Let the Little Children Come to Me (Luke 18:15-17)

All three synoptic Gospels record one of the most beloved accounts: Jesus blessed little children (Matthew 19:13-15, Mark 10:13-16, Luke 18:15-17). Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, because the kingdom of God belongs to such as these." Learn why Jesus said the kingdom of God belongs to infants and those like them. Table of contentsJesus Said, “Let the Little Children Come to Me,” Because the Kingdom of God Belongs to ThemTwo Points About Jesus Blessing the ChildrenWhy Would the Kingdom of God Belong to Infants?Jesus Said, “Let the Little Children Come to Me,” Because They Exemplify Salvation Apart from WorksWhat Have Infants Done to Be Saved?Jesus Said, “Let the Little Children Come to Me,” Because the Kingdom of God Belongs to People Like ThemTwo Reasons Humility Is Needed to Enter the Kingdom"Receiving" the Kingdom of God Like ChildrenThe Kingdom of God Probably Also Belongs to the Mentally HandicappedWhen We Were Told We Were Having a Down Syndrome ChildFirst, God Is Sovereign over DisabilitiesSecond, Disabilities Are not the Results of Parents' SinsThird, God Wants to Use Disabilities for His Glory https://youtu.be/M-oi3bLugF4 In Luke 18:15-17 Jesus said the kingdom of God belongs to infants. I preached four earlier sermons explaining why the kingdom of God belongs to infants: Are Children Innocent? The Biblical Age of Accountability Sin Is Not Imputed Where There Is No Law Do Babies Go to Heaven When They Die? If you are reading this post, listening to the sermon, or watching the sermon, and you have questions, they were probably answered in these sermons. All three synoptic Gospels record the beloved account of Jesus blessing little children (Matthew 19:13-15, Mark 10:13-16, Luke 18:15-17). We will be focusing on Luke's version: Luke 18:15 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.  Jewish parents commonly sought out prominent rabbis, which Jesus was, to bless their infants. Not only did the disciples try to stop the parents from bringing their children, they rebuked them. It looks like the disciples rebuked the parents, but then Jesus rebuked the disciples. This is not one of the shining moments for the disciples. If you ever wonder if God can use you, think of some of some of the things the disciples did, and you will be encouraged he can. When I look at the behavior of the disciples at times, I’m encouraged that God can use me. In the parallel account Mark 10:14 says, "When Jesus saw [what the disciples did], HE WAS INDIGNANT." Based on what Jesus said, he seemed to be indignant because the disciples were destroying a spiritual truth he was trying to communicate. Infants were supposed to be able to come to Jesus physically, because it pictures infants being able to come to him spiritually, not just in this life but in the next. Preventing infants from being brought to Jesus could communicate they don’t have access to him. Jesus Said, “Let the Little Children Come to Me,” Because the Kingdom of God Belongs to Them Jesus made it clear infants have access to him with the words, “To such belongs the kingdom of God.” The words "to such" are incredibly important. In the NIV, NASB, and Amplified, it says, "such as these." These words show Jesus wasn’t only saying the kingdom belongs to the infants brought to him. The kingdom also belongs to EVERY infant. I’m not alone in interpreting this as a guarantee of babies’ salvation. When preaching on this passage John MacArthur said: I am convinced that the Scripture is absolutely clear that when babies die and children die before reaching the point of personal accountability, they go to heaven. And I have collected all that material in a book. I have a copy of John's book, Safe in the Arms of God, which I referenced during these sermons. If you desire to understand infant salvation deeper than what I have taught, I highly recommend this book. [This] passage gives Kingdom citizenship to both children and those who are like children. [They] have not yet any understanding to desire His blessing but when they are presented to Him, He gently and kindly receives them and dedicates them to the Father by a solemn act of blessing. It would be cruel to exclude that age from the grace of redemption. It is an irreligious audacity to drive from Christ’s fold those whom He held in His arms and shut the door on them as strangers when He did not wish to forbid them. John Calvin (2013). “Commentary on Matthew”, p.388, Ravenio Books. I rejoice to know that the souls of all infants, as soon as they die, speed their way to Paradise. Think what a multitude there is of them! C. H. Spurgeon’s Autobiography, Vol. 1, ch. XVI, “A Defence of Calvinism,” Passmore and Alabaster, 1897, p. 175. Two Points About Jesus Blessing the Children