Mark 10:13-16
People were bringing little children to him in order that he might touch them; and the disciples spoke sternly to them. But when Jesus saw this, he was indignant and said to them, “Let the little children come to me; do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs. Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it.” And he took them up in his arms, laid his hands on them, and blessed them.
I want to look at this familiar passage twice. This first begins with a question: Why would the disciples stop people from bringing children to Jesus?
Three reasons suggest themselves. First, it could be that they were trying to protect Jesus from the crowds in general, trying to give their teacher some space. You’ll recall that up to this point it’s all been something of a whirlwind of activity and work and travel for Jesus. Even when he retreats with his disciples to find some rest the crowds see where he is going and get there ahead of him. So maybe they’re trying to create something of a buffer zone between Jesus and all those who want something from him.
Second, we might explain their behavior by recalling that children in the ancient world had little societal standing or value. It’s not that parents didn’t love their children – of course they did – it’s just that until children could work they were a liability, another mouth to feed. As such they had no standing in the larger culture. So perhaps the disciples were only mimicking cultural values that deny children a meaningful place in society and so they kept them away from Jesus.
A third – and in my opinion more likely – possibility, however, is that these children are sick, diseased, even gravely ill. After all, their parents are bringing them to Jesus “that he might touch them,” a turn of phrase in Mark that is almost always associated with healing. Is there anything more desperate than a diseased child? Is there anything more disturbing? Children embody a particular kind of tragedy when they are ill precisely because they are so innocent, young, and vulnerable. And so perhaps the disciples were trying to keep this sight from their leader, keep at bay the endless stream of parents who would bring their sick and diseased children to him.
Or maybe it’s a bit of all three. We don’t know.
What we do know is that Jesus will have none of it. He has come for this very purpose: to meet people where they are, to raise them up to new stature and status, and to heal them of every ill. If he wanted safety, protection, and bliss he would never have ventured down the path he is on. And so he bids them come.
All of them.
Because this is why he came.
And if that impresses you, just wait, you haven’t seen anything yet.
Prayer: Dear God, thank you for coming to meet us where we are, amid the challenges and hardships of everyday life. Draw us to you, heal us, and send us out again to be agents of your healing love in the world. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Post image: “Suffer the Little Children to Come Unto Me,” James Tissot, 1836-1902.
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