Matthew 19:13-15 Little Children

Then some children were brought to Him so that He might lay His hands on them and pray; and the disciples rebuked them. But Jesus said, "Let the children alone, and do not hinder them from coming to Me; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these."  After laying His hands on them, He departed from there. [Matthew 19:13‭-‬15 NASB]

When we compare this passage with the accounts in Mark and Luke, we can learn a little more about this scene.

First, the age of the children. Luke says, "And they were bringing even their babies to Him so that He would touch them, but when the disciples saw it, they began rebuking them." [Luke 18:15 NASB] We see that these children are little babies, and not older children.

Also, Mark and Luke record Jesus saying, "Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at all." [Mark 10:15 NASB]

This is not the first time Jesus made a reference to children and the kingdom of God. We recently read, At that time the disciples came to Jesus and said, "Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?" And He called a child to Himself and set him before them, and said, "Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. [Matthew 18:1‭-‬3 NASB] The child that Jesus called to Himself was older and able to come to Him when called, while those in Matthew 19 were babies, being brought to Him for a blessing.

The disciples were out of line when they rebuked the parents who wanted Jesus to bless their children. Jesus took them in his arms (Mark 10:16) and blessed them.

Jesus made it clear that it is not the children who need to grow up and become as we are to be in the kingdom of Heaven, but rather, it is we who need to become innocent like them.

Various churches have taken this passage and made rituals and traditions based on it. Some of the more traditional churches couple this passage with the passage in Acts, "Surely no one can refuse the water for these to be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit just as we did, can he?" [Acts 10:47 NASB] Thus they have the practice of baptizing infants.

Evangelical churches generally reject the notion of infant baptisms and have baby dedications, setting aside a portion of a service to dedicate the babies to the Lord. The parents and family will bring the baby to the minister, who will pray over the child and the family.

I'm not going to pass judgement on which tradition is more right or wrong. Personally, I dislike religious rituals because the focus tends to become more on the ritual than the meaning behind it. I do think is good to bring your child to Jesus for a blessing however you do it.

In any case it is important to remember what Jesus in teaching us. It is not dedication (using the term to include baptism) that makes the child a part of of the kingdom of God. It is God's grace and acceptance of the child's innocence. They are already in the kingdom of God before they are dedicated. Should we, therefore, refuse to dedicate the babies? Of course not. Jesus said that they should not be hindered.

Dedicating a child to God means that you are giving him to God. It is acknowledging that this child belongs to God, and He is entrusting you to raise him. I think that it is good for parents to have this mind-set because it firmly acknowledges that God is first in the family above the children.

When my son was an infant, he had meningitis. Having recently lost a nephew to meningitis, this sounded to my wife and me like a death sentence. Of course, we prayed for his healing, but we also confessed to God that our son belonged to Him. He was not ours, but God's, so whether God would leave him with us to raise or take him Home to Himself, we would honor Him. God had mercy on us, and allowed our son to have a full recovery with no ill effects, for which I continue to praise Him.

Parents, your children do not belong to you, but to God. He has place them in your care. Ask yourself: If the baby Jesus had been born into your family and placed in your care to raise, how would you raise Him, knowing that He is the Son of God? Remember, your child is also a child of God, and should be raised accordingly.