Mark 10:13-16

Passage

After this teaching, people began to bring children to Jesus so that He might touch them.  The disciples rebuked them for doing so.  Jesus becomes indignant and tells the disciples to let the children come.  The Kingdom of God belongs to the children, too.  Then Jesus teaches that whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a child will not enter it.  Jesus then took the children into His arms and blessed them.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

The disciples are indignant.  There are two obvious reasons for their behavior – and probably more non-obvious ones.  First, they could think Jesus’ time is too important to waste on little children.  They could honestly be acting out of a sincere desire to help Jesus by trying to protect His time.  Second, they could be jealous of Jesus’ time and want this time for themselves.  This would be an act of impure motivation.  Either way, the final behavior is wrong and Jesus corrects it.

Why do people try and protect the time and space of their spiritual leaders?  How can that be good?  When can that turn bad?  Why do disciples naturally get jealous of the time that their spiritual mentor spends with others?  Why is this a natural reaction?  How can we learn to resist it?

Second Thought:

This is one of my favorite passages, because I think it speaks volumes into the church.  So often I see adults congregating around the spiritual leaders and I see the kids playing with each other in a separate place.  Now, that’s okay so long as the kids want to do that.  But I think the children should have every bit as much access to the spiritual leaders of the congregation as the adults – perhaps even more.  The kids are just forming their spiritual identity and they need great models to help them get as much right the first time around as possible.  It always does my heart good to look around a church during times of fellowship and teaching and see some of the spiritual leaders intentionally interacting with the children.  I love it!

What does it say about a congregation that welcomes children and youth into fellowship?  What does it say about a congregation who ushers the children and youth away into their own special time so the adults can do their thing?

Third Thought:

Jesus scoops the children into His arms and blesses them.  I love this image.  I can picture Jesus raising the kids up, maybe tossing them in the air a little bit, and just generally having fun with them.  Jesus demonstrates that He has a desire to even allow children into His life in order that they might have a close relationship to them.  And then Jesus blesses them.  Jesus bestows a promise from God upon them.

How is Jesus demonstrating sacrificial love in this passage?  Why is it important to learn how to model this kind of love?

Passage for Tomorrow: Mark 10:17-18