ever be stopped or discouraged from coming to Christ. One of the great errors of our time is the notion that some parents have that I will let them grow up and mature, and when they are old enough to decide for themselves I will let them choose whether or not they want to come to Christ or go to church. After all, I don t want to cram religion down their throats. But Jesus loves the children. He wants our children. God wants us to bring them to Jesus. He is not interested in excuses why we won t. There could be any number of reasons why the disciples were hindering the children; inconvenience, time, mission, priorities. Current excuses include, sporting obligations, educational obligations, Sunday is the only day they have to sleep in, my child has special needs, etc. James Dobson rightly observed; A child between eighteen and thirty-six months of age is a sheer delight, but he can also be utterly maddening. He is inquisitive, short-tempered, demanding, cuddly, innocent, and dangerous at the same time. I find it fascinating to watch him run through his day, seeking opportunities to crush things, flush things, kill things, spill things, fall off things, eat horrible things-and think up ways to rattle his mother. Blessing The Children (v.16) Luke 18:16 (NKJV);16 But Jesus called them to Him and said, Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God. The text is explicit, But Jesus called them that is the parents and their children to Him. He refused to allow his own disciples to prohibit the children from coming to him. Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them. In identical language Matthew (19:14) repeats; But Jesus said, Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven. 2

3 The construction of the original language is very interesting. Let alone is in the aorist tense but do not hinder is in the present tense with a negative indicating a call to stop immediately drop everything and stop doing this! In effect Jesus is saying leave the children alone starting now! And do not stop them from coming to me! Mark s gospel includes; Mark 10:14 (NKJV); But 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. He was greatly displeased the word is angry indignant. It was one of those rare occasions when we see the tenderness and toughness of Jesus all in one moment. He was angry because he loves children. He was angry because what other people consider tiny, non-essential, aggravating, frustrating, life interrupting, curtain crawling, creatures Jesus loves them. I am also sure he was angry because of the disciples persistent dullness and hardness of heart. Allow the children to come to Christ. Do not forbid them. For the most part, children love to hear about Jesus. Their little hearts are open and willing to know more about the Lord, and we must bring them to Christ. Yes children have a sinful nature and yes children must be brought to Jesus. Are children saved? The answer I think lies in both the character of God and the revelation of the Scriptures. The Bible seems to indicate that children who have not reached a certain age of accountability, are given grace for salvation. Isaiah 7:16; For before the Child shall know to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land that you dread will be forsaken by both her kings. Paul speaks in Romans 5:17-21 For if by the one man s offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ. Therefore, as through one man s offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one man s righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life. When David and Bathsheba committed adultery, the baby born from the union died. The story is told in 2 Samuel :16 David pleads for the life of the child. 2 Samuel 12:20-21 (NKJV); So David arose from the ground, washed and anointed himself, and changed his clothes; and he went into the house of the Lord and worshiped. Then he went to his own house; and when he requested, they set food before him, and he ate. 21 Then his servants said to him, What is this that you have done? You fasted and wept for the child while he was alive, but when the child died, you arose and ate food. 2 Samuel 12:23-24 (NKJV); But now he is dead; why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me. 24 Then David comforted Bathsheba his wife, and went in to her and lay with her. So she bore a son, and he called his name Solomon. Now the Lord loved him, 3

