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Then they brought infants to Him that
He might touch them - Luke 18:15
We are looking at various texts of Scripture to see if they shed any light on Jesus’ statement, "Let the little children come to Me - for of such is the kingdom of God." When we consider Matthew's account, we see that they were referred to as little children, the same as in Mark 10:13. When we read Luke's account, we find a different description of the children; they are called infants or babes. So why does that matter? What is the difference?
Well, there are several points of application that should be the same in each account in the gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke). Jesus is talking about people entering the kingdom of God in Mark 10:14. In Mark 10:17, the rich young ruler asked, “What must I do to inherit eternal life" (enter the kingdom of God)? Then in verses 24 and 25, Jesus again talks about the kingdom of God. The account in Matthew calls it the kingdom of heaven.
In each account, Jesus is talking about the difficulty of people (Mark 10:15- whoever, verse 23-those, and verse 24-those who trust in riches) entering the kingdom of God. Jesus then makes this application: people must enter the kingdom of God like (as) little children.
The focus of Jesus was not on children entering the kingdom; it was on people entering the kingdom like children. His focus was not on babies being in the kingdom if they are born dead or die after childbirth. He was not referring to children being in the covenant if they have Christian parents (this would be another way of salvation).
He was not talking about baptizing babies when they are born. There is no account of a baby being baptized in the New Testament. And baptism (in the New Testament) is not a sign of the covenant as circumcision was in the Old Testament. Participation in the Lord's supper is the sign of the New Covenant.
It is amazing what people will put into a text of Scripture. They don't get it out of Scripture; they put their own thoughts and ideas into the Word of God. Child (baby) dedication is not found anywhere in the early church in the New Testament.
According to Luke 22:22-24, Jesus was presented (dedicated) to the Lord to fulfill Old Testament law. So why do people want to practice an Old Testament law given to the people of Israel? Do we really want to live under Old Testament Law? I don't think so.
So what is the point I am trying to get to? The children that were brought to Jesus in Luke's account were infants, according to my Greek Lexicon. This does not support the idea of coming to Christ in a receptive, trusting way. What it does support is the fact that all children (babies, children, or young adults) had nothing to bring; they were destitute.
This is one of the reasons the disciples rebuked those who were bringing the children to Jesus. In the Jewish economy, children were to be seen, not heard. As Galatians 4:1 says, "Now I say that the heir, as long as he is a child, does not differ at all from a slave." Fortunately, it doesn't end there. God sent His Son into the world to redeem (not good people with good works) sinners who were enslaved to sin.
By nature, we were children of wrath (Ephesians 2:3). But because of God's sovereign grace, there is hope for everyone who will come by faith and accept the wedding garment supplied by Jesus Christ. Galatians 4:7 tells us, "Therefore, we are no longer a slave but a son, then an heir of God through Christ."
Contact the author at thoughtsonword@gmail.com if you have any comments or questions.
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Lyndon Stimeling, of Richfield, has been writing about faith and family for many years. He has self-published four books, Common Thoughts on The Word in 2016, Eye of a Needle in 2017, Common Thoughts on The Word II in 2019 and A Bridge Between in 2023. He has also had articles published in The Coming Home Journal and local newspapers and has written a children's book.