As a church, we are in the midst of another wonderful week of Vacation Bible School. I have found myself reflecting on one of the most beautiful scenes in the Gospels found in Mark 10. All week long our church has been filled with the sounds of children laughing, singing, learning Scripture, asking questions, and hearing about Jesus. It is a reminder that children are not a distraction from ministry. They are one of the greatest mission fields God has entrusted to the church.
That truth is beautifully illustrated in Mark 10:13-16. Mark tells us, “And they were bringing children to him that he might touch them, and the disciples rebuked them.” At first glance, the disciples’ reaction seems shocking. Parents were bringing their little children, even infants, to Jesus so that He might bless them, pray for them, and place His hands upon them. Yet the disciples attempted to send them away.
Why would they do that?
Most likely, the disciples viewed these children as unimportant. In the ancient world, children occupied one of the lowest positions in society. They possessed no status, no influence, no wealth, and no power. In a culture where a person’s value was often tied to what they could contribute, children were easily overlooked. Perhaps the disciples assumed Jesus had more important things to do than spend time with little ones.
But Jesus saw things very differently. Mark tells us that when Jesus witnessed this, He became “indignant.” This is strong language. In fact, this is the only place in the Gospels where this particular word is used to describe Jesus. He was visibly displeased by what His disciples were doing.
Why?
Certainly, part of the answer is that Jesus loves children. Throughout His ministry, Jesus consistently moved toward those whom society pushed aside. He welcomed the overlooked, the weak, the broken, and the forgotten. Children mattered to Him because every child bears the image of God and possesses immeasurable worth.
As followers of Christ, this should shape our own priorities. We should love children. We should invest in children. We should pray for children. We should gladly serve in ministries that help children hear and understand the gospel. Every volunteer who taught a class, prepared a snack, led music, checked children into classrooms, or simply showed kindness during Vacation Bible School participated in something that matters deeply to the heart of Jesus.
Yet there is something even deeper happening in this passage. Jesus responds to His disciples by saying, “Let the children come to me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God” (Mark 10:14).
What does He mean?
Jesus is not primarily emphasizing the innocence of children. Anyone who has raised children knows that they are not morally perfect. Nor is He teaching that children automatically possess saving faith simply because they are young.
Rather, Jesus is using children as an illustration of how people enter His kingdom.
He explains this in the very next verse: “Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it” (Mark 10:).
The key word is “receive.”
Children, especially infants, contribute nothing. They are completely dependent upon others. They cannot earn food, provide shelter, or care for themselves. Everything they possess comes as a gift. They simply receive.
That is precisely how a person enters the kingdom of God. We do not enter God’s kingdom through our morality, our religious performance, our good works, or our achievements. We enter with empty hands. We come recognizing our spiritual poverty and our desperate need for grace. We come acknowledging that we have nothing to offer God except our need for mercy.
Jesus is teaching that the kingdom belongs to those who understand their helplessness and cast themselves entirely upon Him.
That lesson is just as important for adults as it is for children. One of the greatest obstacles to faith is self-sufficiency. We often imagine that we are strong enough, wise enough, or good enough to handle life on our own. We assume we can earn God’s favor through our efforts or somehow make ourselves acceptable before Him.
The gospel says otherwise. The gospel begins when we stop trusting ourselves and start trusting Christ. It begins when we acknowledge that we cannot save ourselves and rest completely in what Jesus has done for us through His life, death, and resurrection.
Perhaps that is one reason children often grasp the gospel more readily than adults. Children understand dependence. They know what it means to trust someone bigger, stronger, and wiser than themselves. Adults, on the other hand, often spend years convincing themselves they do not need help.
The Christian life never outgrows this posture of dependence. We enter the kingdom as children, and we continue living in the kingdom as children. Every day we depend upon God’s grace. Every day we rely upon Christ’s strength. Every day we come to Him with empty hands and needy hearts.
As I watched hundreds of children fill our church this week, I was reminded that Vacation Bible School is about far more than games, crafts, snacks, and activities. At its heart, VBS is about bringing children to Jesus.
And what wonderful encouragement we find in this passage: Jesus welcomes them. He is not annoyed by them. He is not too busy for them. He is not uninterested in them. He gladly receives them into His arms.
May we never become a church that hinders children from coming to Christ. Instead, may we continue to pray for them, teach them, disciple them, and point them to the Savior.
And may all of us, whether young or old, remember the lesson Jesus teaches here. The kingdom of God is received, not earned. It belongs to those who come with the humble dependence of a child and trust entirely in Christ. To such belongs the kingdom.
