Bringing the Children to Jesus
Bringing the Children to Christ
Text: Mark 10:13–16
The sermon is titled Bringing the Children to Christ. I’m using Mark 10:13–16 as my text.
We are beginning a campaign on Sunday in our Sunday School to help us reach new goals and new people through the teaching ministry of our church. How many people miss out on a great relationship and also great growth in their personal lives by not involving themselves in a class of some kind?
And tonight I want to encourage all of our adults to get involved in a Sunday School class. But as we all get involved in Sunday School, I am particularly interested in making sure that all of our boys and girls are involved to their maximum in our Sunday School, Children’s Church, and Wednesday night program.
In our text, Mark is recording an event that happens between Jesus and some children in the community. It’s one of our favorite stories because of how Jesus dealt with the children—and how He dealt with those who tried to prevent them from getting to Him.
Let’s look at a few thoughts from the story.
1. Children should be brought to Jesus
Mark 10:13 – “And they brought young children to him…”
Here in this verse, we don’t know exactly who brought them—mothers, fathers, caretakers—but somebody brought them.
And I would just say this: it’s a wonderful thing when families dedicate their children or desire a Christian home, but the greatest blessing to your children is when you personally bring them to the house of God to hear about Jesus.
I am so thankful I was able to go to church as a young man—but even more than that, I’m thankful my parents brought me to church.
2. Children need the touch of Jesus
Mark 10:13 – “…that he should touch them.”
We have to understand something—children in Bible days were not always viewed the way we view them today. They were often overlooked, sometimes even pushed aside.
And yet Jesus didn’t ignore them—He touched them.
He made them feel like they mattered. He didn’t push them away. He didn’t make them feel like they were in the way. He made them feel important.
I believe it was a physical touch—picking them up, putting His hands on them, maybe patting them on the head. But I also believe it was a spiritual touch. The God of heaven in the flesh reaching down and giving them worth, care, and security.
Our church ought to be a place where children come in week after week and they feel safe, they feel loved, and they feel the touch of Jesus on their life.
3. Children should not be hindered
Mark 10:13 – “…but the disciples rebuked those that brought them.”
So you’ve got people bringing children to Jesus, and then you’ve got the disciples rebuking them for it.
Now I’ve been in ministry long enough to know most people love kids—but every now and then you run into someone who just doesn’t. Sometimes it’s personality. Sometimes it’s just a mindset.
But in this story, I think the disciples were just reacting out of what they knew. They thought kids were insignificant. Maybe even a distraction. And remember, Jesus is becoming known at this point—so they’re acting like security trying to keep things orderly.
But Jesus corrects it all by saying, “Let them come.”
Because if we’re not careful, we can create an atmosphere where somebody walks away thinking Jesus is not for them.
And I never want that to happen.
I can remember as a child, our family didn’t have much. We weren’t really anybody in our community or even in our church. But when I went to church, those people made me feel like I was somebody. Like I mattered. Like I had everything in the world I needed. They loved me and my family.
That’s what the house of God ought to do.
Jesus said, “Suffer the little children to come unto me.” And I’m glad nobody ever stopped me from coming to Jesus.
4. Children are a picture of the kingdom of God
Mark 10:14
Jesus didn’t say children didn’t need salvation. But He did point to their openness, their trust, and their simplicity.
There’s something about a child’s heart that reflects what the kingdom of God is supposed to look like—humble, trusting, receiving.
Jesus was saying, “This is what my kingdom is like.”
5. Children teach us childlike faith
Mark 10:15
Jesus said we must receive the kingdom of God as a little child.
When my children were small, I would pick them up and sit them on top of our refrigerator. And I would say, “Jump to me—fall into my arms.”
And at their age, they weren’t thinking about gravity. They weren’t thinking about distance. They weren’t calculating risk. They just knew this: if Daddy said jump, Daddy would catch them.
That’s childlike faith.
And that’s exactly what Jesus is talking about. Not overthinking it. Not trying to control it. Just trusting Him.
6. Children are blessed when they come to Jesus
Mark 10:16 – “And he took them up in his arms, put his hands upon them, and blessed them.”
This is the picture right here.
He held them. He touched them. And He blessed them.
That’s why church matters for children—because they get close to Jesus, they hear His Word, and blessings are spoken over their lives.
And let me just say this: when children are in church, it’s not just babysitting until they get older—it is ministry right now.
So what can we do?
We can:
Why? Because Jesus is exalted in this place.
Text: Mark 10:13–16
The sermon is titled Bringing the Children to Christ. I’m using Mark 10:13–16 as my text.
