Matthew 19:13-15

Scripture Reading: Mark 10:13-16

Introduction

Happy Mother’s Day to All of Our Mothers!

We Love You and Quite Literally couldn’t Live Without You

We Hope that You Feel Very Love & Appreciated Today

It Just So Happens that Our Text Fits Nicely with Mother’s Day

It’s About a Time When Parents Brought Their Children to Jesus

Matthew 19:13-15

The Previous Texts were About Jesus Dealing with the Topics of:

Marriage, Divorce, and Singleness in His Kingdom

Matthew is Now Turning Our Attention to Children

Matthew 19:13 (NASB95)

13 Then some children were brought to Him so that He might lay His hands on them and pray; and the disciples rebuked them.

Parents Taking Their Children to Be Blessed By Rabbis…

Was Likely a Pretty Common Custom in Jesus’ Day

We aren’t Told What the Ages of the Children were

But Luke’s Account Uses “Babies” Instead of “Children”

So, it was Probably Children of All Ages

One Thing is Obvious:

These Parents Cared About the Spiritual Well-Being of Their Children

They Wanted Their Children Blessed By Jesus

But We’re Told that the Disciples Rebuked Them

Whether They Rebuked the Parents or the Children…

We aren’t Told

But it’s Obvious that They Felt…

This was a Distraction/Waste of Jesus’ Time

Children were at the Bottom of the Hierarchy of Society

The King Doesn't have Time to Socialize with the Peasants

He has More Important Things to Do…

Than Lay His Hands on/Pray for a Bunch of Kids

Matthew 19:14 (NASB95)

14 But Jesus said, “Let the children alone, and do not hinder them from coming to Me; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”

The Disciples Rebuke the Children/Their Parents

But Then Jesus Rebukes the Disciples

Mark’s Account Tells Us that Jesus was Indignant

“Indignant” = To Be Angry About a Wrong-Doing

When Jesus Saw Them Doing this…

He Became Angry at Them

What They were Doing was Wrong

The Disciple were Trying to Stop Children From Coming to Jesus

They Despised/Looked Down on Children…

Because of Their Low Status/Insignificance

The Disciples Still Don’t Understand the Values of the Kingdom

They May Not Value Those of Lowly Status (Like Children)…

But Jesus Does

They are Extremely Valuable/Important to Him

Back in Chapter 18, We Read this:

Matthew 18:2–4 (NASB95)

2 And He called a child to Himself and set him before them, 3 and said, “Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 “Whoever then humbles himself as this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

Unless You Humble Yourself and Take the Lowly Status of a Child…

You Can’t Even Be a Citizen of Jesus’ Kingdom

In Our Text, He Says the Same Thing in a Different Way

Matthew 19:14 (NASB95)

14 But Jesus said, “Let the children alone, and do not hinder them from coming to Me; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”

“You Try to Hinder the Children From Coming to Me…”

“Because You Believe that They aren’t Important Enough for My Time/Attention”

“But, I Tell You this…”

“God’s Kingdom Belongs to the Unimportant/Insignificant/Lowly”

“Don’t Keep Them Away From Me”

“They Belong to Me”

“Don’t Keep Them From the King”

“The Kingdom is Theirs”

Matthew 19:15 (NASB95)

15 After laying His hands on them, He departed from there.

Mark’s Account Says Jesus Held the Children in His Arms

This Small Passage Gives Us a Beautiful/Important Picture of Our King:

He is Gentle, Kind, and Loving

He Cares for Those the World Considers Unimportant/Insignificant

He Cares for the Small/Powerless

He Cares for the Overlooked/Undervalued

He Cares for Those Who have Nothing to Offer

He Cares for Those in Need

He isn’t Too Self-Important to Be Bothered By the Lowly

Jesus Loves the Little Children

Jesus Loves the Little Ones

Application

This Little Text is Short & Sweet…

But the Application We’re Going to Take From it is Important

Bring the Little Ones to Jesus

There are 2 Ways to Interpret “Little Ones”

1.) Children

2.) The Humble/Lowly

I Want to Start By Focusing on Children

The Disciples Tried to Keep the Little Ones From Coming to Jesus

This Made Jesus Angry…

And He Rebuked Them for it

The Last Thing that a Disciple Wants to Do…

Is Make His Master Angry and Be Rebuked By Him

Parents, is Jesus Angry with You?