Mark 10:16 [Jesus] took [children] in his arms AND BLESSED THEM, laying his hands on them. The parallel account in Mark’s gospel adds that Jesus blessed them. First, Jesus only blessed the saved, which makes sense. How blessed could people really be if they went to hell? How bad it would it look if Jesus blessed people and then they didn’t go to heaven? Second, Jesus blessed these babies, and if paedobaptism, or infant baptism, was biblical, we would also expect him to command the parents to have them baptized. But he didn’t. Why Would the Kingdom of God Belong to Infants? What is so commendable about infants that they get to receive the greatest possible gift? First, infants can be very loving. Typically, they are happy to be held, hugged, kissed, sometimes doing these things even at very young ages. Second, infants are forgiving. Even if infants are angry because they didn’t get what they wanted, they don’t hold grudges. When you return to an infant a little while later they are not upset with you about whatever it is they didn’t get. They do not keep a record of wrongs or harbor bitterness. Third, infants are very trusting, and trust is synonymous with faith. Infants are so trusting that as they get older we must teach them to be LESS trusting. We say things like, “Don’t talk to strangers. You can’t trust everyone.” Fourth, infants have sincere motives. When they smile, laugh, or giggle, it is completely genuine. They do it for no other reason than the joy they are experiencing. They don’t worry about how they appear to others. They don’t try to impress, which leads to the fifth thing about them... Fifth, infants lack pride: Ephesians 2:8 By grace you have been saved through faith. And this is NOT YOUR OWN DOING; it is the gift of God, 9 NOT A RESULT OF WORKS, so that no one may boast. Our salvation is not our own doing and not a result of our works. As we get older we can start to become proud and believe we contributed something to our salvation. But infants don’t have this problem. Jesus Said, “Let the Little Children Come to Me,” Because They Exemplify Salvation Apart from Works Considering there is no effort or merit on our parts to be saved, infants exemplify this incredibly well. They are the best example of the gospel’s recipients demonstrating divine grace and unconditional election. When I use the term unconditional election, I’m not even using it in a Calvinist versus Arminian way. I am using it in the most generic way possible to describe people being elected independently of anything they have done or could do. There's no better example than babies. They have done nothing to be elected, yet they are. They have done nothing to deserve the kingdom of heaven, yet it belongs to them. Luke 18:9 He also told this parable TO SOME WHO TRUSTED IN THEMSELVES THAT THEY WERE RIGHTEOUS, and treated others with contempt: Jesus preached this parable to the religious leaders. Because they believed the kingdom of God belonged to those who were good enough, the idea that infants could be saved was detestable to them. When Jesus held these infants and said the kingdom belonged to them, it flew in the face of the religious leaders’ teaching that the kingdom of God belonged to those who did enough. What Have Infants Done to Be Saved? Some people struggle with infant salvation, because they don't think infants have done enough. But if we understand the gospel, what have any of us done to be saved? Nothing. We haven’t done more to be saved than infants. Or another way to say it is, infants haven’t done less than us to be saved. Matthew 5:3 Blessed are THE POOR IN SPIRIT, for THEIRS IS THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN. In Luke 18 Jesus said the kingdom of God belongs to children. Here he says the kingdom of God belongs to the poor in spirit. The poor in spirit know they have nothing with which they could earn their salvation. They don’t trust in their own righteousness. So, it is fitting that the kingdom of God belongs to infants. They don’t think they are spiritually rich. We must get older to become proud and believe we deserve to go to heaven. A true Christian is poor in spirit, and MORE LIKE A LITTLE CHILD, and more disposed to a universal lowliness of behavior. Jonathan Edwards, Treatise Concerning the Religious Affections, Yale edition, 339. Jesus Said, “Let the Little Children Come to Me,” Because the Kingdom of God Belongs to People Like Them After making the point that the kingdom of God belongs to children and those like them, Jesus presents the other side: The kingdom of God does NOT belong to people who are not like children: Luke 18:17 Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.” If we are not like infants, we don’t even get to enter the kingdom. The Kingdom of God so clearly belongs to infants,