Receive the Kingdom of God as a Child
Truth Taught- We must enter into God’s Kingdom as a child with no claim to it nor merit in ourselves.
If we are to truly understand what Jesus does here in this passage, we must understand a little about the culture of the day regarding children and we need to understand a little about the Jewish view of salvation.
First, the ancient view of children. In ancient Israel, children were not met with much parental affection. Society viewed childhood as an unfortunate period between birth and adulthood. Boys were welcomed and praised because they represented another generation whereby the family wealth could be passed down. Girls were a different story.
In ancient Israel women were only valued as they were related to men and often viewed more as property than unique people made in God’s image. The Jewish culture was one that desperately needed a renewal and to be brought back to the Word of God.
Children were a bother. They could not produce and only consume. They were not held to a very high status socially. They were second or even third-class citizens.
Second, the Jews and their works salvation. They thought you could keep the Law of God and earn your way to heaven. It began by being in the lineage of Abraham and continued through the works of the Law and so, one could secure salvation through works.
The Book of Galatians is probably the best place to discover that salvation is not by works…
Galatians 3:24–26 (ESV)
24 So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith. 25 But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, 26 for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith.
We must always remember that the Law of God is still in effect. He is the same God with the same demands. We also must remember that Jesus in living a sinless life fulfilled the Law of God and He has given us His perfect law-keeping status as we believe.
Ephesians 2:8–9 (ESV)
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
So, it’s important to see where Jesus is going with this short text. He invites little children to come to Him because, as our Lord tells us, such is the Kingdom of God. Now, let’s look together at the text and discover just how it is that children coming to Jesus is a picture of the Kingdom.
Mark 10:13–16 (ESV)
13 And they were bringing children to him that he might touch them, and the disciples rebuked them. 14 But when Jesus saw it, he was indignant and said to them, “Let the children come to me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. 15 Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.” 16 And he took them in his arms and blessed them, laying his hands on them.
1. The Disciples’ Wrong Understanding of the Kingdom of God (10:13)
13 And they were bringing children to him that he might touch them, and the disciples rebuked them.
What is very evident here is that the disciples had the common opinion of the Jewish people at the time of Jesus that children were less than adults and, in many ways, to be looked down upon.
The people were bringing their children to Jesus so that He would bless them. This is the touch that’s spoken of here. Jesus would lay His hands on the children and speak a blessing upon them.
They brought children to Him because of His great affection. Back in chapter 9, verse 36, it pictures Him picking up a little child, holding that little child in His arms in a very tender and loving fashion. Jesus did show great affection on a number of occasions for children.
Jesus is showing His great love for innocence as He embraces these little ones and then the Pharisee’s way of thinking kicks in among His disciples. They were brought up in a world that had no real display of true affection for children. Jesus greatly rebukes them for their thinking and actions.
The disciples also have the mentality that they are superior. They were speaking with Jesus and saw this event as a disruption of the more important thing going on, namely, their time with Jesus.
The disciples rebuke the fathers for bringing their babies to Jesus for His blessing. This is much like their view of the lone exorcist who was casting out demons in Jesus’ name. They rebuked him because he wasn’t part of their group.
Jesus is not happy with the disciples because they are painting a wrong picture of what the Kingdom of God is.
“Children” here is paidia, just a general word, but Luke uses the word brephos, that’s babies, that’s infants, sucklings, little children – we’re talking perhaps up to three or four. That’s who we have here in view. They’re bringing their babies. We know they’re babies because verse 16 says He enfolded them in His arms. People are bringing their babies to Jesus, parents who saw His love and saw His power and saw His majesty and heard His preaching about the kingdom and His teaching about salvation and about eternal life, and these are parents who care about the future of their children.
These are parents who want their children to know God, they want their children to be a part of the kingdom of God, they want their children to have eternal life, as any sensible parents would. So, they bring them to Jesus.
Many believe this blessing is a prayer for their salvation.
2. Jesus Rebukes the Disciples (10:14)
14 But when Jesus saw it, he was indignant and said to them, “Let the children come to me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God.
Jesus was indignant and rebukes the disciples. This is extremely strong in the original language. It’s the same word used for casting out demons by a strong rebuke.
Mark 1:25 (ESV)
25 But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be silent, and come out of him!”
Mark 9:25 (ESV)
25 And when Jesus saw that a crowd came running together, he rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, “You mute and deaf spirit, I command you, come out of him and never enter him again.”
This is the only passage in the Gospels where it says that Jesus was indignant. The Greek aganaktein means to arouse anger and vent that anger with great displeasure. Jesus yelled and the disciples in anger.
Was Jesus ever angry? Yes. He was angry with the money changers in the Temple. He drove them out with a whip, He turned over the tables. Here too, He was very angry. So, anger itself is not sin. It all depends on what you’re angry about. For us, it mostly is a self-centered anger, but not for Jesus.
