After all, he also heals, doesn't he? He performs miracles. There's something unusual, unique in this moment. Little do they know how unique, how lovely, how beautiful this king was. But the parents, they show one thing here, and that is they have a humble hope. They live by faith. If only Jesus would touch the children and bestow his blessing, their lives would be changed forever. This isn't just a pat on the back, a tussling of the hair. Good game, kid. No, this is a life-altering moment. They'd be changed forever. But what is the verse going to say? And when the disciples saw it, They rebuked them as the parents. The disciples fail despite their good intentions. They weren't trying to be mean or rude. They had great intentions. Jesus' ministry was incredibly busy. He was exhausted many times. He had nowhere to lay his head. He had no place to call home, not while he was here. He labored to save his people, to teach his people, to bring the kingdom of God before them and to them. And so the disciples see this, they have compassion on their friend, on their mentor, on the rabbi, their leader, and they seek to be good friends and servants to him. Jesus. Hang on a minute. Jesus, listen to me. You're too busy, brother. You don't have time for these infants. You don't have time for this whole crowd. Brother, you've been go, go, go. When are you gonna rest? You don't have time for these infants, toddlers, or any children. We gotta keep moving, Jesus. The views on children back in the day, in this time, weren't very high, it was mixed. People love their children, of course, we always do, but in society, children weren't viewed all that highly, much as it is now. Go into the cities. You don't see as many children in them as you once did. There's a reason for that. There's a reason why birth rates are falling. Children impede on my freedom. Children impede on my life. That's too much of a sacrifice. But I also wonder if in that day, if it wasn't for another reason, one that is not as familiar to us. Children so often died. What do we do when we face hardship time and time again? We don't want our hearts to grow bigger or too envelop those people around us, do we? We're going to lose them. We shrink our hearts trying to stave off the inevitable catastrophe of losing a loved one. We don't want to have that heartache. It's better to have loved and lost than not loved at all. Maybe. It hurts a lot to lose a loved one, especially children. One commentary touched on this when it said, Sickness and death among infants and children were much higher in earlier societies. Half of the number of babies born did not live to see their fifth birthday. Half of the children born didn't live to the age five. Half. And only 40% of those reached age 20. Do you hear those numbers? Half of the children born died before five. 40% of those who remained would make it to 20 years old. So if you wanted to have grandchildren, you need to have five kids at least to have potential at two. Children who made it to childbearing years And of course, some families were blessed and their children lived longer than other families, lost every one of their children. That's how these statistics work. But that could explain why there was a small heart towards children. They're going to die anyways. I can't bear to love them and get close to them. Therefore, perhaps in the eyes of the disciples, they're just saving Jesus' time. That doesn't go over well, does it? Doesn't go over well. Sincerity and good intentions do not mean that the result is automatically good. Sincerity and good intentions do not have an automatic good result. The disciples are not loving Jesus. They're not loving the children. They're not loving the parents. They're not loving the plan of salvation, of redemption, and so on. They're not loving all of those people and all those things according to the truth. You must have truth. Love deficient of truth is a failed love. Take a note of that one. Love deficient of truth is a failed love. Love is not whatever you make it. The disciples certainly thought they were being loving. But what does Jesus do? Look at verse 16. But Jesus called them to him, saying, let the children come to me, and do not hinder them, for of such, I will say, belongs the kingdom of God. Jesus overcomes our failures. He overcomes the failure of the disciples. He calls us. He calls these parents with their children and he rebukes those who stand with a deficient love, a love deficient of truth. The parents holding their infants are called to Christ to come near. He will indeed do what they want and so much more. Calvin comments on the section, it's beautiful. He says this, he says, this narrative is highly useful for it shows that Christ receives not only those who moved by holy desire and faith freely approach to him, but those who are not yet of age to know how much they need his grace. He calls those who have a tinge of understanding and he calls those who are ignorant Those little children 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. That's our Jesus. That's a disposition towards children. That's the creator and sustainer of all things. and his love for his children. Jesus commands the disciples positively, excuse me, and negatively. He says positively, let them come. It's not a suggestion, it's a command. In the text, it's a command. Let them come. And then negatively says, do not hinder them. Let them come, do not hinder them. They mean the same thing, but it's so well-rounded. There is no wiggle room. There is no way out of it. Jesus desires the little children to come to him. Do not stop them. Parents, come forward, bring your children. No doubt, such a rebuke was humiliating. Think about the crowd. Think about the crowd. Think about the disciples doing this work. Thinking they're, man, we're doing a great job. We're keeping Jesus on track. This ministry is going great. Oh, now we're being rebuked in front of everybody. We're being rebuked in front of the very parents that we said, stop it. In fact, they rebuke the parents. Don't bring your children here. We don't have time. Can't you see he's busy? And then imagine how sheepishly they accept this rebuke of Christ to them. Yet it's necessary. It was necessary that Jesus would rebuke his disciples, and any of us today who seek to hinder the children to coming to him. It's necessary because Jesus Christ is compassionate enough to correct our errors. Do y'all see that? Jesus is compassionate enough to correct our errors, just as he did the disciples. He lays down his life for the disciples, doesn't he? As he does for us. Doesn't he wash their feet, this humiliating task? He does so, he does for us. He loves them and he loves them enough to tell them the truth, even when it hurts. Jesus continues, do not hinder them for to such or of such belongs the kingdom