Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child shall in no wise enter therein.
Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child shall in no wise enter therein. See the note at Mark 9:36. But the action that followed-omitted by our Evangelist, and only partially given by Matthew, but fully supplied by Mark-is the best of all: "AND HE TOOK THEM UP IN HIS ARMS, PUT HIS HANDS UPON THEM, AND BLESSED THEM" (Mark 10:16). Now, is it to be conceived that all our Lord meant by this was to teach a lesson, not about children at all, but about grown people; namely, that they must become childlike if they would be capable of the kingdom of God, and for this reason they should not hinder infants from coming to Him, and therefore He took up and blessed the infants themselves? Did not the grave mistake of the disciples, which so "much displeased" the Lord Jesus, consist just in this, that they thought infants should not be brought to Christ, because only grown people could profit by Him? And though He took the irresistible opportunity of lowering their pride of reason, by informing them that, in order to enter the Kingdom, instead of the children first becoming like them, they must themselves become like the children-as a German writer has well expressed it-yet this was but by the way; and returning to the children themselves, He took them up in His gracious arms, put His hands upon them, and blessed them, for no conceivable reason but to show that they were thereby made capable, AS INFANTS, of the Kingdom of God.
Remarks:
(1) How different the feelings of Jesus from those of His disciples, in this as in so many other cases! They "marveled that He talked with the woman" of Samaria, while that "talk" was "meat to Him that they knew not of" (John 4:27; John 4:32): The cries of the Syrophoenician woman after Jesus were harsh in their ears, but they were music in His (Matthew 15:23; Matthew 15:28): And here, they think He has grown people enough to attend to, without being annoyed with untaught children and unconscious babes, who could get no possible good from Him; and so they administer to the expectant parents their damping, miserable "rebuke." But this was not more false in doctrine than the feeling that expressed it was at variance with His. It 'grievously vexed' Him, as the word signifies. His heart yearned after these babes just as "babes" and "little children;" nor are we capable of knowing the whole heart of Christ toward us if we leave out of it this most touching and beautiful element-the feeling that grievously vexed Him when infants were held back from Him. O what a spectacle was that which presented itself to the eye that was capable (if, indeed, there was one) of seeing into the interior of it-The Only begotten of the Father with an unconscious Babe in His arms; His gentle, yet mighty hands upon it; and His eyes upraised to heaven as the blessing descended upon it! Was not this one of those things which 'angels desired to look into?" For He was "seen of angels."
`He raised them in His holy arms, He blessed them from the world and all its harms: Heirs though they were of sin and shame, He blessed them in his own and in His Father's name.
`Then, as each fond, unconscious child On th' everlasting Parent sweetly smil'd, Like infants sporting on the shore, That tremble not at ocean's boundless roar,' etc.
(-KEBLE)
(2) If Christ was "much displeased" with His disciples for interfering with those who were bringing their infants to Him, surely it is not enough that we do not positively hinder them. Whatsoever on our part is fitted to keep back children from Christ is in effect the same thing, and may be expected to cause the same displeasure. But that is not all. For, as it is an acknowledged rule, that whenever any sin is forbidden, the contrary duty is commanded, so the displeasure of Christ at the attempt to keep back these children from Him carries with it the duty of bringing, or having them brought to Him, and the assurance of His benignant satisfaction with parents that bring them, and everyone who does anything to cause them to be brought to Him. Be stirred up, then, and emboldened, believing parents, to bring your babes, even from their first breath, to Jesus; and let the ministers of Christ, and all who would have His gracious complacency resting upon them, as the first and the last step in "feeding His lambs," bring them to Jesus!
(3) As the parable of the Good Samaritan has filled Christendom with Institutions for the relief of the wretched, over and above all that individuals have done in private, so this little incident-recorded by three of the Evangelists, yet occupying, even in the most detailed narrative of it, only four brief verses-has, over and above all that it has given birth to in private, filled Christendom with classes for the Christian training of the young; in the earlier ages, in a less systematic and comprehensive form, and chiefly by pastoral superintendence of parental instruction, but in these latter days on a vast scale, and to admirable effect. Nor can we doubt that the eye of Him who, in the days of His flesh, took up little children in His arms, put his hands on them, and blessed them, looks down from the skies in sweet complacency upon such efforts, blesses richly those that in obedience and love to Him engage in them, gathers many a lamb from among such flocks, to fold them in His own bosom above, and sends the rest as they grow up into the great world as "a seed to serve Him," a leaven to leaven the lump, that He may not come and smite it with a curse (Malachi 4:6).
(4) Let the intelligent reader note carefully the standing which this incident gives to children-even unconscious "infants" - in the Kingdom of God. "Suffer the little children to come unto me, for of such is the Kingdom of God." We have given reasons why this cannot mean merely, 'Let little children come to me, because grown people must be like them if they would enter the Kingdom.' What can be balder than such an interpretation of our Lord's words? But how natural and self-commending is the following sense of them: 'Ye are wrong in thinking that not until these children have grown to manhood can they get any good from Me. They also, even these unconscious babes, have their place, and not the least place, in the Kingdom of Heaven.' But if there could be any doubt whether our Lord was here speaking of the children themselves, or only of child-like men, surely His putting His hands upon them, and blessing them, ought to set that question at rest.
What could such actions mean, if not to convey some spiritual blessing, some saving benefit, to the babes themselves? Does any one doubt that children, dying in infancy, are capable of going to heaven? Or, does any Christian think that without the new birth, and the blood that cleanseth from all sin, they will be fit company for heaven's inhabitants, or find themselves in an atmosphere congenial to their nature, or without this will ever see it? But, if infants are capable of all that saves the soul, before they are capable of consciously believing in Christ, and even though they die before ever doing so, what follows? "Can any man forbid water" - said Peter of the Gentile Cornelius and his company - "that these should not be baptized, which have received the Holy Spirit as well as we?" (Acts 10:47). Of course, such application of the baptismal water to infants can have no warrant from our incident, except where the infants have been previously brought to Christ Himself for his benediction, and only as the sign and seal of His promised benediction.
But you may say, 'Is not faith explicitly and peremptorily required in order to baptism?' Yes, and in order to salvation too. Nay, "he that believeth not shall be damned." Are those who die in infancy, then, damned-because incapable of believing? 'O no,' it will be said; 'they were not contemplated in the demand for faith, in order to salvation.' Just so; and for that reason, since they are capable of the new birth, and forgiveness, and complete salvation-all in infancy and without any faith at all, just as truly as grown people-they are surely capable of the mere outward symbol of it, which brings them within the sacred enclosure, and separates them to a holy service and society, and inheritance among the people of God (1 Corinthians 7:14). Within this sacred enclosure, the apostle regards them as "in the Lord," and addresses them as such (Ephesians 6:1), inculcating on them obedience to their parents, as "well pleasing unto the Lord" (Colossians 3:20). The Christian household is thus to be a Christian nursery. Sweet view this of the standing of children that have been from their very birth brought to Christ, and blessed of Him, as believers may not doubt that their children are, and loved as dearly as if He took them up in His very arms, and made the blessing to descend upon them, even life for evermore! For more on this subject, see the notes at Luke 19:28-44, Remark 5 at the close of that section.