Tag Archives: Let the Little Children

To Such Belongs the Kingdom

One of the key principles of faithful Bible reading is that context informs interpretation. It is a dangerous thing to extract a verse from its setting and make it say what we want it to say, rather than what God has actually said. And few verses have suffered more sentimental misuse than the words of our Lord in this passage: “Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God” (Luke 18:16). These words are beautiful and encouraging. Our Savior welcomes little children brought to him and rebukes those who would keep them away. He is not inconvenienced by the weak, the small, the needy, or the overlooked.

But here is the caution: We must guard against using or welcoming this verse as a child-centered mantra that distorts its proper use in its original context. Children are not the ultimate theme of this passage. Grace is.

A Blessed Life

Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven” (Mt. 19:14). The analogy runs as an undercurrent through this psalm. We come not to the Lord as workers of anxious toil who have merited God’s favor but as children who bring nothing but need. He who is always working, worked on our behalf, becoming our eternal provision and protection through his life, death, and resurrection. And because of the work of Christ, we become children of God by grace through faith, gifts from our Father not our works (Ep. 2:8-9). And it is by God’s grace that we live out our faith in the blessed life he gives, working as unto the Lord, raising our children for his glory, and trusting always in his provision.