Let the Children Come
Mark 10:13-16
January 18-19, 2025
Rev. Brian Bill
After preaching at an evangelistic service, D.L. Moody reported, “we had two and one-half conversions.” One of his colleagues inquired, “I suppose you mean two adults and one child.” ‘No,’ Mr. Moody replied. “I mean two children and one adult. The children can give their whole lives to God, but an adult has only half a life left to give.”
On this Sanctity of Human Life weekend, we affirm, along with thousands of other churches, that every child, from conception on, is an image bearer of God, stamped with divine dignity and worthy of protection so they can give their whole lives to God. We’ll return to our “Journey to Joy” series in Philippians next weekend. Handouts of the prayer from Philippians 1 are available at the Welcome Center.
Some pastors have chosen, for various reasons, to remain silent on the sanctity of life. I don’t see that as an option. We’re compelled and constrained to communicate God’s heart with conviction and with compassion. Proverbs 14:25 summarizes our role: “A truthful witness saves lives, but one who breathes out lies is deceitful.” I submit that while abortion is, and should be debated politically, discussed emotionally, and described medically, at its primary roots, the protection of the preborn is a decidedly moral matter.
I’ve preached over 30 different Sanctity of Life sermons over the years and have asked the Lord to give me a fresh idea for this weekend and I’m thankful He has done so. As we walk through several passages in the gospels, we’re going to discover this truth: Because every child matters to Jesus, every child must matter to us. Incidentally, the word “children” is used 511 times in the Bible and 51 times in the gospels alone!
Our own community powerfully demonstrated the truth that every child matters when four-year-old Blessing Aoci went missing early Thursday morning and found nine hours later. The Rock Island Police Department did an incredible job taking the lead on the search, along with other area departments, the State Police, the Sheriff’s Department, the U.S. Marshals, and the FBI. Nancy Grace posted this story as did People magazine! Believers were mobilized to pray and my pastor friend Doug Rowland from Rock Island Bible Church was out most of the day searching for Blessing. In addition, the Quad Cities Missing Person Network, where I serve as chaplain, was invited to launch their Search and Rescue team. Traditional media and social media did a fantastic job getting her picture out, with thousands upon thousands sharing the information online.
As I thought about why there was such a unified response, and how quickly people were mobilized to get involved, it struck me it’s because inherently, everyone knows that children matter and must be protected. Everything possible must be done to make sure every child is safe and secure.
I submit that we must have this same unified response and rapid mobilization to protect all children, including the preborn.
Because every child matters to Jesus, every child must matter to us.
1. The preborn are drawn to Jesus. When Elizabeth was pregnant with John the Baptist and Mary was pregnant with Jesus, they met and greeted each other. Listen to Luke 1:41, 44: “And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the BABY leaped in her womb...for behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the BABY in my womb leaped for joy.” A fetus was the first to rejoice at the news of Jesus.
In Luke 2:16, the same word BABY denotes Jesus as a newborn: “And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the BABY lying in a manger.” The same word is used for both the preborn and the infant because what is in the womb is a BABY.
May the wonder of God’s work in the womb cause us to worship and leap for joy today!
2. Jesus affirmed a young boy for giving what he had. In John 6:1-14, Jesus asked Philip where they could get some bread to feed thousands of hungry people. Philip did some calculating and said it would take most of someone’s annual salary to do this. Andrew jumped in and said there was a young boy with five barley loaves and two fish but dismissed the idea that a little boy’s lunch could feed everyone. Jesus received the loaves and fish from the young boy and miraculously multiplied it to feed five thousand men. This miracle may not have happened if the young boy had not provided his lunchable to the Lord.
Paul Tripp writes, “No one in the crowd would have thought that this boy mattered…we will never know which little person God will use, and how.”
Matthew 14:21 says Jesus not only fed 5,000 men, but He also fed thousands of “women and children.” According to Matthew 15:38, Jesus fed another crowd on another day, which also included children: “Those who ate were four thousand men, besides women and children.”
3. Jesus received praise from children. In Matthew 21:15-16, many children gathered in the temple and sang praise to Jesus: “But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children crying out in the temple, ‘Hosanna to the Son of David!’ they were indignant, and they said to him, ‘Do you hear what these are saying?’ And Jesus said to them, ‘Yes; have you never read, ‘Out of the mouth of infants and nursing babies you have prepared praise’?” The religious leaders were enraged and tried to dismiss the children who were praising Jesus, while Jesus welcomed their worship. Jesus affirms the importance of children’s voices and their ability to praise Him. Even the youngest and most vulnerable deserve opportunities to offer their adoration to Him.