4 We love children. Our children s ministry is great! Our VBS ministry is exciting! We want our church to be a safe place to bring children. We go to great expense to provide age appropriate worship and instruction for our children. Jesus did not say; You must allow children in the worship service to disrupt and interrupt the service. In Jesus day children were not allowed in the synagogue during worship service and the instruction of the Torah. Children were not allowed in the Temple. Children were given age appropriate instruction and that responsibility was primarily the parent s obligation. What if they don t want to go? Some parents tell me their children don t want to come to church. The child may have a problem but almost always the problem is not so much with the child as with the parent. We live in a culture where parents are reluctant to lead and children are reluctant to follow. We have become far too permissive. Moms and Dads are reluctant to set limits for their children. This benign parental neglect is having far reaching consequences, both in children s behavior and spiritual well being. Karen Stabiner writes in the New York Times: It seems that the parents of today s parents, those strict disciplinarians of the 50 s and 60 s, may have been right all along: father and mother did know best... Children need guidance, love, support, authority! Do you have a Christ-centered home or a child-centered home? Do the decisions you make for your family and your church lie in what the child wants or what Christ wants? In his wonderful book, The Heart of Anger Lou Priolo lists the characteristics of a CHILD-CENTERED HOME: A child centered home is one in which a child believes and is allowed to behave as though the entire household, parents, siblings, even pets exist for one purpose to please him. In a child centered home they are allowed to commit the following indiscretions; interrupt adults when they are talking; use manipulation and rebellion to get their way; dictate the family schedule (including meal-times, bedtimes, etc). Take precedence over the needs of the spouse. Have an equal or overriding vote in all decision making matters. Demand excessive time and attention from parents to the detriment of the other biblical responsibilities of the parents. Escape the consequences of their sinful and irresponsible behavior. Speak to parents as though they were peers. Be the dominant influence in the home. Be entertained and coddled (rather than disciplined) out of a bad mood. How does that compare with the Christ-centered home? The Christ-centered or God centered home is modeled from Genesis 2:24; Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. Two people become a family before any children are born. The parents are the decision makers in the new family unit. The family is not a democracy. The husband and wife are joint heirs, with the husband as head and the wife as helper. Children are born, welcome in the family, but not as co-equal decision makers, or partners in physical, spiritual, emotional responsibilities. The Christ-centered home is the home where everyone is pleased and committed to serving the Lord, instead of serving the husband or the wife or the children. God s desires are exalted over everyone s desires. 4

5 In the Christ-centered home we teach children to serve rather than be served. We teach children to honor the Lord, the Word of God the Bible, peers, parents and church. We teach our children to joyfully serve others, to cheerfully obey parents the first time, to not interrupt parents who are speaking to each other. To understand they will not always get their way. To work their schedule around their parents schedule (or God s schedule). To have input in family decisions, but not necessarily and equal vote. To understand that God has given their parents other responsibilities in addition to meeting their needs. To suffer the natural consequences of their sinful and irresponsible behavior. To not speak to parents as though they were peers but honor them as spiritual authorities. To fulfill household responsibilities. To protect themselves from certain bad influences. To not divide parents over discipline issues. To not be more intimate with each parent than the parents are with each other. Which of these two models best describes your home? Does that mean we ignore or abuse our children? Of course not! Does it mean we neglect or fail to protect our children? Of course not! Listen to this tragic letter; Dear Ann Landers: I am writing from behind bars. The charge? A felony child molesting. Not a pleasant subject, I realize, but this letter is not being written to be pleasant or to gain sympathy. You ve never seen me in the parks or near playgrounds trolling for victims. I don t play ball and I don t give out candy. I don t leer at children or stare at them, yet I ve never lacked for victims. I ve held several positions of responsibility working with the public. You ve probably met me and liked me. Your children have learned that I can fix a bike and will talk to them when no one else has time to listen. When Mom was too busy or Dad too tired, they came to me. I know more about your children s teachers and their school problems than you because they knew I was interested. The two little girls I molested can never regain what was taken away from them and I will spend five years in prison. I was molested as a child and feel certain that at least two of my victims will grow up to be molesters. I am sick at heart, but the damage is done and I can t undo it. The next time your child has something to tell you, don t be too busy to listen. Ask yourself, if I won t listen, who will? Jesus leaves us with the impression he loves children. He does not consider them a burden or a curse but a blessing. He points to them as perfect candidates for the kingdom of God. Are they candidates because they are short-tempered, self-serving, self-absorbed little creatures? I don t think so. I think Jesus is pointing out the qualities of dependence, innocence, humility. Gloria Gaither rightly points out; Children possess an uncanny ability to cut to the core of the issue, to expose life to the bone, and strip away the barnacles that cling to the hull of our too sophisticated pseudo-civilization. One reason for this, I believe, is that children have not mastered our fine art of deception that we call "finesse." Another is that they are so "lately come from God" that faith and trust are second nature to them. They have not 5

