…they were bringing…infants to Him [Jesus] that He might touch them…the disciples…rebuked them.
Luke 18:15-17
This very short teaching by Jesus gives the reader a lot to consider of those who are chosen by God to be a part of the Bride of Christ. Jesus was a very popular “prophet” in all Israel. He always attracted a crowd wherever He went. The religious leaders could be counted on to attend any gathering of His for they were seeking to destroy Jesus by any means they could conjure up. But, the Jewish people were attracted to Jesus because He spoke with the Authority with which only God could speak. Having seen many miracles Jesus had performed, the people brought their children to Him just so He could touch them and be blessed by the “man of God.” Jesus’ Disciples apparently saw this situation as taxing Jesus’ time and attention away from what they thought “really mattered,” healing people, preaching the gospel, feeding hungry folks and, teaching His Disciples. So, the Disciples rebuked the parents who were bringing the children to Jesus. We do not see here that Jesus “turned to the Disciples and said.” No, Jesus called the Disciples after He had dealt with the children and told the Disciples to, “let the children come.” He, then teaches them that the Kingdom of God belongs to such people who are child-like in their faith. There is a difference in one being child-like and one being child-ish in faith in Christ. To be child-like is to put trust in Christ similar to how our children trusted us, as their parents, to take care of them, to nourish and protect them, to help them grow into adulthood. To be child-ish in one’s faith is to think that God saved you because you had something about you worth saving, that you are going to heaven just because you go to church or, live next door to a church or, your parents were Christians and, therefore, you are also. No one is worthy, in themselves, to be saved by God. Salvation is a work of God alone! It is by God’s grace, alone, one is saved. All humans come into this world the same, with an evil nature totally against the Creator, having no desire except to hide from God. Jesus said that “no man comes to the Father [God] except they come through Him [Jesus].” There is no clearer teaching from our Lord than this. The only way of salvation is to believe into Jesus, the Son of the Living God! All who believe will be saved! It is hard to believe that anyone would reject so great a salvation by God the Father because they choose NOT to believe in His only Begotten Son. Child-like faith in Jesus is all one needs. Believe!
Source: S C Ball April 18, 2023
Leave a Reply