Let’s pause and ponder this. Even infants and nursing babies were praising Jesus! How does a newborn give praise to Him? Their very existence gives Him praise because they were created in the womb to worship Him. Liesl Parks, our nursery coordinator, along with her team of dedicated servants, provide praise songs for our infants every Sunday.
4. God revealed spiritual truth to children. In Matthew 11:25, Jesus celebrated how little children can understand and embrace deep spiritual truths: “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children.”
5. Jesus healed an official’s son from disease. Jesus was drawn to children with disease as we see in John 4:49-50: “The official said to him, ‘Sir, come down before my child dies.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Go; your son will live.’”
6. Jesus raised two children from the dead. Of the three people Jesus brought back to life, one was a young son (Luke 7:11-17), and one was a young daughter (Luke 8:40-56). I love how tender Jesus was when He took the young girl by the hand and said, “Child, arise.” After she sat up, He knew she would be hungry, so he directed them to give her something to eat!
7. Jesus freed a daughter and a son from a demon. One day, when Jesus traveled, a Gentile mother fell at His feet and pleaded with Him to cast a demon out of her daughter. Jesus had compassion on her and freed her little daughter from the unclean spirit (Mark 7:24-30). On another occasion, Jesus cast a demon out of a young boy. Again, we see the tenderness of Jesus toward a child when we read, “But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose.” (Mark 9:14-29)
This shows the power of Jesus over disease, death, and the devil, all done on behalf of children!
8. Jesus longed to gather children together. When looking over Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, we read these tender words from Jesus in Matthew 23:37: “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!” The children living in Jerusalem mattered so much to Jesus that He longed to gather them together to protect them.
9. When Jesus expressed affection for the disciples, He called them children. Listen to the tenderness and longing of the Lord in Mark 10:24: “And the disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said to them again, ‘Children, how difficult it is to enter the kingdom of God!’” Jesus used this same tender word in John 21:5 after the resurrection: “Jesus said to them, ‘Children, do you have any fish?’”
10. Jesus protected children and had no tolerance for those who hurt or harmed them. Using a graphic image, Jesus elevated the value of children with these jarring words found in Matthew 18:6: “But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.”
11. Jesus pointed to children as examples of faith. Mark 9:36-37 says, “And He took a child and put him in the midst of them…” Luke 9:48 tells us this was a “little child,” which is the word for infant or toddler. In our culture, we’re drawn to little children but in that culture, young kids were marginalized, ignored and at the bottom of the social ladder.
He didn’t have to go looking for a child because children were always around Him. After directing the child to come into the middle of the crowd, He exhibited unconditional acceptance and tenderness: “...and taking him in his arms, he said to them, ‘Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me, receives not me but Him who sent me.’”
By holding a little child in His arms, Jesus modeled what it means to “receive” one who is forgotten and ignored, much like the preborn today. Notice the word “receive” is used four times. To receive means, “to grant warm hospitality with a welcoming heart to a guest.” Like Jesus, we must care for the little, the least, and the lost. One way to “receive” a child today is to become a foster parent, to consider adoption, to rescue a frozen embryo through adoption, or to serve with Safe Families, Youth Hope, FCA, Child Evangelism Fellowship, or Pregnancy Resources.
12. Jesus welcomed, embraced, and blessed children. Let’s turn to Mark 10:13-16 where we will discover four actions for us to take.
• Bring your children to Jesus. Look at verse 13: “And they were bringing children to Him that He might touch them…” Parents were continuously bringing their kids to Jesus so they could be touched by Him. The tense of the verb shows repetition, meaning this was something that happened all the time. I picture a long line of moms, babies in their arms with toddlers at their feet, nearly on top of one another, as they shuffled closer to where Jesus was sitting. Luke 18:15 adds: “Now they were bringing even infants to Him…” Don’t miss this: parents must bring their children to Jesus because they’re too little to bring themselves.
The word “touch” means “to connect by exerting influence.” Parents and grandparents, we must do all we can to bring our children and grandchildren as close to Jesus as possible so they can be touched by Him. One of the ways we partner with parents is through our Child Dedication services. Our next one will be February 15-16.
I’m reminded of what happened when a family was driving away from a church after the dedication of their baby. Seeing the older brother crying in the back seat, the mother asked him what was wrong, and he replied, “The pastor said he wanted us to be brought up in a Christian home…but I want to stay with you guys!”
As a church family, we are committed to helping parents evangelize and disciple their children in a Christian home. There are many books on parenting and grandparenting on a table in the south lobby. We also have copies of David Jeremiah’s commentary on Philippians called, “The Joy of Living in Christ.”