6 acquired the obstructions to faith that come with education; they possess instead unrefined wisdom, a gift from God. Can parents hinder their children from coming to Christ? Sadly I think the answer is yes. Does your life reflect a deep love and commitment to Jesus Christ? Do you love God s Word and God s people and model that behavior for your children? Do you lack marital unity in your home? Remember the Bible says, leave, cleave and unify! Hebrews 12:15; looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled. Parents sometimes forget that a failure to have real harmony in the home can provoke their children to bad behavior. There is an interesting proverb; Proverbs 29:15; The rod and rebuke give wisdom, But a child left to himself brings shame to his mother. The rod speaks of punishment and rebuke discipline. If you leave a child to decide for himself or herself shame on you! Parents who discipline their children when angry, or out of anger are sometimes likely to over-discipline the child. Your anger can be perceived as a personal attack. When a person is angry with you and disciplines you it is easy to perceive the motive for punishment as vindictive rather than corrective. When you discipline your child is your primary motive the behavior has caused you personal discomfort, trouble, embarrassment, or are you really concerned how the child s actions deny God his rightful place, or how they have sinned against God? Are you more upset you child has sinned against you or sinned against God? If the answer is you check your heart, ask yourself about a willingness to lay aside your personal rights and forgive your child s offense against you so you can focus on fulfilling parental obligations. Do you yell at your kids? Ephesians 4:29; Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. One of the Greek words for scolding was derived from a root expression to snort with anger. It was used to describe the snorting of horses. Other expressions are barking or howling. Scolding is always an expression of a mean spirit or loss of temper. Believing Like A Child (v.17) Luke 18:17 (NKJV); Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it. How do you receive the kingdom of God? Jesus said, as a little child. In simple faith, in dependent faith, in simple trust. If a person refuses to enter the Kingdom of God like a little child they are refused entrance. What does Jesus mean like a little child? Jesus is pointing out the qualities of openness, lowliness in society, minority status, helplessness, dependence, no claims towards achievement. Children come with expectation and excitement. They come realizing that they are not sufficient in themselves. They depend totally on others. If these same attitudes are not present in adults, they can never enter into the kingdom. Contrast that with your skepticism, boredom, doubt, suspicion, and the need to know all the answers. Mark 10:16 (NKJV); And He took them up in His arms, laid His hands on them, and blessed them. 6

7 The picture Mark paints is a loving man, gathering children in his arms with a sense of passion and fervency and energy. We don t know the specific nature of the blessing but it is a blessing and when Jesus blesses you He blesses you real good. Are you quick to discipline or quick to bless? When was the last time you pronounced a blessing over your child or your children? I want you too see the heart of Jesus for children in this passage. Jesus is never too tired, too busy, too annoyed, to pressed for time, too distracted for you. Malcolm Muggeridge and I share a common birthday. Muggeridge was a journalist in World War II and achieved a great measure of fame and notoriety. In Something Beautiful for God he tells of meeting Mother Theresa while filming a BBC documentary about her works. He was completely captivated by her deep compassion for the poorest of the poor in the slums of Calcutta. Muggeridge was a vociferous unbeliever. His primary criticism was of the church, he refused to join and imperfect and flawed institution. Once while Mother Theresa visited London, she and Muggeridge took a walk, and Muggeridge reports; I took up my well-prepared defensive position about the church, whose deficiencies, crumbling barricades, and woeful future prospects, I expatiated upon, with little effect. After she left London, she wrote Muggeridge a letter and enclosed a small devotional book. Here are excerpts from her letter, which are a model of how to share your faith lovingly: I think I understand you better now. I don t know why, but you to me are like Nicodemus, and I m sure you will understand beautifully everything if you would only become a little child in God s hands. Your longing for God is so deep, and yet he keeps himself away from you. He must be forcing himself to do so, because he loves you so much, as to give Jesus to die for you and me. Christ is longing to be your food. Surrounded with fullness of living food, you allow yourself to starve. The personal love Christ has for you is infinite. The small difficulty you have regarding his church is finite. Overcome the finite with the infinite. Christ has created you because he wanted you. I know what you feel, terrible longing with dark emptiness, and yet he is the one in love with you. Apparently Mother Theresa s love kept working on Muggeridge. Just 8 years before he died (in 1990), he finally overcame his objections and publicly joined the Christian church. 7