Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven. v14
Parents with little children at home can understand what it means to suffer. Their yelling and screaming, their fighting over toys, their dangerous antics and unrelenting obstinacy. It does build character in a parent!
Tonight I am looking at another meaning of the word "suffer" with respect to little children. In the KJV, this 17th Century English word means "to let" or "to allow". Thus, the Amplified Bible puts v14 as follows:
But He said, Leave the children alone! Allow the little ones to come to Me, and do not forbid or restrain or hinder them, for of such [as these] is the kingdom of heaven composed
In this story, the Lord Jesus had left Galilee and had arrived on the coastal region of Judaea, where He met large crowds of people who followed him around. Along the way, he was tested with tricky theological questions by some Pharisees regarding a controversial issue about the legality of divorce. Even the disciples were confused about this issue and had to be advised further by the Lord. (v10)
While everyone was preoccupied with questions of the Mosaic Law, with issues that matter in heaven, some people brought a group of little children to the Lord. They asked for Him to lay His hands on the children and to pray for them. Couldn't they see that they were interrupting a very serious conversation among adults? Obviously, that was a very inappropriate time to bring in those noisy and naughty little children to ask for the Lord's blessing. It's not surprising that the disciples rebuked them!
But the Lord surprised everybody. He told them to allow these children to come to Him, "for of such is the kingdom of heaven". This reminds me of something that the Lord had taught the disciples earlier while they were still in Galilee, when they had asked Him, "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?". (Matthew 18: 1) He called a little child, brought him into their midst, and said:
Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven. v3, 4
It looks like the disciples didn't learn their lesson well enough when they rebuked those who brought the children for the Lord's touch and prayers. They had missed the whole point: that it was these very humble and simple children that exemplify the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
Dear Christians, have we been busy with theological polemics? Have we been preoccupied with giving profound answers to tricky questions? Are so caught up in proving our point in debates and controversies that, like the disciples, we've missed the whole point about the kingdom of heaven? Let us remember to suffer little children among our midst, and to humble ourselves to be like them.
For of such is the kingdom of heaven.
