13 Then little children were brought to Jesus for him to place his hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples rebuked those who brought them.
14 Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” 15 When he had placed his hands on them, he went on from there.
The compassion, kindness and gentleness of the Lord Jesus towards the little ones shine forth brightly in our verses for today. I am reminded of the Apostle Paul’s charge to us in Colossians to manifest these virtues as well. As dearly loved children of the King, we too are to be as the Master - clothing ourselves with these good and profitable qualities:
12 Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Col 3:12 (NIV)
“Jesus, Thou art all compassion, pure, unbounded love Thou art.” Charles Wesley
Indeed, these virtues are also included in the listing of the Fruit of the Spirit in Galatians:
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Gal 5:22-23 (NIV)
In our verses for today, not driven by any particular need other than the desire for Christ to bless them, we discover those bringing little ones to Jesus for Him to lay hands on them in prayer. Their actions demonstrating a great respect for Christ as well as showing the high value they placed on His favor and blessing. Others brought Jesus their children in dire need of healing yet it appears that these sought only His blessing. It is a good thing to come to the Lord and bring our children before we are driven to Him by a particular need. I am reminded of Moses’ words in Deuteronomy:
“Let the beloved of the LORD rest secure in him, for he shields him all day long, and the one the LORD loves rests between his shoulders.” Deut 33:12 (NIV)
“For the love of God is broader than the measures of man’s mind; and the heart of the Eternal is most wonderfully kind.” Frederick William Faber
“It is rare that Christians earnestly seek the Lord’s face when things are going swimmingly, when material blessings abound and we seem to be protected from the vicissitudes faced by others. But in the blackness of discouragement, when we are harassed and downcast, we may indeed turn to the Lord and acknowledge our helplessness apart from his grace; we may do so knowing that God is a compassionate God and that Jesus’ compassion was particularly directed toward the harassed and the helpless.” D A Carson
We cannot do anything better for our children (or ourselves for that matter) than to commit them (and ourselves) to the Lord Jesus to be prayed for, led and helped by Him. There is no higher ground. We are to trust in the Lord and His direction – His pleasing and perfect will - as He alone can answer the prayers of the heart as well as fully satisfy all inward longings and desires. King David writes in Psalm 37:
3 Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. 4 Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart. 5 Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this: 6 He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun. Psalms 37:3-6 (NIV)
We are also told in Proverbs:
5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; 6 in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. Prov 3:5-6 (NIV)
Wrongly, our Lord’s guys frowned on these actions as worthless and frivolous rebuking those approaching Jesus as being troublesome and a bother. Christ has more love and compassion in Him than the best of His disciples. We are never to discourage any well-meaning soul willingly seeking the Lord Jesus as ever being a nuisance to Him. It displeases Jesus for turning away any soul who seeks Him as He remains ever ready to receive them – from the strongest believer to the weakest child.