Mark 10:13-16 “People were bringing little children to Jesus to have him touch them, but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, ‘Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.’ And he took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them.”

Jesus wants your children. Like the disciples, adults often stand in the way of this, even parents. Jesus’ disciples likely felt that Jesus’ time was too valuable to waste on children. This was the Messiah, the rightful leader of Israel. He should be rubbing shoulders with the powerful. He should be gathering a mass of followers to help usher in his kingdom. Why should the Master waste his time on a bunch of runny-nosed, half-witted little children? They didn’t put much value on the little ones.

Today, parents often turn this around. They don’t put much value on Jesus. They spend hours watching their children practice soccer. They cough up big money to get their little scholars into the right schools, and their hearts swell with pride at each graduation they attend. But take their children to hear God’s word? How did that ever help the kid make the team or get into college?

Still, Jesus is their Lord just as much as he is yours or mine. “The kingdom of God belongs to such as these.” Our children are real sinners in need of real forgiveness. Some Christians question this, but funny how the parents that do still treat their children’s misbehavior like it’s real and it counts when they have to deal with it themselves. They don’t wait for some unbiblical “age of accountability” before they start handing out discipline, putting the kid in time out, or taking away privileges at home.

Our children are real believers, who have received God’s real grace. They have a real relationship with Jesus as their Savior. Some Christians don’t consider a little child’s simple faith a real faith. Jesus says the children’s faith is the only kind that truly is. “I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” It’s the adults we have to wonder about, with all their questions and skepticism. The child who simply trusts Jesus’ every word is the kind of believer Jesus seeks. He is Lord of their hearts with a hold he struggles to achieve in your typical grown up.

We can rightly envy the special place children have with Jesus. While the adults were bickering about whether the children could see him, “…he took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them.” No doubt Peter was too big to sit in Jesus’ lap anymore. But each of these little ones had Jesus wrap his arms around them and hold them close. Each received a blessing spoken just to them.

This is why we want Jesus to be Lord of our families, and Lord of our own hearts: because where Jesus is Lord, he rules not with fear and threats and judgment. He rules with grace and love. He embraces the people who belong to him and blesses them.