Articles
Let the Little Children Come to Me
Jesus Says…
“Let the Little Children Come to Me!”
“But Jesus said, ‘Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven’” (Matt. 19:14).
After answering a question from the Pharisees about divorce, some parents brought their children to Jesus that He might put His hands on them and pray. For unexplained reasons, Jesus’ disciples rebuked the parents for bringing their children for Jesus to pray for them. Perhaps they thought that their Master had more important things to do than to be bothered by children. Jesus, however, rebuked His disciples for their attitudes toward parents bringing their children to learn of Jesus and have Him to pray for them.
In about 1000 BC, the barren wife of Elkanah, named Hannah, prayed and vowed that, if the Lord would give her a son, “then I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life” (1 Sam. 1:11). What a worthy purpose this mother had for her child. She did have a son and she gave him to the Lord. He became the last of Israel’s leaders called “judges”; his name was Samuel and two books of the Old Testament are named after him (1-2 Samuel).
Wise parents still bring their children to the Lord Jesus. Even the youngest children can learn about God’s love for mankind in sending His Son to die for mankind’s sins, how precious both male and female children are in God’s sight to have been created in God’s image, and other lessons to shape and mold their lives so that they may grow into godly teenagers and godly parents themselves.
Mike Willis
