Mark 10:13-17 Children are Always and Everywhere

First Things: Devotions in Mark’s Gospel

Mark 10:13-17 Children are Always and Everywhere

There may be some areas where children are not allowed. But those are artificial areas, not real life; or, they are areas where the dying go to gather and wait. Otherwise, children are always and everywhere.

This must have been so in Jesus’ day. The culture may have not catered to kids the way we do today. But every time Jesus spoke and crowds gathered, kids must have been present. But they were rarely front and center.

So this passage is remarkable, thought-provoking, and convicting:

Mark 10:13   And they were bringing children to Him so that He might touch them; but the disciples rebuked them. ¹⁴ But when Jesus saw this, He was indignant and said to them, “Permit the children to come to Me; do not hinder them; for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. ¹⁵ “Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at all.” ¹⁶ And He took them in His arms and began blessing them, laying His hands on them.

There are two key phrases that we need to wrestle with: 

“for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these”

“receive the kingdom of God like a child”

What are the characteristics of children that we need, or, that we have lost? And how is it that a child ‘receives’? I assume that the answers are closely related. I also assume that we can find some clues in how adults had been (not) responding to Jesus. That part is easy to answer.

Adults, especially religious adults (and remember, just about everybody in this culture was religious) had all kinds of arguments and evasions. They would argue about a technicality in order to avoid the obvious. They were often defensive and suspicious. And, things haven’t changed much. Today, adults are much the same way.

On the other hand, children are much less complicated. They can approach a subject, or a person, much more simply. As a child, either you like them, or you don’t. You either come close, or, you run away. You either accept what they say, or get distracted and do something else. 

But there is more. There is also a sense of innocence, not yet ‘graduated’ to suspicion. And wonder. Children have a sense of curiosity. And acceptance. And trust. 

Can children be easily taken in? Yes. And adults will miss an opportunity because of fear and distrust. It seems, when it comes to Jesus, as though we need to be open to that which is not normal; curious enough not to immediately object; will to accept something unfamiliar. And, as we find in the story, there is a blessing in it.