Why was Jesus indignant?
“Let the children come to me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God.
Our Lord’s teaching here is good news for us. He’s telling His disciples that entrance into God’s Kingdom happens when we believe. When we trust God and do not enter based on our works.
3. Receive the Kingdom As a Child or Not At All (10:15-16)
15 Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.” 16 And he took them in his arms and blessed them, laying his hands on them.
An infant being brought to Jesus is a perfect picture of salvation by grace not of works. Why? A baby can’t do anything, a toddler can’t do anything than trust that his or her father will care for them.
This is why the disciples were so opposed to this, they were still maneuvering for position; still arguing who the greatest would be in the Kingdom. Jesus is blessing babies. He never blessed a Pharisee who worked for salvation.
When the disciples hindered the children who were coming to Jesus, they were presenting the wrong view of the Kingdom of God. One does not enter it based on works or merit but only in trust and grace.
Jesus looked up as some of the parents were leaving because of the rebuke of the disciples and called them back…
Luke 18:16 (ESV)
16 But Jesus called them to him, saying, “Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God.
So, our Lord is out to make sure we understand something. Our salvation/entrance into God’s Kingdom is not based on our merits. It’s not based on our keeping the Law of God. It’s totally and completely based of Jesus’ merits and His work.
This is seen very well in the example of small children being brought to Jesus and blessed by Him. Oh beloved, listen, they could not even come to Jesus they were carried to Jesus.
I have counselled families who have lost little ones either stillborn or miscarriage and the greatest comfort you can give them is to not say some cute little saying but take them to God’s Word and show them that their child is with Jesus and He will care for that soul for all eternity. They are truly with Jesus. Every aborted baby and every child who dies immediately goes to be with Jesus.
Psalm 139:13–16 (ESV)
13 For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb.
14 I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works;
my soul knows it very well.
15 My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret,
intricately woven in the depths of the earth.
16 Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of
them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.
God shows grace to the unborn and to infants who die.
Deuteronomy 1:39 (ESV) 39 And as for your little ones, who you said would become a prey, and your children, who today have no knowledge of good or evil, they shall go in there. And to them I will give it, and they shall possess it.
Ezekiel 18:20 (ESV) 20 The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not suffer for the iniquity of the father, nor the father suffer for the iniquity of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself.
Jonah 4:11 (ESV) 11 And should not I pity Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than 120,000 persons who do not know their right hand from their left, and also much cattle?”
2 Samuel 12:23 (ESV) 23 But now he is dead. Why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he will not return to me.”
John Newton, John Calvin, Charles Hodge, Charles Spurgeon all believed that babies who
die, go to be with Jesus. The question is
While babies and toddlers cannot make a decision for Christ, they are born with a sin
nature but have never sinned themselves. Jesus only ever blessed children. Babies go to
heaven because God is gracious not because they have done some great work or even that
they are not tainted with sin nature. They are saved through the shed blood of Jesus.
There is no better picture of salvation by grace than a small toddler being taken to heaven
without the smallest amount of merit.
The answer as to how babies go to heaven based on God gracious election to salvation in
Jesus Christ and only through His effectual blood atonement. Their salvation is paid for by
His sacrifice on the cross just like our’s is.
We are saved by grace and we are damned by works. So, an infant is saved by their election
unto Christ and the fact that they have never willfully sinned.
That’s why walking an aisle or being baptized as a means of regeneration so confuse the
glorious Gospel and the saving work of Jesus. A toddler has never walked an aisle.
“Let the children come to me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God.
This is exactly what Jesus is teaching us. The Kingdom will be made up of those who come to Jesus without any claims to righteousness of their own…
Simple childlike trust is all God desires. He wants to do all the work. Trust Jesus. When Jesus held out His arms and lifted the children up and blessed them He was showing us what trust in Jesus looks like.
Saving faith is to rely on Jesus and His merit and sacrifice for our salvation.
Do you have childlike faith. Do you say nothing in my hand I bring but only to the cross and Christ I cling? Do you see how evil and damning works are for us?
Galatians 5:1–6 (ESV)
5 For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.
2 Look: I, Paul, say to you that if you accept circumcision, Christ will be of no advantage to you. 3 I testify again to every man who accepts circumcision that he is obligated to keep the whole law. 4 You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law; you have fallen away from grace. 5 For through the Spirit, by faith, we ourselves eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness. 6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love.
Enter the Kingdom of God like a toddler who reaches out his arms for daddy. Trust Jesus for your salvation and find freedom and peace.
Resources Used:
Safe in the Arms of God by MacArthur
Mark by William Lane
Mark by James Edwards
Words of grace
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