“Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God.” (Mark 10:14)

How often do you suppose a little child would run up to Jesus? I would imagine it happened more often than we realize. One thing we do know is that Jesus loved every minute of it.

Whenever children were the subject of Christ’s words, He spoke of them as if they were royalty. Jesus ferociously defended their innocence (see Mark 9:42); used them as the exemplar of the Kingdom of God (see Matthew 18:3); and advocated for their wellbeing above all (see Matthew 10:42). If we could ever make a case that Christ showed partiality during His ministry, it was directed toward little ones. Jesus admired children.

We see this most notably in the context of our verse in Mark 10:14. Parents were seeking to let their children loose on Jesus in order that He might lay His hands on them, but the disciples ran them off (see verse 13). The reaction that we see from Jesus tells the story. The Scripture says that Jesus was “greatly displeased” (see verse 14).

Greatly displeased. This is a soft translation, for this phrase it is more often translated “exceedingly indignant.” Jesus was indignant! The word further means to be incensed and enraged. After further study, Christ’s reaction becomes especially remarkable when you realize that this is the only occasion that Jesus is described with this word.

To make the temple a dwelling place for profit made Christ zealous; but to refuse a child to come to Him made Christ enraged! So much so that Jesus lays down a sweeping unilateral command: children were never to be forbidden to have access to Him at any time, all the time. Not even Christ’s own disciples had that kind of pass! I’m convinced that had a child found His way to Jesus while He was sweating drops of blood in the garden of Gethsemane, He would still would have taken that little one up in His arms and bless them.

And if Christ so loves children with such fierce affections, then the church ought to be a people who follow their Lord in His example! It has been the devil’s great ploy to sway culture after culture throughout history in making children detested and scorned. In much grief, it is even in the church as well. “Get the children out of here so we can be with Jesus” is often the attitude in most churches across America. No, we have it all wrong. Jesus commanded it once and for all — “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them, for of such is the Kingdom of God.”

Paul the Apostle once said by the Holy Spirit that he would be willing to be accursed from Christ for his own nation, the nation of Israel. Should not we feel the same burden of sorrow for our children? — that we would be willing to do all in our power to pave a pathway to Christ for our little ones, even if it meant our own doom. It ought to be so, church.

Let this principle change your heart once and for all for children. Not just your own kin, but for all children everywhere. The battle is raging hard against them. Satan has a trap for them at every corner and we cannot afford to stand by while the enemy of our souls toys with them to ruin them forever! Christ is in us, and His ferocious love for children should pour out of us like a torrent! When we see a child being led toward hell and refused the cup of living water, there ought to be no greater outrage in our experience.

May we always diligently follow the example of our Lord Jesus, and see to it that children may come to Him freely. Perhaps only then will we really know what it means to “be converted as a little child.”

“Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have ordained strength, Because of Your enemies, That You may silence the enemy and the avenger.” (Psalm 8:2)

“Take heed that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that in heaven their angels always see the face of My Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 18:10)

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