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When I was young, there was a temple near my home. When they were preparing for the spirit-medium rituals in front of the temple, they would prevent children from getting close, fearing that the children would interfere. The apostles seemed to have a similar mindset. When many parents brought their infants to see the Lord Jesus, they were blocked, as people believed that the children would hinder the important work that the Lord Jesus needed to do. As a result, they were rebuked. The original text shows that the Lord Jesus was very angry at that time, which is a rare occurrence. This conveys a very important message. First, no one should be prevented from coming to see Jesus. Secondly, the Lord Jesus has a special love for infants because He sees them as innocent and helpless. The Lord Jesus also sees that they will face this cruel world—a world temporarily controlled by Satan. Therefore, the Lord Jesus repeatedly used little children as examples to symbolize the citizens of the kingdom of heaven. Children are extremely precious because their hearts are soft, unlike adults who have been polluted by the world for a long time.
When I preach, the sound of children crying becomes one of my favorite sounds to hear. If I could raise our children again from the start, we would take them with us to visit others and care for others while they were still infants. We wouldn’t treat them as 'hindrances' but as 'co-workers.' God says, 'Children are a heritage from the Lord, offspring a reward from him. Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are children born in one’s youth. Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them. They will not be put to shame when they contend with their opponents in court' (Psalm 127:3-5). Parents are merely stewards, and the children need to be returned to God. The book of Proverbs is God's guide for parents' education—a wisdom that comes from God. The apostle Paul also reminds parents, 'Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord' (Ephesians 6:4). Are we preventing people from coming to church? Are we doing our utmost to encourage people to come and see the Lord Jesus? Are we bringing our own children to the Lord Jesus from a young age?
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