We are beginning a campaign on Sunday in our Sunday School to help us reach new goals and new people through the teaching ministry of our church. How many people miss out on a great relationship and also great growth in their personal lives by not involving themselves in a class of some kind?
And tonight I want to encourage all of our adults to get involved in a Sunday School class. But as we all get involved in Sunday School, I am particularly interested in making sure that all of our boys and girls are involved to their maximum in our Sunday School, Children’s Church, and Wednesday night program.
In our text, Mark is recording an event that happens between Jesus and some children in the community. It’s one of our favorite stories because of how Jesus dealt with the children—and how He dealt with those who tried to prevent them from getting to Him.
Let’s look at a few thoughts from the story.
1. Children should be brought to Jesus
Mark 10:13 – “And they brought young children to him…”
Here in this verse, we don’t know exactly who brought them—mothers, fathers, caretakers—but somebody brought them.
And I would just say this: it’s a wonderful thing when families dedicate their children or desire a Christian home, but the greatest blessing to your children is when you personally bring them to the house of God to hear about Jesus.
I am so thankful I was able to go to church as a young man—but even more than that, I’m thankful my parents brought me to church.
2. Children need the touch of Jesus
Mark 10:13 – “…that he should touch them.”
We have to understand something—children in Bible days were not always viewed the way we view them today. They were often overlooked, sometimes even pushed aside.
And yet Jesus didn’t ignore them—He touched them.
He made them feel like they mattered. He didn’t push them away. He didn’t make them feel like they were in the way. He made them feel important.
I believe it was a physical touch—picking them up, putting His hands on them, maybe patting them on the head. But I also believe it was a spiritual touch. The God of heaven in the flesh reaching down and giving them worth, care, and security.
Our church ought to be a place where children come in week after week and they feel safe, they feel loved, and they feel the touch of Jesus on their life.
3. Children should not be hindered
Mark 10:13 – “…but the disciples rebuked those that brought them.”
So you’ve got people bringing children to Jesus, and then you’ve got the disciples rebuking them for it.
Now I’ve been in ministry long enough to know most people love kids—but every now and then you run into someone who just doesn’t. Sometimes it’s personality. Sometimes it’s just a mindset.
But in this story, I think the disciples were just reacting out of what they knew. They thought kids were insignificant. Maybe even a distraction. And remember, Jesus is becoming known at this point—so they’re acting like security trying to keep things orderly.
But Jesus corrects it all by saying, “Let them come.”
Because if we’re not careful, we can create an atmosphere where somebody walks away thinking Jesus is not for them.
And I never want that to happen.
I can remember as a child, our family didn’t have much. We weren’t really anybody in our community or even in our church. But when I went to church, those people made me feel like I was somebody. Like I mattered. Like I had everything in the world I needed. They loved me and my family.
That’s what the house of God ought to do.
Jesus said, “Suffer the little children to come unto me.” And I’m glad nobody ever stopped me from coming to Jesus.
4. Children are a picture of the kingdom of God
Mark 10:14
Jesus didn’t say children didn’t need salvation. But He did point to their openness, their trust, and their simplicity.
There’s something about a child’s heart that reflects what the kingdom of God is supposed to look like—humble, trusting, receiving.
Jesus was saying, “This is what my kingdom is like.”
5. Children teach us childlike faith
Mark 10:15
Jesus said we must receive the kingdom of God as a little child.
When my children were small, I would pick them up and sit them on top of our refrigerator. And I would say, “Jump to me—fall into my arms.”
And at their age, they weren’t thinking about gravity. They weren’t thinking about distance. They weren’t calculating risk. They just knew this: if Daddy said jump, Daddy would catch them.
That’s childlike faith.
And that’s exactly what Jesus is talking about. Not overthinking it. Not trying to control it. Just trusting Him.
6. Children are blessed when they come to Jesus
Mark 10:16 – “And he took them up in his arms, put his hands upon them, and blessed them.”
This is the picture right here.
He held them. He touched them. And He blessed them.
That’s why church matters for children—because they get close to Jesus, they hear His Word, and blessings are spoken over their lives.
And let me just say this: when children are in church, it’s not just babysitting until they get older—it is ministry right now.
So what can we do?
We can:
- Remove barriers
- Make kids feel wanted, not just tolerated
- Show them Jesus through affection and attention
- Speak blessings over them
- Teach childlike faith
- And make sure welcoming children is a church-wide culture
Why? Because Jesus is exalted in this place.
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