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a portrait of jesus |
A PORTRAIT OF JESUS – Blessing the Children
"Let
the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the
One day some parents brought their children to Jesus so that He could lay His hands on them and bless them. Jesus’ disciples thought they were protecting Jesus by intercepting these parents and telling them the Master was too busy to be bothered with the children. Jesus, however, was not pleased, in fact, we are told that Jesus was indignant and rebuked His disciples.
Jesus must have been frustrated with His disciples at times. He saw them struggling with pride, despite the many parables he taught trying to get them to see the importance of humility. They were not getting it! They needed to become as little children who are filled with love and innocence, completely dependent on their parents for their sustenance…unless His disciples could rid themselves of spiritual pride and became dependent on their Heavenly Father, they would not see the kingdom of heaven. So He spelled it out for them.
The parents in this passage were doing what was right and wise. They were bringing their children to Jesus to have His blessing. Oh, that all parents would be so wise, and that we, as His disciples, might learn the lesson well, i.e., that it is our duty to encourage children to come to Christ Jesus to be touched by Him and blessed.
When I look around our worship services on Sunday mornings, I know that Jesus is pleased, because children are encouraged to participate with us in worship. When little Kenny, exclaims “Amen,” at the end of praise song, I know it brings a smile to Jesus’ face, as it does to mine. His childlike freedom to make that exclamation in a room full of adults is all about the lesson Jesus wanted to bring home. We could all learn a lesson from Kenny.
It is
our duty as parents to bring our children into Jesus’ presence at every
opportunity. It is also our duty as disciples to encourage the children around
us to come and be blessed by Jesus. When
we worship together with them as a family in God’s house, Jesus is
pleased. Let us learn the lesson that He
taught His disciples in this passage, and encourage the children around us to
come to Him and let us become like them in their love, enthusiasm and eagerness
to please Jesus. May His words echo in our ears…“let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the