Jesus Loves the Little Children

Opening Comments:

Meet me in your copy of God’s Word this morning in Luke 18:15-17. Pg. 824 in our church provided Bibles.

We’ve been walking alongside Jesus on his journey to Jerusalem through a section of Luke’s Gospel where Jesus has been contrasting human pride with humble faith.

Two weeks ago, we saw a persistent widow who wouldn't stop crying out for justice. We learned from her that genuine faith keeps praying and doesn’t lose heart.

Last week, we met a Pharisee who trusted in himself and left the temple unjustified. And, a tax collector who humbled himself before the Lord and found forgiveness and justification.

This scene comes right on the heels of those two parables and Luke intends the connection. The widow illustrated persistent faith; the tax collector, illustrated humble repentance; now the child illustrates helpless dependence.

Let’s read God’s holy, inspired, inerrant infallible, word together.

Luke 18:15–17 ESV

15 Now they were bringing even infants to him that he might touch them. And when the disciples saw it, they rebuked them. 16 But Jesus called them to him, saying, “Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. 17 Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.”

Introduction:

If you spent anytime in church as a child you likely learned the song:

Sing—Jesus loves the little children

It’s a children's song, but it carries with it the powerful theology of Jesus found in this passage. Jesus truly does love the little children. Not merely with an emotional sentiment, but as a deliberate correction to the worlds values.

In the ancient world of the Bible, children were precious to their parents, but unimportant to society. They had no voice, no rights, and no rank. They were viewed as weak and expendable until they could work, earn, or contribute to adult society.

In fact, the Pharisees and religious elites often regarded infants as spiritually insignificant because they couldn’t perform the law or accumulate merit in any way. In their minds a child’s inability to keep all of the law rendered outside of the sphere of righteousness.

But Jesus upends that thinking. He doesn’t just tolerate children; he welcomes them, and the points to them as models of the only way anyone enters his kingdom: through humble, dependent, child like trust.

Let’s lean in carefully this morning to view this short encounter and draw out what the Lord has to teach us from it.

1.) A Beautiful Scene: Parents bringing Their Children to Jesus. (v.15)

Luke 18:15 ESV

15 Now they were bringing even infants to him that he might touch them…

Luke uses a word choice here that differs slightly from how Matthew and Mark describe this event.

They use a word (paidia) that is translated as children. Luke uses a term (brephe) for a newborn or an older “pre-toddler” infant. Babies, who were completely helpless and had to be carried to Jesus.

That little detail sets the stage.

Parents were repeatedly bringing (imperfect tense, ongoing action) their little ones to Jesus, so that he might touch them.

That “touch” wasn’t casual; it was the laying on of hands in blessing. Jewish parents would often seek a rabbis, blessing for their children, this echoed the pattern of their patriarchs in Genesis.

But Jesus isn’t an ordinary rabbi. They’re handing their children to the messiah, the very son of God.

Every mother lifting her infant, and every father, reaching through the crowd is declaring, “I want my child near Jesus.”

They were putting their faith in action. They may not have understood all of Jesus titles, but they recognized his power and goodness.

Just as the tax collector in the previous parable came to Jesus with nothing to offer; these infants come the same way. They illustrate the heart posture of salvation.

Application: Parents, this verse dignifies the daily, sometimes chaotic labor, of bringing your children before the Lord. Every bedtime prayer, every Sunday morning struggle to get them ready, every time you whisper scripture to a restless toddler; it all echoes these parents who carried their little ones to Jesus.

That’s what Ephesians 6:4 means when it calls parents to bring up their children in the “discipline and instruction of the Lord”

Display but don’t read.

Ephesians 6:4 ESV

…bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.

This isn’t about perfect technique; it’s about pointing in a consistent direction, turning small hearts, toward a big Savior.

And church, we share that responsibility. Psalm 127:3 reminds us:

Psalm 127:3 ESV

3 Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward.

Children aren’t interruptions to ministry; they are entrusted souls. When a baby cries during worship, that’s not background noise, it’s the sound of God’s faithfulness to another generation.

This scene invites us: bring them, and keep bringing them to Jesus!

2.) A Sharp Correction: The Disciples’ Rebuke. (v.15b)

Luke 18:15 ESV

… And when the disciples saw it, they rebuked them.

Rebuked- a term used for stern censure. It implies they were actively stopping people. Not a polite “maybe later” but a firm, ongoing “No, not now.”

