13And they were bringing children to Him so that He might touch them; but the disciples rebuked them.14But when Jesus saw this, He was indignant and said to them, “Permit the children to come to Me; do not hinder them; for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.15“Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at all.” 16And He took them in His arms and began blessing them, laying His hands on them.
Mark 10:13–16 (NASB95)
This text, in my opinion, is one of the most significant teachings of Mark’s Gospel. In Mark 10:13-16 we find families bringing children to Jesus. The crowds (I imagine) must have been overwhelming. The disciples, being dutiful and godly men, were trying to prioritize Jesus’ time and ministry obligations. They went as far as to turn back the children (v.13), presumably because there were more important things for Jesus to be doing.
“Permit the children to come to Me,” Jesus replied. He then embraced and blessed the children declaring that the Kingdom of God belonged to such as these.
The disciples had a set of priorities. Jesus’ priorities were different. The Disciples had schedules. Jesus had different ideas. The disciples had a perspective of importance and Jesus had different ideas.
We can all use some reflection on the principles in these verses. There are times when God brings opportunities (the children coming) and we can miss them because we had other things in mind. What might we be “missing” by trying to conform Jesus to our agenda rather than embracing His?
This devotional originally appeared in the e-connect series at Englewood Baptist Church, Rocky Mount, NC
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