Matthew 19:13-15
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I. Parental Initiative: Parents who love Jesus bring their children to Him for His blessing on them. (13)

Jesus laid his hands on them to bless them. It was much like Jacob laying his hands on Joseph’s sons Ephraim and Manasseh to confer a blessing on them. It was common for a father, a prophet, or a rabbi to show such personal interest, and highly desired by parents who cared about their children.

Can you imagine what it would be like if as you grew up your mother or father were to remind you that Jesus himself had laid His hands on you and prayed over you?

The best gift a mom and dad can give their children is to pray over them, give them to God, and bring them to Jesus.

Good parents try to make sure their children are well-fed, well-clothed, well-educated, cared for and equipped in every way so that they get a good start on life. Why leave out the most important reality of all—the necessity and blessing of knowing God through Jesus Christ?

Surely a child should learn the sacred ABCs of the Good News of Jesus the Messiah from the lips of his parents, not just from pastors and Sunday school teachers.

Of all the people who ought to show them Jesus, it should be those God has entrusted to rear children in the fear and admonition of the Lord. It has to be our own top priority.

Have you given your children to Jesus?

Do you pray that He will bless them?

Do you talk to your children about Jesus?

Do you read them His words?

Do you explain to them His gospel?

Do you show them in your own life His character—the fruit of the Spirit?

If you grew up with such parents, have you forgotten to whom you belong? Will you throw off the many prayers that started when you were in the womb, continued over your bed while you slept, and have not ceased all your days? They are prayers to the Great Shepherd of the sheep and the lambs. He cares about you and welcomes parents to bring their children to Him for blessing.

If you were introduced to Jesus from childhood, will you treat Him like some child’s toy tossed aside for the sake of pursuing your own agenda and the world’s lies? Will you not serve Him with the strength you’ve gained as you’ve grown? If you wander away from Jesus—who will introduce your own children to Him?

II. Mistaken Interference: Disciples who don’t understand what matters to Jesus hinder children from coming. (14)

Jesus was indignant and very upset with the disciples (Mark 10:14). They had evidently forgotten the Master’s words, “Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin (stumble), it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea” (Matthew 18:5-6,10).

They evidently felt Jesus was too busy, too important to have time for children. They were wrong. He welcomes children. He blesses children. He prays for children.

Sometimes our Christianity gets way too sophisticated and elitist and self-important. It cuts people off we consider to be weak, immature, simple, ignorant. When it does, it’s not thinking like Jesus anymore. He cares about weak, immature, simple, ignorant people—He cares about little kids.

If Jesus cares about children so, should not you? Do you see them? Do you show them kindness? Do you show them Jesus or block the view?

Many a child, many a child-like adult, has decided Jesus is not for him because he is turned off by those who say they represent Jesus. I saw a bumper sticker that I cannot get out of my mind and it read, "Lord Jesus, please deliver us from your followers."

You may be 5 or 6 or 7 years old. You may think that when you grow up you will come to Jesus. Come to Him now. You are old enough to know that you sin. You sin because you are a sinner. Only Jesus can wash away your sin and make you clean before God. Until that happens, you cannot have a relationship with God. Until you have an open relationship with God, you cannot live life the way God created it to be. And you are left to paying for your sin on your own. That will take forever in hell. What a waste! Jesus has already paid for it. Trust the Savior who loves you that much!

Jesus loves little children. He wants to bless you, to pray for you. Trust Him as your Savior from sin and death. You can’t be good enough to earn forgiveness from God. The only way you can have it is to receive it as God’s gift, because Jesus has already paid for your sin completely on the cross.

III. Kingdom Reality: The heavenly kingdom belongs to people who are like children.

We might look down on what children understand, on what they can do; but they often have a better read on what salvation is really about than the adults around them. They know they can’t do it. They are willing to let Jesus do it for them. Adults don’t like to be at the mercy of someone else. They like to do it on their own. They like to feel important and strong (Matthew 18:3-4).

We have to lose that kind of blind self-confidence if we’re ever going to be saved. Like Jacob of old, until we stop trying to connive and wrestle in our own strength and start just holding on for God to bless us, we can’t be converted.

IV. Divine Kindness: Jesus blesses children. (15)

Jesus blessed children when He was on the earth. Mark tells us He took these kids up in his arms. Luke’s account reveals that they were infants even. Surely those parents never forgot what a blessed experience it was for Jesus, the Savior-God, to cradle their children in His arms and lay his hands on their little heads that day, praying for His Father to bless them.

Jesus still blesses such little ones. It’s amazing what a very young child picks up on. How spiritually attune a 2 and 3 year old can be! Ask Jesus to bless your children. Know that He cares about them.

Yet, Jesus went on, heading to the cross. The opportunity to have Him bless these children was fleeting.

Still is, because children don’t stay children long. Parents, don’t waste their childhood. Kids, don’t wait. Come to Jesus as a child. Let Him bless you from the beginning of your time on earth. Serve Him all your days. Knowing Him, living for Him the best life there is.

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