Let the Children Come to Me
Then children were brought to him that he might lay his hands on them and pray. The disciples rebuked the people, but Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.” And he laid his hands on them and went away.
Before we look into the above verses, note what Jesus had previously said to the disciples:
Matthew 18:1-4 (ESV)
At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
Coming to Jesus in faith is best explained by the attitude of a child. When a little three year old comes up to a parent and asks for something to eat, they fully only trust the parent to provide. They can’t get the food themselves. Even older children come to their parents for requests and simply believe it is the parental responsibility for mom and/or dad to provide. The concept is easy for us to grasp. Such it is with our Heavenly Father. Jesus is telling His disciples that they can come to the Father, through the Son, as little children. In fact, the truth is not that they can come to the Father like little children but that they must come to the Father in this attitude. It is in complete faith and without thought we can do it ourselves. In our prayer life we are coming to the Father and recognizing things are not just beyond our control, but that it is only the Father we should come to for our needs. We are to come to Him as little children with no capacity, strength or ability to live our lives.
No comments:
Post a Comment