They
were also bringing their babies to him, that he might touch them. But when the disciples saw it, they rebuked them. Jesus summoned them, saying, “Allow the little children to come to me, and don’t hinder them, for God’s Kingdom belongs to such as these. Most certainly, I tell you, whoever doesn’t receive God’s Kingdom like a little child, he will in no way enter into it.”
Luke 18:15-17
Luke 18 [9.] He spoke also this parable to certain people who were convinced of their own righteousness, and who despised all others. “Two men went up into the temple to pray; one was a Pharisee, and the other was a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and prayed to himself like this: ‘God, I thank you, that I am not like the rest of men, extortionists, unrighteous, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week. I give tithes of all that I get.’ But the tax collector, standing far away, wouldn’t even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
Luke 18 [15.] They were also bringing their babies to him, that he might touch them. But when the disciples saw it, they rebuked them. Jesus summoned them, saying, “Allow the little children to come to me, and don’t hinder them, for God’s Kingdom belongs to such as these. Most certainly, I tell you, whoever doesn’t receive God’s Kingdom like a little child, he will in no way enter into it.”
Luke 18 [18.] A certain ruler asked him, saying, “Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”
Meaning:
Luke places this scene straight after the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector, which ends, “for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted” (Luke 18:14). The proud man and the humble sinner are now followed by a picture of the humility Jesus means: babies carried to him in their parents’ arms. Mark and Matthew record the same event (Mark 10:13-16; Matthew 19:13-15).
- “They were also bringing their babies to him”
Luke alone uses the word for babies or infants. Parents in Israel often asked a respected rabbi or elder to lay hands on their children and pray a blessing over them. These parents wanted the touch of Jesus for their little ones. Infants could not earn anything, understand teaching or offer service. They could only be brought.
- “But when the disciples saw it, they rebuked them”
The disciples probably thought they were protecting their teacher’s time for more important people and more important work. Only a short while earlier they had argued about which of them was the greatest, and Jesus had set a little child beside him and said, “Whoever receives this little child in my name receives me” (Luke 9:48). They had not yet learned the lesson. Mark tells us that Jesus “was moved with indignation” at their rebuke (Mark 10:14).
- “Allow the little children to come to me”
Jesus does not merely tolerate the children. He calls them to himself and forbids anyone to hinder them. In a world where children had little status, Jesus gives them a place of honour, and says, “God’s Kingdom belongs to such as these.” The Kingdom is not reserved for the important, the learned or the religiously accomplished. It belongs to those who come with empty hands. Mark adds that “He took them in his arms, and blessed them, laying his hands on them” (Mark 10:16).
- “Whoever doesn’t receive God’s Kingdom like a little child”
This is the heart of the passage. A little child receives a gift without trying to deserve it and trusts the one who gives it. That is how the Kingdom must be received: as a gift of grace, not as a reward for merit. Matthew records a similar saying: “Most certainly I tell you, unless you turn, and become as little children, you will in no way enter into the Kingdom of Heaven” (Matthew 18:3). The very next scene in Luke shows a rich ruler asking, “what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” (Luke 18:18). He thinks in terms of doing; the children show the way of receiving.
The Significance of Luke 18:15-17
- Receiving rather than achieving
Many people approach God as if they must first become good enough. Jesus turns that thinking upside down. The way in is to come as a dependent child, trusting the Father’s love. Jesus told Nicodemus, “unless one is born anew, he can’t see God’s Kingdom” (John 3:3). New birth begins with childlike trust.
- Bringing children to Jesus
The passage encourages parents, grandparents and churches to bring children to Jesus through prayer, blessing and teaching, and warns against anything that would hinder them. Children are not a distraction from the work of the Kingdom; they are an example of how to enter it.
- Childlike, not childish
Paul urges believers not to be children in understanding (1 Corinthians 14:20). Jesus is not praising immaturity but humble trust and openness. Peter puts it this way: “as newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the Word, that with it you may grow” (1 Peter 2:2).
Cross-References:
Mark 10:15: "Most certainly I tell you, whoever will not receive God’s Kingdom like a little child, he will in no way enter into it." Mark’s parallel account.
Matthew 18:3: "unless you turn, and become as little children, you will in no way enter into the Kingdom of Heaven." Turning and becoming like a child.
Luke 18:14: "he who humbles himself will be exalted." The parable that introduces this scene.
Conclusion: When the disciples tried to keep babies away, Jesus called them to himself and declared that God’s Kingdom belongs to such as these. No one enters the Kingdom by status or achievement; everyone must receive it as a little child receives a gift, with humble trust in the One who gives it.
PIB Scriptures are derived from the World English Bible