of God. Of such belongs the kingdom of God. The way it's written there, of such rather than to such, makes more sense. It's generating from these children. There's something, there's a quality there that's from them. It's not something that's going towards them. There's a quality within them. It's inherent to children. What is it? Children belong to the kingdom of God, yes, but that's because they are an example of trusting childlike faith. He must become a child to enter in. This is why Jesus rebukes graciously. He rebukes his disciples and teaches just how much God loves the little children. This is a note from the Geneva Bible. It's beautiful. It says, he comprehendeth as well them that are infants of age as them also which are like unto infants in simplicity and plainness." Jesus cares for the little children, and he also cares for us, that we would become simple and plain before him. That we become simple and plain before him. This is a hard balance to strike, for we are told to plumb the depths of doctrine, of scripture. For theology brings out the true things of God. And we should delight in learning more about him. But there is an entrance that must be simple, must be plain. Jesus Christ lived the perfect life that we could not have lived that we fall short of because we bear sin within ourselves. We are guilty from the moment of conception, not birth, but from conception. And then when we grow old enough, because you don't have to teach a child to lie, you don't have to teach a child to steal, hit, or any of those things, from us, ourselves, all these sins are acted out. Jesus, perfectly conceived without sin, conceived by the Holy Spirit of the Virgin Mary, He was not subject to that original sin. He did not act out of a sin nature to sin himself. Jesus Christ lived the perfect life that you and I could not live. And he died the death that we all deserve, for the wages of sin is death. There is no way around it. You can't, you cannot think that, well, my good works might just tip the scales enough. I know I've done bad, God, can't my good works tip the scales just a little bit in my favor? No, no, no, no, no, no, no. This is the rebuke of that. That's works righteousness. That is saying, I will work to be righteous before you, God. That's no gospel, that's condemnation. But Jesus Christ, he says, come freely. Buy without money. Take, eat. This is my body, my blood. I have done the work for you. That's the plainness, the simplicity of the gospel. That's what Jesus is saying that we must be like to enter into the kingdom of heaven. Do you view children as Christ does? We are infected by the spirit of our age. Do you have a low view of children? Do you have such a high view of your own life and your own desires that children just don't line up with that? Do you have a low view of children? Talk about the least of these. I think we have in mind that the least of these are only the poor. What about the children who are absolutely and utterly without defense, completely reliant on us for their own life? the least of these. Do you recognize that that's why we baptized Owen? That's why this happened. Because Jesus says, come unto me, he was brought. Do you see yourself in that baptism? Do you see yourself as helpless, as an infant, A Presbyterian theologian from 100 years ago, last name of Warfield, said that every baptism, every baptism was an infant baptism. Why? Because we're all like infants in our ability to save ourselves. If an infant falls into water, can they save themselves? If an infant comes in danger, or something is coming towards them, can they save themselves? Can an infant do anything for themselves to bring about their safety? No. And so we are all like infants before God, and we need to be saved. Do you see that the mark of water and blood flowing from Christ's side has been poured out upon you to cleanse you, that his spirit has been poured out upon you to cleanse you, your soul. Verse 17, truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it. We must receive the kingdom of God with full trust as a child in order to enter in. Jesus gets our attention when he says, verily or truly I say unto thee or unto you, This statement that said over and over again in the gospels, truly, truly, verily, verily, he's getting our attention. He is signifying that we ought to lay aside all malice and all pride. What could possibly come from holding on to that malice and pride that would hinder us from entering into the kingdom of heaven? What do you stand to gain that is greater than the kingdom itself, than Jesus himself? Don't be deceived. There is nothing that you could hold onto, not sex, not money, not power, not fame, not nothing. The kingdom of God is greater, far greater than any of those things. Matthew Henry summarizes this passage well when he says, None are too little, too young to be brought to Christ. Who knows, that is Christ, how to show kindness to those not capable of doing service for him. It is the mind of Christ that little children should be brought to him, that promises to us and to our seed. Therefore, he will bid them welcome to him with us, to our children with us. And we must receive his kingdom as children, not by purchase. There's not something we're going to exchange to get it. We must call it a gift from our father in heaven. So let me close with this. And it's kind of the questions that I asked earlier, but I'm going to reiterate them. We witnessed the baptism of an infant. Do you see yourself in the same place as helpless as that infant before God to save yourself, that you need Jesus to save you. Do you recognize that today? Do you acknowledge this? Do you see how much Jesus loves the little children, that he loves them so much that he corrects serious errors that would keep them away from him? He does so for us that we would not stay away. The Son of God has designed children to be walking sermons before us. Children are a walking sermon. They're a sermon illustration all over the place. Every time they color on the walls, throw food on the ground, scratch their knees yet again. But do you see them as a walking sermon that's preaching to you dependence upon Jesus? Do you see that when you look at your own children? If you don't have children, do you see them in the children of others? I would plead with you. I don't know, actually a lot of you don't know, but I plead with you. If you don't know this reality, please talk with me afterwards. Talk with an elder. This reality must be yours. I'm pleading with you for your soul. Come unto Jesus. I'm pleading with you that you come into the kingdom like a child. Amen. Let's pray. Dear Heavenly Father, you are good to us, you are gracious, you are kind. Call every one of us unto yourself. As little children, we ask this in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.