Suffer the Little Children

Suffer the Little Children

By Jenny Komenda

"Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God. Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein." — Mark 10:14–15

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Picture the scene: a crowd pressing in around the Savior, weary adults jostling for position, and anxious parents lifting their little ones above the noise to be blessed by Jesus. The disciples — practical men, protective of the Master's time — try to wave the families away. Surely the Lord has more important work to do than blessing babies.

But Jesus stops everything. Mark records that the apostles' rebuke left Him "much displeased" (Mark 10:14), and in that rare flash of holy frustration we glimpse how deeply the Savior feels about children. He gathers them into His arms, places His hands upon them, and blesses them (Mark 10:16). Luke adds that even infants were brought to Him (Luke 18:15). No child was too small to matter.

Charles Spurgeon captured this beautifully: "Jesus's heart was a great harbor wherein many little ships might cast anchor." The smallest, most fragile vessels found safe refuge in Him — not at the margins, but at the very center of His ministry.

Yet Jesus does more than simply welcome children; He holds them up as our examples and teachers. "Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 18:3). A child trusts without calculating the cost. A child forgives before the apology is even finished. A child marvels at what the rest of us are accustomed to walk past. These are not weaknesses — they are the very qualities that open heaven's gate and make us more like the Savior.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote, "The test of the morality of a society is what it does for its children." If that is true of a society, how much more of a home, a community, a congregation, a heart?

Gordon B. Hinckley urged us to take this charge personally: "Behold your little ones. Pray with them. Pray for them and bless them. The world into which they are moving is a complex and difficult world. They will run into heavy seas of adversity. They will need all the strength and all the faith you can give them while they are yet near you. And they also will need a greater strength which comes of a higher power."

The Savior's invitation still echoes: Let the children come. And as they come, may we have the grace to become a little more like them — trusting, wondering, and unafraid to reach for the arms that are always open.

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