• Beware of attitudes that hinder children. In the last part of verse 13, we see how the disciples responded to this interruption: “…and the disciples rebuked them.” The word “rebuke” literally means, “to be muzzled.” It’s the same word used by Jesus when He rebuked the wind and the sea in Mark 4. It has the idea of strictly forbidding something with the threat of punishment if the command is not obeyed. The disciples may have said something like this: “Jesus doesn’t have time for your little brats. Stop bothering Him. He has more important things to do.”
This elitist attitude lights the Lord up in verse 14: “But when Jesus saw it, He was indignant and said to them, ‘Let the children come to me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God.’” The disciples didn’t want Jesus to be bothered by kids, but Jesus was more bothered by the disciples! To be “indignant” means “to be sorely vexed with great anger; to grieve much.” The idea is to have intense irritation and unrestrained repugnance. Isaiah 22:4 captures the intensity behind it: “Let me weep bitter tears.” Children are intended to be a blessing, not a burden.
This week, I gave a message at Youth Hope’s Men of Valor and Excellence program. This program matches a Christian man with a third-grade boy from two schools in East Moline. Our aim is to help them learn how to respect others. I spoke on the importance of watching words because they bring life, or they bring death. After demonstrating how our words are like toothpaste which can’t be put back in the tube, I asked these young boys what kind of hurtful words have been spoken to them. I was jarred by their answers because it shows how they have been dismissed by others and how these words of death have lodged in their souls.
You can’t do it.
I hate you.
I wish you would never have lived.
I wish you would die.
You should suffer.
People made fun of me when my grandpa died.
I will kill you.
Go to H…
I was encouraged by the words of life they’ve heard as well.
We’ll be friends forever.
You’re the best friend in the world.
I wish you would live forever.
I love you.
You are smart.
You’re my favorite person.
I like your shoes.
Incidentally, a total of 12 Edgewood men of valor are part of this program.
The dismissive attitude of the disciples toward young image-bearers made Jesus extremely sad and excruciatingly mad because they saw children as expendable interruptions. Pastor Chad offers this insight: “The threat to children in that moment wasn’t the Romans, the scribes, the Pharisees, Herod’s son, or any outside source…it was those closest to Him.” The disciples thought Jesus needed protection from bothersome children, but these children needed protection from arrogant adults. Jesus became indignant that anyone should think children unimportant.
Since we have a limited window of opportunity, we need to give our best efforts to children in the womb and those outside the womb – as parents, as grandparents, and as a church. Here’s a startling statistic: over 80% of those who come to Christ, do so before the age of 18. According to many studies, most Christian conversions occur between the ages of 4 and 14, often referred to as the “4-14 window.”
That’s why we invest so much of our resources as a church into our EdgeKids ministry under the servant leadership of Marcy Kongkousonh. That’s also why we’re proposing a restroom renovation project in our children’s area at our annual meeting.
The phrase, “let them come” is a sharp double command which could be translated, “Start allowing.” The KJV reads, “Suffer the little children to come unto me.” I like the NASB, “Permit the children to come to Me.” Children by their very nature want to come to Jesus so we must allow them to come.
The phrase, “do not hinder them” means, “to stop restraining” them. We must make sure they’re allowed to live, to learn, and to love God. Children have high value, whether they are in a womb, or in a room. The kingdom belongs “to such as these,” for those who are weak, empty handed, and helpless.
• Become like children to receive the kingdom of God. Once again, Jesus uses children to teach adults about spiritual truth in verse 15: “Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.” Children are precious in their own right, and they stand for something bigger than themselves. Jesus is saying that if you want to be saved, you first need to become like a child.
• Bless children warmly. Jesus was asked by parents to touch their children, but He did a lot more than that in verse 16: “And He took them in His arms and blessed them, laying His hands on them.” Don’t miss that Jesus took each child in His arms, showing He cares about each individual image-bearer, every infant, and every embryo. He could have given them a big group hug, but He picked up each child one-by-one, and blessed each one personally, using touch and words.
The word for “blessed” is an intensive compound verb which means He “fervently blessed repeatedly and warmheartedly.” The verb “to bless” literally means, “to bow the knee.” We’re called to do the same. This makes me think of Isaiah 40:11: “He will tend his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms; he will carry them in his bosom, and gently lead those that are with young.”
When I was in the waiting room to see my dentist this week, I introduced myself to a young mom and her son. After inviting her to church, I summarized this passage, pointing out how children matter to Jesus and how much they wanted to be close to Him. She told me she had never heard this account before, but she really liked it. I hope they come and join us soon.
Because every child matters to Jesus, every child must matter to us. One of the ways we live this out as a church is by partnering with the team at Pregnancy Resources.