We don’t know exactly why they were doing this, but Luke gives us enough to discern a grave assumption and 3 mistakes in their thinking.

A.) They’re Assumption

They likely thought they were protecting Jesus. He was teaching, healing, and debating with the Pharisees constantly; it’s verry likely they thought he had more important work to do than blessing babies.

Maybe they even saw this as a distraction or a drain on his energy.

Whatever their reasons, it reveals hearts that they were still shaped by worldly categories of significance.

B.) Three Errors

They made a critical error of value.

They thought some people were too insignificant to deserve Jesus’ attention. That thinking sounds really good, but it’s fundamentally proud. It’s placing worth by usefulness rather than by God’s image and Grace.

Human dignity doesn’t come from perceived societal value or usefulness. his is why abortion and euthanasia are wrong.

2. They also made an error of theology.

They had forgotten that everything about Jesus’ mission was to reverse the worlds order by bringing the kingdom to those religion rejected. To lift the lowly and bring down the self satisfied. The same Lord, who said, “the last shall be first,” is now saying, “the smallest are welcome.”

3. They also made an error of representation.

When they tried to control, who had access to Jesus, they misrepresented his heart. They became unintentional gatekeepers, to grace. Jesus had already rebuked that kind of attitude when he welcomed tax collectors and sinners. Here he rebukes it again when his own disciples stand in the way of children.

Application: Church, before we shake our heads at them, we need to ask whether we do the same thing.

We may not “shoo” away children physically, but do we communicate, with our tone or attitude, that certain people are “in the way”?

Do we see ministry to children as a lower priority?

Do we measure church success by adult numbers and budgets while overlooking the classrooms where hearts are being formed?

Every time we treat the weak, the young, or the dependent as less important, we echo the disciples’ mistake. And every time we welcome them, we mirror, Jesus’ kingdom.

I thank God for two senior citizens named Bob and Lorene who had a heart for children to spend precious time bringing a quiet and shy kid who barely spoke to church on a church van.

Or that youth pastor who spent time praying with that same shy kid who felt valueless and dirty because a sick man violated his innocence and he thought God didn’t want him because of it.

But, the fact of the matter the exact opposite was true of Jesus, he welcomes the weak, the young, the dependent and the broken with open arms. Friends the day HEritage stops being that kind of place, we should just lock the doors and go home.

3.) A Gracious Call: “Let the Children Come”. (v.16)

Luke 18:16 ESV

16 But Jesus called them to him, saying, “Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God.

This is the turning point. Jesus doesn’t simply allow the children; he calls them to himself. He publicly reverses the disciples’ action, and set the record straight.

Mark’s account (10:13-15) tells us he was indignant (deeply stirred with righteous anger), that anyone would block the way.

A 2023 survey conducted by  Infinity Concepts and Grey Matter Research and Consulting determined that 72% of professing adult evangelical Christians came to faith between the ages of 4 and 14.

Now, consider how radical this sounded in its context.

In the Greco-Roman and Jewish worlds, status flowed downward from the powerful to the powerless. Children were at the very bottom.

Yet Jesus says the kingdom belongs to “such as these”— Not because they are innocent or deserving, but because they perfectly illustrate the posture of grace.

This echoes, the tax collectors prayer: “God, be merciful to me, a sinner.” The infant is a visual representation of that confession, unable to bring anything, simply resting in the arms of another.

Application: Here Jesus dignifies every act of spiritual care given to the smallest and weakest.

Parents, grandparents, teachers, volunteers: when you patiently teach, hold, listen, and pray with little ones, your embodying the heart of Christ.

The command “Do not hinder them” applies not just to access but to attitude. Don’t discourage them. Don’t act as though they’re an inconvenience.

Colossians 3:21 ESV

21 Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged.

We are called to nurture, not nag. We Shepherd hearts tenderly, because Jesus welcomes tender hearts, gladly.

And for our church, it means cultivating a culture that matches our Savior’s. We’re not just managing programs; we are helping the next generation know that Jesus delights to receive them. Every cry, every question, every simple prayer matters to the Lord.

4.) A Holy Warning: Receiving the Kingdom Like a Child. (v.17)

Jesus concludes with a line that turns this illustration into invitation:

Luke 18:17 ESV

17 Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.”

This is the heartbeat of the passage: salvation by grace through faith.

The kingdom isn’t earned; it’s received. You can’t climb into it; you must be carried.

