◄ What Does Mark 10:15 Mean? ►

What a great blessing to have a childlike mind and the sort of attitude towards the Lord that we discover within the heart of a little child. All of us are sinners, and children also have a sin nature and are in equal need of redemption, but little children are a wonderful example of a heart that is ready to hear the good news of salvation and a mind that is ready and willing to receive the good news of the gospel of grace.

Little children give a positive response to gospel truth, for they come with helplessness, without merit, without an agenda, and are generally uninfluenced by a worldview that is at enmity with God.

Little children come to Jesus with a heart that is open to receive the truth willingly, and are not seeking to engage in the philosophical debating that is so evident within the closed minds of those that have reached the age of maturity.

We read in this passage that the Lord had just been accosted by a group of hypocritical Pharisees who were trying to trick Him with questions that not only demonstrated a disinterest in the truth, but showed a total lack of understanding of the Word of God, and ignorance in respect of the importance that the Lord places on the sanctity of marriage and the issue of divorce.

The disciples wanted to continue quizzing Jesus on this matter, for it was evident that they also did not understand how God viewed these important issues, and so they sought to block the approach of some little children who were being brought to see Jesus by their parents. The disciples even rebuked those that were bringing them to the Lord, treating the adults with distain and preventing the children from being able to approach Him freely.

Jesus was indignant. He was extremely angry that the disciples were preventing little children from coming to Him and hindering them from approaching Him. The severity of rebuke that Christ gave His disciples proved to be the thing that angered Jesus the most throughout His entire earthly ministry.

Jesus was enraged because the eager response from the children was being stifled. Do not hinder the children from coming to Me was His angry reprimand to the disciples. He was demonstrating how important it is in the eyes of God to share the gospel of Christ with little children, for Jesus knows that the childlike heart is the one that responds naturally to the gospel if someone does not get in their way.

Children are the best example to show us how to get into the kingdom of God, for all must come with an open heart, a willing mind, and a positive response to the truth of the glorious gospel of grace.

The eager and simple way that children come to Jesus is the way that we all should approach Him: helplessly; simply; trustingly; without personal merit; without any learned biases; with a open mind that is ready to accept the truth willingly and joyfully. It is no surprise that we are all called to come to Jesus like a little child: "For truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at all."

Heavenly Father, grow in me the beautiful childlike qualities that are so precious to You. I pray that I may come to You, day by day, with an attitude of helpless, trusting dependence, joyful hope, a spirit yielded to You, a heart that is open to the truth of the gospel, and a teachable mind that is open to all You would have me learn and understand. May I decrease and You increase in my life, and may I grow in grace to Your praise and glory. In Jesus' name I pray, AMEN.