The kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these
Matthew 19:14; One of the most important things any parent can do is bring their child to Jesus!
“But Jesus said, “Let the children alone, and do not hinder them from coming to Me; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.””
Matthew 19:14 NASB1995
Today’s verse is from the Gospel of Matthew, when Jesus had departed Galilee and was in the region of Judea beyond the Jordan River. He was being followed by huge crowds at this time, performing miracles, and teaching his followers and disciples with a combination of His love and parables.
Jesus had just finished teaching about marriage, and it was the evening of the Jewish Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur). Some of His married followers wanted Jesus to bless their children, as it was the custom for parents to bring a child to an elder for a blessing on this day. They brought the children up to Him, hoping for Him to bestow the customary blessing.
If I was a parent in the time when the Messiah was walking the earth, I’d most certainly want Him to lay His hands on them and pray over them! Even today, one of the most important things any parent can do is bring their child to Jesus!
But the disciples weren’t having any of that. They rebuked the children (and probably their parents as well), and Jesus responded to the disciples with today’s verse. He wanted (and still wants) to bless the children and welcome them into His kingdom
Children are great judges of character, and they’ll flock to adults that they like. Jesus saying “Let the children alone, and do not hinder them from coming to Me” indicates that the children were going to run to Him even if their parents weren’t seeking to have them blessed.
In the following verse, Jesus lays His hands on the children and prays for them, a traditional blessing that we see throughout the Bible (for example, Acts 6:6, Acts 9:17, and 2 Timothy 1:6). Charles Spurgeon made an interesting point:
“He did not baptize them, but he did bless them.”1
Perhaps Jesus was making a point to the disciples (and through Matthew, to us) that baptizing children (particularly infants) is meaningless — that they should be baptized when fully aware that they are making a lifelong commitment to Jesus and able to make that choice on their own.
Heaven On Wheels Daily Prayer:
My loving Father in heaven, I long to be childlike in my attitude, with a faith that trusts You like a child and with a heart always open to You. Teach me to live with a pure heart and gentleness of spirit, reflecting Jesus through me to all I come in contact with today. I ask this in Jesus’ name and for His glory, AMEN.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org.
Spurgeon, Charles Haddon "Commentary on Matthew: The Gospel of the Kingdom" (London: Passmore and Alabaster, Paternoster Buildings, 1893)