Matthew 19:13-15
The Little Children and Jesus
13 Then people brought little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples rebuked them.
14 Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” 15 When he had placed his hands on them, he went on from there.
The kingdom of heaven belongs to children and to ones like children...We must change and be like children to enter the kingdom of God...Children of God are humble and innocent...But most of all children need assistance to grow up...Little children need to be cared for, just to grow up...
When the disciples rebuked the people bringing their children so Jesus could touch them...The disciples, in a sense, wanted the children (just) to be seen and not heard...The disciples may have thought that the children would get in the way of Jesus' teachings...The disciples thought there were more important things to do in life than the children's presence, at this time...All the parents wanted was for Jesus to touch their children, and to place their hands on them...Somehow the parents knew that a touch from Jesus was a blessing...The disciples (maybe) were caught up in Jesus' teachings and their lives and were wanting things to get done...And in this sense maybe the children were getting in the way of the disciples...
The disciples forgot for a moment what Jesus taught...Jesus' teachings are not about a set of rules that forgets about any group of people, from one day to the next...Jesus came to help not the strong, the rich, and the well fed...Jesus teaches us not to forget about these little ones, who need taken care of...One of the reasons Jesus came to earth was to help the weak, to care for the ones who are poor, to help those who hunger, mourn, weep, and need help...Jesus had to remind His disciples of this...