Matthew 19:13-14 Then people brought little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples rebuked them. Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these."
In Chapter 19, Jesus teaches on a broad spectrum of marriage, divorce, riches, and discipleship. This particular verse of scripture focuses on the humility of children. Jesus had begun this illustration with the children, as we see in chapter 18 when His disciples asked Him who would be the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven. At this point, the disciples and most of the followers of Jesus were expecting a political Messiah. They were interested in who would hold the highest positions in the kingdom Jesus would soon inaugurate. From chapter 18, verse 2, Jesus called a small child to Himself and told the ones listening to Him that day that if they did not become like this little child, they would never see the Kingdom of Heaven. He was speaking of the humility of the little children, the dependence they have on their parents. This example from Jesus is how we as children of God should view our Father in Heaven. It was a custom and tradition among the Israelites to bring their children to a Rabbi for a blessing. There is no evidence in scripture as to why the disciples rebuked the parents that day as they were bringing the children to Jesus, However, the simple fact that the disciples did do this, showed the necessity for Jesus to teach the lesson on humility that he taught that day.
Fast forward to our verse of scripture here in chapter 19. Jesus welcomed the children to make a point to all who heard Him that day and every day ahead. He spoke of several attitudes displayed in the children, humility, dependence, trusting, and needy, and how this is what those who want to come to Him should show. Jesus was not teaching that the kingdom belonged to the children, but it belonged to “such as these” Matthew 19:14. In chapter 18, Jesus was speaking only of the humility of the children that would be required to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. In chapter 19, he included several more virtues needed to see His Kingdom. The primary among them is to focus less and less on self and more and more on Christ Jesus.
The standpoint of depending on
God is essential to the kingdom. Jesus is not talking about regressing to our
second childhood, He is not advocating that only the little children will
achieve heaven. He is referring to the manner in which we should see life. In
this message from Jesus, we discover that our whole life must change, and when
we surrender our lives to Christ Jesus, we become children of God.
John 3:3 Jesus
replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless
they are born again.
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