COMMENTARY ON MARK
LESSON NUMBER 110
“ Mark 10:13 And they brought young children to Him, that He should touch them: and His disciples rebuked those that brought them. 14 But when Jesus saw it, He was much displeased, and said unto them, Suffer the little children to come unto Me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God. 15 Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein. 16 And He took them up in His arms, put His hands upon them, and blessed them.” (Mark 10:13-16; Matthew 19:13-15; Luke 18:15-17)
CHILDREN BROUGHT TO JESUS
INTRODUCTION
The uniqueness of Jesus is seen in this text. (1) In those who came to Him, (2) In what displeased Him, and, (3) in His forwardness to bless. One of the bitter herbs of institutionalized religion is that through it Jesus loses significance in the eyes of the people. This is serious beyond all imagination. If Jesus is the only way to God, the only means of appropriating the truth, and the exclusive means of obtaining life, He must be known (John 14:6)! To fail to perceive and apprehend Jesus Himself is to forfeit everything that He brings to men. Nothing from God can be obtained independently of Him – and the knowledge of, or acquaintance with, Him is the avenue through which all of His gifts come. Further, faith, not intellect, is the hand of the soul that takes hold of Jesus – believing the record God has given of His Son (1 John 5:10-11). In view of these circumstances, Scripture must be seen as a needful revelation. It is not mere literature or impersonal history that is divorced from practical living – thought, word, and deed. In the Gospel record we are being exposed to the character of Jesus. The “doctrine of Christ” (Heb 6:1; 2 John 1:9) is the affirmation of Christ’s Person, mission, accomplishments, and current activities. The Gospels are the appointed record of the expression of those things in His words and deeds. What Jesus did when He went about preaching, teaching, and doing good, is in perfect consonance with His Person, misson, accomplishments, and present activity. That is why we cannot gloss the record of His life, or handle it with speculative hands and curious minds. This will be evident in our text.
THEY BROUGHT YOUNG CHILDREN TO HIM
“ Mark 10:13 And they brought young children to Him, that He should touch them: and His disciples rebuked those that brought them.”
THEY BROUGHT YOUNG CHILDREN TO HIM. The Jews were a nation cultured by God. He focused His attention on them, leading and teaching them. In His dealings with them He taught them how to think of their children. In His associations with with Abraham, the father of the Israelites, God spoke frequently of his progeny. He promised to give the land of Canaan to Abraham and his “seed” – descendants or offspring (Gen 13:15-16; 15:16). He established His covenant with Abraham and his seed (Gen 17:7,9-10). Later God instructed Israel not to cause any of their children to be offered to the idol Molech (Lev 18:21). Parents were promised that their devotion to God involved things going well for their children as well as themselves (Deut 4:40; 12:28). The words of God were to be diligently taught to their children (Deut 6:7). Before he died, Moses told the people that when they disobeyed God and were driven out of the land into other nations, they were to recall the promises of God and return to Him with their children (Deut 30:2).
Additionally, as seen in the commitment of the babe Jesus (Lk 2:22), male children were dedicated to the Lord, accompanied by an appropriate sacrifice (Lk 2:23-24). Whether the child was male or female, the mother was to be cleansed and sanctified before the Lord with an appropriate sacrificial offering (Lev 12:2-6). In this an association of bearing children was made with the relationship of both the parents and the children with the Lord.
Thus we see how this nation was directed to regard children – as participants in the covenant and blessing of God. This kind of thinking moved the people to associate Divine blessing with their children as well as themselves. Mark says they brought “young children” to Jesus. Matthew says “little children” (Matt 19:13). Luke says “infants” (Lk 18:15). The idea is that they were immature children – in their formative years. These included infants (or nursing babes, or those who had to be carried), as well as half-grown, or developing children.
In this text we see that Jesus had been associated with God and spiritual matters. For those who brought their children Jesus, He was not perceived as a mere novelty of the times. It is obvious that no one connected Jesus with entertainment, having fun, or some other form of novel distraction. Those who introduce their children to Jesus in such a manner have only created obstacles for their children that will have to be overcome before they can be saved. Such approaches are knowing Jesus “after they flesh” – something no believer does (2 Cor 5:16).
THAT HE SHOULD TOUCH THEM. Matthew says, “to put His hands on them, and pray” (Matt 19:13). It is a day of spiritual jeopardy when such language has a strange sound to the professing church. Frequently we read of Jesus deliberately touching people. He “touched” a leper and healed him (Matt 8:3). He “touched” the hand of Peter’s mother-in-law, then healed her of a fever (Matt 8:15). Two different times Jesus “touched” the eyes of a pair of blind men and healed them (Matt 9:29; Matt 20:34). On the mount of transfiguration He “touched” His disciples who had fallen to the ground, telling them to rise (Matt 17:7). He “touched” the tongue of a man with an impediment of speech, and healed him (Mk 7:33).
