Then little children were brought to Him that He might put His hands on them and pray, but the disciples rebuked them. But Jesus said, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven.” And He laid His hands on them and departed from there. (Matthew 19:13-15)

Bring The Children To Jesus

It is a remarkable thing to consider that as busy as Jesus was trying to put into less than three years His ministry of salvation for all men the Son of God would often take time with children. The disciples did not understand and rebuked those who would dare interrupt their master. They would receive a harsh rebuke from the Lord for thinking He did not have time to engage with young children. On one occasion Jesus placed a young lad in the middle of His disciples and used him as an object lesson on the humility of character required to be a follower of the Christ. Jesus took time for children. Because of this, parents would bring their children to Him that He might put His hands on them and pray. They were seeking the blessings of this teacher and guide impressing upon their children His worth and importance. Little did they know how important He would become to themselves and their children when He emptied Himself on the cross. The Holy Spirit does not reveal how many of these parents who brought their children to Christ during His ministry would have brought their children to the story of Jesus in the early church. What is impressive about these parents is a deep desire to do something as simple and profound as bringing their children to Jesus for a blessing. They recognized Him as a teacher and as one to give wisdom to their children. Going beyond the pressures of those who tried to keep them away from Jesus, the parents wanted to let their children’s lives be touched by the hand of Jesus. He laid His hands and them and blessed them.

The people of Jesus day realized there was something special about the man from Nazareth. There is no greater need for parents in our day to see the need to give their children the most important example they will find in life: Jesus Christ. Learning about God and His Son begins at home. From infancy, children should be brought to Jesus through song, teaching, instruction, and example of godly parents who show Christ living in their life. Children in large part become the kind of people their parents instruct them to be. Learning about truth and righteousness is not something that is found without diligent effort, constant study and a devoted spirit to emulate the pattern of God’s word in life. The home is the bastion of the word of God. Prayer is the constant presence in the home with an examination of the Bible as a daily menu of the stories of God’s people. Children must first learn about God in the home and parents must be the first to introduce them to the man from Nazareth.

Many children do not know about Christ because their parents never took the time to bring them to the Bible.  The mistake that is most often made is parents who believe that taking their children to church is all they need to learn about the Bible. While the activities of the church whether in Bible class or worship time are invaluable to the training of the child if this becomes the only basis of knowledge the attempt to teach the lessons of God’s word will be severely limited. Bringing children to Jesus must begin at the hearth of the godly home nurtured by the hearing of the word of God. Fathers lead as spiritual guides to train their children in the way of truth and righteousness. Mothers exemplify the characteristics of a godly woman that knows well the stories of holy writ. The home becomes a haven of spiritual foundations built upon the love and grace of God. Nothing is more imperative to the teaching of children than what happens in the home. Like the parents long ago who brought their children to Jesus to be blessed by Him, fathers and mothers must bring their children to an understanding of the Son of God through the knowledge of God’s word and lives that are filled with the glory of God. If parents do not bring their children to Jesus, the world will take their children to the devil.