Then people brought little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples rebuked them.

 Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” When he had placed his hands on them, he went on from there.

Matthew 19:13 – 15

Did I read this correctly?  The disciples rebuked Jesus for blessing children? That is what Matthew wrote and he was there presumably, one of the disciples.  Why did this present the disciples with a problem?  I love the picture of Jesus blessing the little ones.  Especially so when I recall that He did not bless the experts on the law or even the disciples in that way.

Neither the disciples or the rabbis came to Jesus for a blessing, certainly not the teachers of the law who were always arguing against Jesus.

So that scene of Jesus welcoming little children and blessing them with divine blessing reveals the huge difference between coming to Jesus for blessing and coming to him to debate him.

This happened as Jesus was moving toward Jerusalem when almost every person ultimately turned on him and demanded that the Romans crucify him.  The little children still adored him, presumably.

I contrast this scene of Jesus embracing the little ones with him hanging on the Cross suffering the derision of not only official Israel but pagan Rome as well.

Jesus was preparing himself for the suffering that was ahead. The disciples had no idea what was going on.  What did Jesus mean when he said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” Neither the Rabbis nor the disciples saw themselves as weak, needy little children.  Jesus reminded his critics that he is building a kingdom in which blessing the little ones makes eternal sense.

Today is the last day before Lent.  Am I coming to Jesus as a child or a critic?