The point to be seen here is that the people sensed there had to be contact with Jesus. It was not enough to see Him from a distance, or to hear a report of what He had done for others. In this we are being introduced to the manner of salvation, empowerment, and Divine direction. Now that Jesus is seated in the heavenly realms His “touch” is experienced by faith. That is, He personally identifies with those who “receive Him, believing on His name” (John 1:12). Paul referred to this kind of relationship when he spoke of his compelling quest for the blessing. “ . . . I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord . . . that I may win Christ, and be found in Him . . .having . . . the righteousness which is of God by faith: that I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being made conformable unto His death; if by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead” (Phil 3:8-11). The absence of this kind of spirit is unspeakably serious. It is like parents who would not bring their children to Jesus, yet expected them to be blessed by Him. Such a thought did not enter the minds of those in our text.
HIS DISCIPLES REBUKED THEM. This quest to have the infants and little children touched and prayed for by Jesus seemed to the disciples to be inconsistent with what He was doing. It appears that they looked at it as a troublesome distraction. Up to this point there is no record of Jesus giving attention to little ones, other than including the children in the feeding of the five thousand and four thousand (Matt 14:21; 15:38). Perhaps they employed the fabled law of exclusion, reasoning that if Jesus had not done this before, He would never be inclined to do so. At any rate, they sought to stop, what they conceived to be, an intrusion. No doubt they thought this was a favor to Jesus, and would free Him to do things that were more meaningful. This mentality still prevails in the Middle East countries.
JESUS SAW IT AND WAS MUCH DISPLEASED
“ 14 But when Jesus saw it, He was much displeased, and said unto them, Suffer the little children to come unto Me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.”
WHEN JESUS SAW IT. Jesus lived out the doctrine concerning the omniscience of God. It is said of the Lord, “The LORD looketh from heaven; He beholdeth all the sons of men” (Psa 33:13). Again, “The eyes of the LORD are in every place, beholding the evil and the good” (Prov 15:3). And again, “all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of Him with whom we have to do” (Heb 4:13). When the sons of men sinned in the land of Shinar, conspiring to build a city and a tower to make themselves a name, God saw it (Gen 11:2-5). When Israel murmured against the Lord, He “saw it” (Deut 32:19). Knowing this aspect of the Lord’s nature, David said, “Whither shall I go from Thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from Thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, Thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, Thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; even there shall Thy hand lead me, and Thy right hand shall hold me” (Psa 139:7-10). A lively awareness of this can greatly assist us in avoiding unnecessary difficulties.
Although the disciples may not have been in the Lord’s presence when they rebuked the ones bringing the children, yet He “saw it.” He did not see their deed inadvertently, but intentionally. That is, seeing everything is a part of His character, and it is always intentional, or by choice. This is why we should not expect the Lord to be unaffected by what He sees. No individual can be purposeful and indifferent at the same time – and this is particularly true of the Lord, in whose image man has been made. Those who affirm that God “can handle” the sight of human indiscretions simply do not know what they are talking about. Their view confirms their inexcusable ignorance, even though they spout off as though they had knowledge.
HE WAS MUCH DISPLEASED. True doctrine is always confirmed by Divine expression. Here we have a case in point. Jesus saw the disciples rebuking those who brought their little ones to Him and “He was much displeased,” “indignant,” NASB “angry,” BBE or “indignant and pained.” AMPLIFIED The word used here is especially strong. It means “to be moved with indignation,” THAYER “be angry, be displeased,” FRIBERG and “to be indignant with what is judged to be wrong.” LOUW-NIDA This is a Divine reaction – a response of the Divine nature. This is the real Jesus, who loves righteousness and hates iniquity (Heb 1:9). As such, He cannot overlook the expressions of men, treating them as though they were of no consequence.
SUFFER THE LITTLE CHILDREN. “Permit,” NASB or “Let,” NIV “the little children come to me.” Remember, Jesus is indignant at the action of His disciples. It is as though He said to them, “Stop standing in the way of these children. Let them go past you, and come to Me!” This confirms that although children may not know how to ask for a blessing, they are not incapable of receiving one.
Technically, the children were not coming to Jesus of their own accord. They were being “brought” to Him. The disciples did not rebuke the children, but “those who brought them.” This passage should stir the hearts and consciences of every parent who is not bringing their children to Jesus. It should also convict those who do not want the children brought to a teaching Jesus – One who is expounding the things of God to those with understanding. Those who brought the children did not ask for a special session for them, but rather sought for them to be blessed while Jesus was ministering. And what shall we say of those who attempt to keep people from coming to Jesus? Is it really innocent for people to say, “We do not want to spend so much time on these things.” Or, “Why are you so radical? Lighten up!” I understand that it is not appropriate to make laws on this matter. However, it seems to me that it is incumbent upon us to learn of the ways of God as made known in Jesus Christ. When His ways are made known to us, we dare not ignore them.
There is a sense in which this circumstance mirrors us coming to God. Jesus is said to save to the uttermost those who “come unto God by Him” (Heb 7:25). That is, we actually come into the proximity of God by being brought there by Jesus, for “Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God” (1 Pet 3:18).
