When Jesus saw what was happening, he was angry with his disciples. He said to them, “Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of God belongs to those who are like these children.”

Mark 10:14

This story from Mark begins with parents bringing their children to Jesus so that he might touch and bless them. But the disciples of Jesus, figuring that he had more important things to do, told the parents to take their children away. Jesus, seeing what his disciples were doing, became angry. He said to them, “Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of God belongs to those who are like these children” (10:14). Then Jesus “took the children in his arms and placed his hands on their heads and blessed them” (10:16).

In the kingdom of God, children are a priority, not a nuisance. Those who are powerless—children, widows, aliens, the poor—have God as their protector. Therefore, the citizens of God’s kingdom are called to exercise special care and concern for them. Children matter to the King of kings, and so they should matter to those of us who are his subjects.

Yet Jesus used the situation with the children to illustrate a further point about the kingdom. Not only were actual children to be given priority, but also everyone who wished to receive the kingdom must become like a child. We enter God’s kingdom with eagerness and vulnerability, with dependence and powerlessness. As we put our lives in God’s hands, relying on his grace and mercy, he embraces us and welcomes us home. Thus, in the picture of Jesus holding and blessing the children, we see a poignant picture of how God welcomes us.

QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION: Have you received the kingdom of God as a child? What parts of you resist being a childlike recipient of God’s kingdom? How have you experienced the embrace of the King of kings?