A child contributes nothing to the family except need and trust.

That’s the point!

To “receive… like a child” doesn’t mean being naïve, or sentimental. It means coming with empty hands: no merit, no bargaining power, no record to boast in. It means approaching God with the humble dependence of someone who knows he can’t survive without him.

That’s the same spirit the tax Collector showed in the previous parable. He knew he had nothing but mercy to plead.

And it’s the exact opposite of what we’ll see in the rich, young ruler, next week, who approaches Jesus with pride in his record, and leaves sorrowful because he won’t let go of it.

Jesus’ words leave, no middle ground. You either receive the kingdom like a child – helpless and trusting end, or you do not enter at all.

Application: This should strike every human heart that loves self-sufficiency. We live in a world, that celebrates genius, competence, and success. But Jesus says, “that won’t get you in.” The only door is low and you’ll have to stoop to enter.

Matthew 7:13–14 ESV

13 “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. 14 For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.

For the self righteous, this is humbling. For the broken, it’s liberating. You don’t need a résumé to be received – just repentance and faith.

Parents, this is what you’re training your children toward. Not performance based religion, but grace based trust.

Teach them early that God’s love isn’t earned; it’s received. That’s how we all come – from the cradle to the cross, totally dependent on God’s mercy.

Conclusion:

Picture the scene one last time.

The disciples are standing awkwardly to the side. Parents are starting to step forward again. Jesus is kneeling, smiling, touching, blessing. In his arms are the ones everyone else thought unimportant.

And then he looks at the crowd and to us: “that’s how you come.”

The kingdom of God belongs to the helpless, to those who have no claim but mercy. It belongs to those who cry out like the tax collector, who persist like the widow, who depend like a child.

That means the smallest child in our arms, and the oldest sinner in the room both come the same way, by grace alone!

So today, if you’ve been trying to earn your way into God’s favor, stop striving, start receiving.

Come like a child.

Drop the list of good works.

Lift your hands in trust.

The saviors arms are still open.

In church, let’s mirror, Jesus – toward children and toward each other. Never despise the week, never withhold the welcome to Christ.

Because the song we learned as children:

Sing: Jesus loves the Little children

Is still true.

He loves them, and he loves us, not because we’ve done enough, but because he did it all.

Invitation:

As we end this morning, let Jesus words still echo:

Luke 18:16 ESV

16 But Jesus called them to him, saying, “Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God.

That invitation wasn’t just for them, it’s for every heart in this room today.

For those who have never trusted Christ:

The door into God’s kingdom is low on the purpose. You can’t enter, standing tall on your own goodness. You can’t climb your way in by religion, or morality, or comparison. The only way in is to come like a child with empty hands, with honest need, and with simple trust.

If you’ve never surrendered your life to Christ this invitation for you to day is to “Come, not because you’re worthy, or have done enough, but because he has done it all.”

Jesus died on the cross to pay for your sin, rose from the dead to give you life, and now offers forgiveness and eternal life to anyone who will receive him by faith. The same Savior who took children into his arms, will not turn you away.

Come to him today confessing your sins, believing he died, and rose again and placing your in him alone.

If that’s your desire, we have a man standing at the back of the room right now with the Bible in his hand, who would love to talk to you more. You can step out of your seat right now and go find him and he’ll tell you more of Jesus.

To those who already belong to Jesus:

Maybe you’ve forgotten the posture of the kingdom. Maybe you’ve grown self-reliant, proud, or hurried; trying to carry what God never asked you to carry.

Today Jesus calls you back to that same simple, childlike trust; to rest again in your Father’s arms.

Maybe for some of us, it’s a call to mirror His heart toward the little ones and the lowly. Maybe we’ve been impatient with our children, or too busy for those who can’t give anything in return.

Jesus says, “Do not hinder them.” Let that word soften your heart today.

Perhaps you need to:

Repent of pride.

Pray for your family.

Renew your dependence on Christ.

We’d love to pray alongside you if that’s your wish.

However, God is speaking to your heart this morning, don’t ignore that tug.

Direct people to stand to their feet with heads bowed and eyes closed for a moment of invitation and meditation.

Prayer:

Father, thank You that Your kingdom isn’t earned but received— that You welcome all who come with childlike faith. For those who’ve never trusted You, draw them now to Christ. For those who know You, help us to rest again in Your grace and reflect Your heart toward others. We come as children, trusting in Jesus alone. Amen.