Have you ever noticed how quickly we move from cradle to competence—then convince ourselves that the kingdom of God is for the competent? These few verses confront that lie: Jesus stops the parade of busyness to gather children, not to scold them for being small but to show us what belonging to God looks like. The scene challenges our hard-earned adult defenses and invites a return to dependence, wonder, and welcome.
All three Synoptics tell the story (Matthew 19:13–15; Mark 10:13–16; Luke 18:15–17). People were bringing children to Jesus; the disciples tried to turn them away; Jesus rebuked the disciples and welcomed the children, laying hands on them and blessing them. Mark gives the most vivid detail—Jesus taking children in his arms—Luke stresses “infants” and includes the punchline: “whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.” Matthew uses his characteristic phrase “kingdom of heaven” and records the disciples’ rebuke and Jesus’ welcome. This touching episode is absent from John’s Gospel.
What this reveals about Jesus and the kingdom is stunning: the King of the cosmos stoops to receive what the world devalues. The kingdom’s entrance requirement is not achievement but a posture—humble, trusting, dependent, and open. Don’t let the simplicity fool you: Jesus isn’t romanticizing ignorance. He’s refusing our transactional spirituality and insisting that belonging depends on trust, vulnerability, and being held. At the same time, there’s radical grace—Jesus reaches out, embraces, and blesses the weakest among us. That reach exposes our pride and heals it.
Today, practice receiving like a child in one concrete way: put your phone away for fifteen minutes, sit with someone younger or overlooked (a child, an intern, an elderly neighbor), make eye contact, ask a simple question, and bless them—out loud if you can. If no one is nearby, spend five minutes in honest prayer: “Lord, teach me to receive. Teach me to be held.” Small gestures like this begin to rewire our competitive hearts into the openness the kingdom requires—and the grace Jesus freely gives.
All three Synoptics tell the story (Matthew 19:13–15; Mark 10:13–16; Luke 18:15–17). People were bringing children to Jesus; the disciples tried to turn them away; Jesus rebuked the disciples and welcomed the children, laying hands on them and blessing them. Mark gives the most vivid detail—Jesus taking children in his arms—Luke stresses “infants” and includes the punchline: “whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.” Matthew uses his characteristic phrase “kingdom of heaven” and records the disciples’ rebuke and Jesus’ welcome. This touching episode is absent from John’s Gospel.
What this reveals about Jesus and the kingdom is stunning: the King of the cosmos stoops to receive what the world devalues. The kingdom’s entrance requirement is not achievement but a posture—humble, trusting, dependent, and open. Don’t let the simplicity fool you: Jesus isn’t romanticizing ignorance. He’s refusing our transactional spirituality and insisting that belonging depends on trust, vulnerability, and being held. At the same time, there’s radical grace—Jesus reaches out, embraces, and blesses the weakest among us. That reach exposes our pride and heals it.
Today, practice receiving like a child in one concrete way: put your phone away for fifteen minutes, sit with someone younger or overlooked (a child, an intern, an elderly neighbor), make eye contact, ask a simple question, and bless them—out loud if you can. If no one is nearby, spend five minutes in honest prayer: “Lord, teach me to receive. Teach me to be held.” Small gestures like this begin to rewire our competitive hearts into the openness the kingdom requires—and the grace Jesus freely gives.
Matthew: 19:13-15
People brought little children to Jesus and the disciples tried to turn them away, but Jesus welcomed them, saying the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these, blessed them by laying hands on them, and then departed.
Open VerseMark: 10:13-16
People were bringing children to Jesus to have him touch them, and when the disciples tried to stop them he rebuked the disciples and told them to let the children come, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. He then took the children in his arms, laid hands on them, and blessed them.
Open VerseLuke: 18:15-17
People brought infants to Jesus to be blessed and the disciples rebuked them. Jesus welcomed the children, saying the kingdom of God belongs to such as these and that one must receive it like a child.
Open Verse