The Gospel of Mark 10:13-16

 

Brian Hirvela

9/28/2024

“And they were bringing children to Him so that He might touch them; but the disciples rebuked them. 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. Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at all.” And He took them in His arms and began blessing them, laying His hands on them.”

Jesus is at Peter’s house with His disciples. From time to time, people of the area would bring those needing healing or cleansing to Jesus. At this moment people “were bringing children to Him so that He might touch them,” The parents brought them so that Jesus might bless them for their good by touching them. The text does not infer the children were infirm but that the parents sought their child’s well-being in bringing them to Jesus.

“But the disciples rebuked them.” And Jesus saw this and became indignant, angry at what the disciples were doing. Jesus had just rebuked them when they hindered a man from casting out demons in Jesus' name because he was not with them and here, they are hindering these “little ones” from coming to Jesus.

 Jesus “said to them, “Permit the children to come to Me; do not hinder them; for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at all.”

From the beginning, God has cared for the raising of a child. Deuteronomy 6:4-7 Moses commands the people of God, “Hear, O Israel! Yahweh is our God, Yahweh is one! You shall love Yahweh your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall speak of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up.”

It is then written in Ephesians 6:4 “Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.” Dr. Martin Lloyd Jones puts it this way. This points to where “the peculiar and specific Christian thinking and teaching enter. In the forefront of the minds of Christian parents must ever be the thought that the children are to be brought up in the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior and as Lord.

That is the peculiar task to which Christian parents alone are called. This is not only their supreme task: their greatest desire and ambition for their children should be that they should come to know the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior and as their Lord. Is that our main ambition for our children? Does that come first? —that they may come to “know Him Whom to know is life eternal,” that they may know Him as their Savior and that they may follow Him as their Lord?”

And how they come into knowledge by their eagerness to learn and submit to their parent's teaching. This is the desire of all who are called by Jesus, to learn and submit to the teaching of Jesus the Lord and Savior of all who are saved. And if one cannot accept the kingdom like a child, hungering and thirsting for righteousness, desiring the word of Yahweh like a tree firmly planted next to a spring of water in which its leaf doesn’t wither, and it cannot fall, they will not enter the Kingdom at all.

With a contrite heart, one must receive Jesus and enter His kingdom. But if you reject Jesus, you will not enter His kingdom. For He who sits on the throne said, “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life without cost. He who overcomes will inherit these things, and I will be his God, and he will be My son. But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and sexually immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.” (Revelation 21:6-8)

Do not be deceived, Jesus is the way to salvation and through Him, one enters into the kingdom of God. When you do, like these children He will take you in His arms and bless you. But if you reject Him and deny Him, he will reject and deny you and you will not enter the Kingdom of God but enter into the second death.

“Jesus took them in His arms and began blessing them, laying His hands on them.” He welcomed the children into the kingdom and blessed them and Jesus can do the same for you.

Jesus came to save sinners. Sinners suppress the truth and hide in their darkness because they love darkness. They are unbelieving, vile, foolish, rebellious, haters of God who have adopted the ideologies of this world and the doctrines of men. They have become slaves to their sexual desires, perverting the flesh and mind, and rebelling against the created order of God. They are doomed to condemnation and will be judged by Jesus and sent to Hell where they will burn for eternity in the lake of fire.

However, God so loved His creation, mankind, that He sent His Son Jesus, who can forgive you of your sins and redeem you because He has the authority and power. Jesus brings eternal life to all who repent and believe. For Jesus bore all our sins; He bore all the sins of all who believe in Him. Jesus was born and lived a perfect life of obedience to God as a man. Jesus was condemned to be executed and die in the sinner's place. He suffered the totality of God's wrath upon Himself on the Cross, which every sinner deserves, so that those who believe in Jesus may have peace with God.

Jesus rose from the dead, conquering death, and lives, and ascended to the right hand of God the Father. Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life, and He is in your midst with us offering you salvation, repent, and believe Jesus.