Luke 18:15-17
Luke alone in his account of this story (see also Mt. 19:13–15; Mk. 10:13–16), refers to the children as babies. People are bringing their babies to Jesus so that Jesus would place his hands on them and give them his blessings. Luke’s lesson seems to be that the kingdom of God is only for those who are prepared to receive it in humble dependency like a little child (see Luke 18:14). In the previous story a Pharisee is prideful at the temple before God because he sees himself as faithful in tithing and devotedly fasting twice a week. He sees himself as worthy of being blessed by God, but by contrast the despised tax-collector humbles himself, confesses his sinfulness and pleads for God’s mercy. Here the disciples of Jesus think that Jesus has no time for insignificant children. They try to deter people from bringing their infants to Jesus for Jesus to touch them. By contrast Jesus calls for children to come to him and he says to let the children come to him and don’t hinder them. These parents are bringing their children who are incapable coming to Jesus on their own. Here, after a long travel section in which Jesus is headed to Jerusalem (a section unique to Luke 9:51–18:14), Luke makes it clear that Jesus is saying that God’s kingdom is for children and for those who humble themselves like little children. In fact, unless we see ourselves as utterly dependent upon the blessing of God we cannot enter the kingdom. Note also that coming to Jesus is synonymous in this story with receiving the kingdom and entering it (18:16-17).
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