OF SUCH IS THE KINGDOM. Here is an unvarying trait of the Kingdom of God: those who are “the children of the Kingdom” (Matt 13:38) always come to Jesus. The Master said, “All that the Father giveth Me shall come to Me” (John 6:37). Those who stand aloof from Him, entertaining no interest in Him, are not His people. Jesus affirmed, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me” (John 10:27).
In their uncluttered minds and moral innocence, those “little children” reminded Jesus of the glorious Kingdom over which He would preside. After He had been lifted up in His vicarious death, He would “draw all men unto Him,” and they would come. Behind the scenes every person coming to Jesus is being “drawn” – “allured,” as it were, so that the Lord can “speak comfortably” to them (Hos 2:14).
KINGDOM TALK AND BLESSING
“ 15 Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein. 16 And He took them up in His arms, put His hands upon them, and blessed them.”
VERILY. The word “verily” is a very potent word. Unfortunately, it is difficult to translate the original word into English. Lexically is means, “firm, faithful, surely, truly, most assuredly, so it is.” THAYER Because of the translation problem, the word is often transliterated, converting the Greek letters to English ones, making the word “Amen.” Other versions read, “assuredly,” NKJV “truly,” NASB “I tell you the truth,” NIV “I assure you,” CSB “I can guarantee this truth,” GWN “I tell you as seriously as I know how,” LIVING and “in solemn truth.” WEYMOUTH As you can see, men have been challenged in expressing this thought in English.
This is a word that is driven by the nature of God and His Kingdom. What God affirms stands, cannot waver, and cannot be successfully contradicted. This is why He has “magnified” His word above all His name (Psa 138:2), so that every aspect of faith and understanding rests upon what the Lord has said. When Jesus says “Verily,” He means that we are to take hold of what He says and cling firmly to it. If we entertain any ideas that conflict with what He says, or makes it difficult to receive His word, we are to thrust those ideas from us. They have come from the wicked one. There is no chance that the words that follow are not precisely and unchangingly true. They must not be questioned. Men must not philosophize about them, or speculate about varied meanings they may wish to assign to them.
RECEIVING THE KINGDOM AS A CHILD. Jesus has already said of the little ones, “of such is the kingdom of God.” Matthew reads, “kingdom of heaven,” confirming both terms are referring to the same kingdom. “Kingdom of God” emphasizes the Ruler. “Kingdom of heaven” accents the location of its seat of authority.
The “little children” are teachable, have no competing interests, and entertain no conflicting aims. Hold a little child in your arms. They are content to have your attention, and will listen carefully to you, even though they may not understand all of your words. They have no difficulty with being dependent upon you. They are not prejudice or malicious.
That is the manner in which the Kingdom is received. Those who receive the kingdom as a little child desire the kingdom. They want what it offers, and desire to stay within its provinces. They want to be with Jesus, and be like Him as well.
SHALL NOT ENTER THEREIN. I have an intense interest in any word of Jesus concerning being excluded from the Kingdom! Here He affirms a word that can in no way be nullified, altered, or modified. A person who does not receive the Kingdom of God without question, out of preference, and with an earnest spirit, will not enter into it. God will shut the door to such an individual. Jesus died and rose again, but the power of His works will not be experienced by those who have other preferences. Saying it another way, Jesus said to Nicodemus, “Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God” (John 3:5). The emphasis there is on “born.” The “water” and “the Spirit” only have significance if a birth is realized through them.
Elsewhere we are told that “flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God” (1 Cor 15:50). It is also written that “no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God” (Eph 5:5). The Spirit also excludes all of “the unrighteous” from any inheritance in the Kingdom, specifying fornicators, idolaters, adulterers, effeminate, abusers of themselves with mankind, thieves, covetous, drunkards, revilers, and extortioners (1 Cor 6:9-10). It is also written that those doing “the works of the flesh” are excluded from the Kingdom. These include Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like (Gal 5:19-21).
When “preaching the Kingdom of God” (Acts 8:12; 20:25; 28:31), both the included and the excluded are to be declared. Receiving the Kingdom as a little child is way of affirming the absence of all excluding traits.
HE TOOK THEM, PUT HIS HANDS ON THEM, AND BLESSED THEM. A very tender scene, indeed! Jesus took the children in His arms, put His hands upon them, and blessed them. That is, He prayed, calling upon the Father to focus His attention upon the children, and work for their good. God once told Aaron to invoke a blessing upon the people. “The LORD bless thee, and keep thee: the LORD make His face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: the LORD lift up His countenance upon thee, and give thee peace” (Num 6:24-26). The apostles often blessed the churches in their letters, calling upon the Lord to work in them (1 Thess 5:23; Heb 13:20; 1 Pet 5:10). It is still good to seek the blessing of the Lord upon our children – bringing them to Jesus so He may hold them, put His hand upon them, and bless them. Such blessing requires walking in the light so that the Lord will give heed to you.