The Faith of a Child

“Then were there brought unto Him little children, that He should put His hands on them, and pray: and the disciples rebuked them.  But Jesus said, Suffer (allow) little children, and forbid them not, to come unto Me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven.  And He laid His hands on them, and departed thence.”  Matthew 19:13-15

Caring, nurturing parents only want the best for their children.  Moms and Dads who are spiritually discerning, while desiring earthly success for their children, are more desirous for their children to receive Christ and grow in Him.  In II John 1:4, we find John writing a letter to a Christian woman and her children.  He wrote, “I rejoiced greatly that I found of thy children walking in truth, as we have received a commandment from the Father”.  Nothing makes a godly parent rejoice more than seeing his or her child growing in the grace of the Lord Jesus.  The best way to give a child opportunity for the gospel to penetrate his or her heart is to start them out early by kneeling down by their bed at night and teach them to pray, having family devotions, and attending church, Sunday School, and Vacation Bible School.  You have all heard the old joke that someone claimed to have been “drugged” by his parents:  they drug me to church every Sunday!  Some adult children may have resented the diligent effort by their parents to instill in them God’s word and spiritual understanding, but there are others who are extremely grateful that their parents didn’t give up on them and let them have their way.

Contrary to what today’s society purports, ten- and twelve-year-old children are not capable of making decisions in an attempt to change their gender and other life-altering decisions that negatively impacts their lives, but ten-and twelve-year-old girls and boys can give their lives to Christ which is the most positive thing that anyone of any age can do.  Moses wrote in Deuteronomy 6:4-9 that God’s people are to love God with all our hearts, souls, and minds and to teach God’s word diligently to our children at every opportunity.  The most important aspect of teaching our children is showing them by example.  If we don’t live what we say we believe, do we really believe it?  If we don’t honor God’s word by our lives, then how can we expect our children to honor God and His word?  Children have a built in “hypocrite detector”.  It might not seem like it, but children do listen to what we say, and they definitely watch what we do.

The parents who brought their children to Jesus were seeking a blessing from Him upon their sons and daughters.  They knew that Jesus was no ordinary man, and they believed that He had a personal connection to the God of their fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.  They had faith that a touch from Jesus could give their children benefits that they could otherwise never receive.  We don’t know if these parents were in the habit of taking their children to the religious leaders for a blessing, but these leaders could not bless the children like Jesus did.  These parents saw something in Jesus that they had not experienced before, a genuine love and concern for their spiritual and physical well-being, which would have been enhanced by the laying on of hands by Jesus.  This was a custom dating back to Genesis 48:14 when Joseph brought his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim, to be blessed by Jacob, Joseph’s father.  The laying on of hands was symbolic of passing on a godly heritage to the next generation.

However, as often happens in all sorts of events, someone has to complain.  This time it was Jesus’ disciples.  In Luke 18:15, we find that these children were infants.  The disciples considered the laying on of hands on them to be a waste of time.  After all, these babies didn’t know who Jesus was.  They had no idea of the importance of a touch from Him.  The disciples began to rebuke the parents for bringing their babies to Jesus, but what they failed to realize was that this act of laying hands on and praying over these little ones was more for the parents than the children.  It was like how we, in Protestant churches, have a ceremony to dedicate our babies to the Lord.  This gives parents the opportunity to publicly promise before witnesses to bring up their child in the “nurture and admonition of the Lord” (Ephesians 6:4).  By this the parents are responsible for the child’s spiritual guidance.  It is basically a vow, and vows are not to be broken.

Jesus certainly didn’t consider being with these little ones a waste of time.  He was highly pleased to see them and their parents.  He mildly rebuked His disciples for once again demonstrating their lack of understanding of His true purpose in coming to earth.  Jesus said that the little children represented what the kingdom of God is like.  His kingdom, made up of the church, the body of believers who are humble, trusting, believing, faithful, and loving, the picture of a little child.  Luke 18:17 and Mark 10:15 included an additional statement by Jesus, “Verily I say unto you, whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child shall in no wise enter therein”.  Like a little child, the one who comes to Christ must come trusting, believing, full of humility, honest, and completely dependent, casting aside all pre-conceived notions, the influences and corruption of the world, pride, prejudices, selfish ambition, and come in childlike faith with genuine repentance.

Mark 10:16 tells us that He took the children up in His arms and blessed them.  Jesus said in John 6:37 that whoever comes to Him with this childlike faith, He will not reject.