Are You Helping or Hindering Your Children…

From Coming to Jesus?

As Parents, We’ve Been Given an Awesome/Terrifying Responsibility

When You Leave the Hospital with Your 1st Baby…

You have to Learn Real Quick…

That You’ve Just Been Given an Awesome/Terrifying Responsibility

You are Completely Responsible for the Life/Well-Being of Another Person…

Until They Begin Taking Responsibility for Their Self

But Your Responsibility to Care for that Child’s Life…

Doesn’t Just Pertain to the Temporary Life of this Age

You Also Bear the Responsibility…

Of Helping Them Receive and Be Prepared for…

Life in the Age to Come

It is Our Responsibility to Bring Them to Jesus

There was a Portion of OT Scripture…

That Israelite People would Recite Every Day

They Called it the “Shema” (“Hear”)

Deuteronomy 6:4–9 (NASB95)

4 “Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord is one! 5 “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. 6 “These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. 7 “You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up. 8 “You shall bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as frontals on your forehead. 9 “You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

God Told the Israelite People…

To Love Him & Take His Law Very Seriously

His Laws should Be on Their Hearts/Minds

They should Teach Them Diligently to Their Children

The Hebrew Word for “Teach Diligently” Refers to…

Sharpening Something By Continuous Repetition

Like Sharpening a Knife with a Whetstone

It’s a Careful and Continuous Process…

That You Repeat Over and Over

This was How the Israelites were to Teach the Law to Their Children

It was to Be a Continuous Process of Repetition

They were to Teach Them Diligently

What Did this Repetitious Teaching Look Like?

How were They to Teach Their Children Diligently?

They would Teach Them at Home

They would Teach Them When Away From Home

They would Teach Them Before Going to Bed

They would Teach Them After Waking Up

They would Give Themselves Constant Reminders of God’s Laws

I Like the Way the NLT Words this Passage:

Deuteronomy 6:7–9 (NLT)

7 Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up. 8 Tie them to your hands and wear them on your forehead as reminders. 9 Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

All of this is to Simply Say:

All of Life is to Be Saturated with God’s Laws

Proverbs 6:20–22 (NASB95)

20 My son, observe the commandment of your father And do not forsake the teaching of your mother; 21 Bind them continually on your heart; Tie them around your neck. 22 When you walk about, they will guide you; When you sleep, they will watch over you; And when you awake, they will talk to you.

The Life of an Israelite was to Be Saturated with God’s Laws

They were to Be Always on Their Mind…

And to Guide Their Every Thought/Decision/Step

And They were to Repeatedly/Diligently…

Teach Them to Their Children

That’s How Our Walk with Jesus Ought to Look

That’s How We Bring Our Children to Jesus

That’s How We Ensure that Our Children Know/Love Jesus

Proverbs 22:6 (NASB95)

6 Train up a child in the way he should go, Even when he is old he will not depart from it.

I Believe this is True When We Take it Very Seriously…

And are Very Intentional/Diligent

For Our Children to have Genuine, Lived-Out Faith:

They Need to Know that We Don’t Leave Jesus at the Church Building

They Need to See How Faith should Operate in Everyday Life

They Need to Witness…

Their Parents’ Faith

Their Parents’ Love for Jesus

Their Parents’ Love for People

Their Parents Serving

Their Parents Praying

Their Parents Reading the Scriptures

Their Parents Putting the Kingdom First

Enjoying, Participating, and Encouraging in the Gatherings

Their Parents Living for/Like Jesus

And They Need to Be Trained/Encouraged to Do the Same

I’ve Told this Story Before, But it’s Impactful

A Mother Read the Story of Noah’s Ark to Her Little Girl

Girl Asks, “What About All the Children During the Flood?”

Mother Answers, “Their Parents Didn’t Make Sure They were on the Boat.”

Parents, Get Your Little Ones of the Boat

Bring the Little Ones to Jesus

But this Application isn’t Just for Parents

It’s for All of Us

The Kingdom Belongs to the Humble/Lowly

It Belongs to the Insignificant/Unimportant

It Belongs to the Needy/Outcasts

It Belongs to the Little Ones

Jesus Wants Us to Bring the Little Ones to Him

May We Never Be Guilty of Despising Them…

Or Hindering Them From Coming to Him

Be the Shining Light to Them

Be an Image Bearer of God to Them

Be a Disciple of Jesus to Them

Bring the Little Ones to Jesus