Mark 10:13-16
Luke 18:15 records the same passage, but the wording specifies that the children were infants.
The book of Mark was said to be the eyewitness account of Peter, with Mark as his scribe. The Gospels show how the apostles were often obstacles to Jesus' ministry... Peter was brutally honest about the apostles' (and his own) spiritual ineptitude. This is comforting to us, as we stumble through our walk with Christ.
v13... Here, the apostles were just trying to guard Jesus' time. Does Jesus throw them out of his presence for their mistake? No! He rebukes them, and still loves them.
Why did these people want Jesus to touch their babies? In the Old Testament, we see evidence that the blessing of a patriarch, a man of God, was honored by God. The people recognize him as a man of God, and want his blessing! Does this kind of blessing carry into the new covenant? Yes! In James 5, we see that the prayer of a righteous elder has great power.
Acts 8:14... the apostles laid their hands on people, giving their blessing, and the people, already saved, received the Holy Spirit. Also Hebrews 6 shows the laying on of hands. At Calvary, we baptize and lay hands on them to pray for them.
v14... Jesus is communicating that we need to be as dependent on God as babies are on their parents.
v15... at Calvary, we don't believe in infant baptism because Scripture shows it to be an act for those who have already made a profession of faith. But in this passage we may ask, if children are brought to Jesus here, then why should they be denied baptism? Also, in Acts, we hear of whole households being baptized.
...we would argue that, looking at context, Jesus is using babies here as an illustration for the adults, and his blessing of these babies doesn't equate to baptism or conversion. It's a picture of salvation, rather than a prescription of infant baptism.
v16... he blessed them and laid his hands on them.
In v14, "don't hinder the babies"... reminds us of Mark 9:42: “Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him if a great millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea." It's very clear that, as disciples, we don't want to be a stumbling block or temptation for "these little ones" to sin. Ironically, the disciples failed at this, illustrating what not to do!
When dealing with little ones or new Christians, we don't want to be contentious or quick to shoot people down; we should be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger. We don't want to hinder the work of God! If we disagree with someone, we should do it gently and respectfully.
