XCIX.
BLESSING CHILDREN. CONCERNING CHILDLIKENESS.
(In Peræa.)
^aMATT. XIX. 13-15; ^bMARK X. 13-16; ^cLUKE XVIII. 15-17.

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      ^a13 Then were there brought   ^b13 And they were bringing ^aunto him little children, {^calso their babes,} that he should touch them: ^athat he should lay his hands on them, and pray [According to Buxtorf, children were often brought to the presidents of the synagogue in order that they might pray over them. The prayers of a good man in our behalf have always been regarded as a blessing; no wonder, then, that the mothers of these children desired the prayers of Jesus in behalf of their little ones. It was customary to put the hand upon the person prayed for, probably following the patriarchal precedent (Gen. xlviii. 14, 15). Compare Acts vi. 6]: ^cbut {^aand} ^cwhen the disciples saw it, they [541] rebuked them.   ^b14 But when Jesus saw it, he was moved with indignation, and ^ccalled them unto him, saying, {^bsaid} unto them, ^cSuffer the little children to come unto me; forbid them not: ^afor to such belongeth the kingdom of heaven. {^bof God.} [The disciples wished to protect Jesus from what appeared to them to be an unseemly intrusion and annoyance, and possibly, as the context suggests, they thought it was beneath the dignity of the Messiah to turn aside from the affairs of the kingdom of heaven (Matt. xix. 12) to pay attention to children. But Jesus was indignant at their officious interference, and directed that the children be brought to him, declaring at the same time that the kingdom of heaven be composed, not of little children, but of such as are childlike in their nature.]   ^c17 Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall in no wise enter therein. [See p. 431.]   ^b16 And he took them up in his arms,   ^a15 And he laid {^blaying} ^ahis hands on {^bupon} ^athem, ^band blessed them, ^aand departed thence. [They were [542] brought that he might lay his hands on them and bless them, and that is what he did for them. The command therefore that they be suffered to come to him should not be perverted into a precept directing that they be brought for other purposes. Those who have construed this as commanding or even permitting either infant baptism or an infant church membership, have abused the text. They are indebted for these ideas, not to the Bible, but to their creeds. The incident told in this section is a fitting sequel to the discourse on divorce. The little children, the offspring of happy wedlock, and a source of constant joy and pleasure to faithful husbands and wives, serve by their presence to correct false impressions as to supposed inconvenience of an indissoluble marriage bond. The sight of them in the arms of Jesus could not fail to leave a good impression with reference to the married life.]