Jesus Quotes: The Child Factor

Allow the little children to come to me.

Don't prevent them from doing so.

For the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to those who are

 like these little children.

Matthew 19:14 - Jesus

     Jesus had been teaching some important truths, and as usual there were crowds around him.  Sometimes these crowds were suffocating as they pressed forward to hear him, get a glimpse of him or even touch him.  Parents of small children were in the crowd.  They did what any loving parent would do under the circumstances.  They wanted to have Jesus touch their children and pray for them. I know that is what I would do as a parent of young children.

    The disciples could have just been tired.  Maybe the cramped crowding together was taking its toll on them.  They knew the importance of Jesus' ministry and mission, and when they saw those children, it was more than they could take. So they were disrespectful to the parents and the children.  The rebuked them. It's clear they believed Jesus didn't have time to be dealing with children.  Once again Jesus said a quotable quote that shocked the disciples and caused them to back away and learn from the Master.

    Jesus wanted the children to come to him.  He certainly did not rebuke anyone except his disciples.  He made it clear that any barriers that would be put up preventing a child from coming to him was unacceptable, and it still is.  The kingdom, he made clear, belongs to children.  People who are like these children in faith are made up of the stuff of which the Kingdom is made.

     There is a powerful lesson in this for churches around the world. Make places of worship child friendly.  Make them so that children can find their way easily to Jesus. Make children's ministry a priority not a secondary thing.  I have seen this lesson at work in my own ministry, and I see it all around.  When churches do not make ministry to children a priority, they are making a huge mistake. Children, according to Jesus, are not the church of the future.  They are the church today, and a very good example of it.

    Look around at where the body of Christ is flourishing, and you will see Jesus lifted up, and you will see children lifted up. The opposite is true as well.  Do very little to make your church Christ accessible to children, and you will see a weak and dying church.

    But you may say, we have no children in our area.  I heard that before when I was assigned to a dying church that was just about to close it's doors.  My fifteen year old son asked, "Dad where are the kids?"  The people said there are NO children here in this town. Yet in plain view, just down the road,  was an elementary school with 840 children.  So, our elderly people started with four children, and it was not long before our children were being brought to Jesus. That church grew rapidly.  So rapidly we had outgrown the building we were, and so we built another that was people friendly, especially children friendly.  

     Please don't be too busy to stoop down and listen to a child. Please don't make reaching children a second, third or fourth priority for you church ministry and outreach. Rejoice if you hear a baby cry in worship!  For of such is the Kingdom of Heaven! Bring the children to Jesus.  Make it so Jesus can touch their very hearts and lives. Recognize them as the church of today, not the future.

 And Be Blessed 2day ... Especially Today.

SoJourner