Luke 18:15-16 Now they were bringing even infants to HIM that HE might touch them: and when the disciples saw it, they rebuked them. But JESUS called them to HIM, saying: “Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them; for to such belongs the kingdom of GOD.…” [Revised Standard translation]
Matthew 19: 13-14 Little children were brought for JESUS to lay HIS hands on them and pray. But the disciples scolded those who brought them. “Don’t bother him,” they said. But JESUS said, “Let the little children come to me, and don’t prevent them. [Living Bible translation]
Biblical Comment
The story of JESUS “laying hands on” or blessing the little children is in several of the gospels. (See also Mark 10:14) It is recorded that people started bringing babies and little children to JESUS so HE would touch them and bless them. Matthew specifically mentions he touched them and prayed. The crowd must have been large because the disciples stepped in and started to redirect them away. But JESUS stopped the disciples saying, “suffer the children” or don’t prevent them from coming to me, because the Kingdom of GOD belongs to such as these.
Many believe the King James translations using the word “suffer” comes from the old English translation of the word which means “permit” or “allow” or “do not forbid it.”
Some believe that this scripture was to show that no one is too old or too young to be brought to JESUS. Others believe that this scripture points out that children are humble, trusting, and unpretentious—and that this is how JESUS wants us to come to GOD.
Still, others believe that the very nature of children is dependency (they need someone to feed them, provide clothing and shelter and make sure their needs are met) and that if we approach GOD seeking HIS provision and recognize GOD as our GREAT PROVIDER, we are acknowledging our relationship to GOD and HIS to us. We are acknowledging that we simply need HIM for everything.
There are others who believe that this is just part of JESUS’ teachings about children and his teachings about “greatness.” Like today and all times in history, “greatness” has always been a human “obsession.” People often want to know who is the greatest basketball player, the greatest baseball player, the greatest actor, the greatest president, the greatest entertainer, the greatest world leader, greatest businessperson, greatest preacher, greatest “whatever.” Whatever the sport, the title, the office, someone will always want to be at the top or greater than someone else. The disciples were not immune from the desire to try to want to be or know who was “the greatest.” When they asked JESUS who would be the greatest in the kingdom of heaven, JESUS just grabbed a little child and set the child in the midst of them. (Mathew 18:1)
JESUS left no doubt that HE cared about children and that children should not be overlooked. Instead of being focused on human greatness, JESUS hopes that we would realize our position as “all of GOD’s children” and focus on GOD’s GREATNESS instead of our own.
Finally, like so many of JESUS’ teachings and Bible stories, we should always turn within and ask: “LORD, Is it I?” Despite how close we think we may be to JESUS, despite our “best intentions,” each of us can ask, “Am I preventing someone from getting closer to JESUS?” Am I praying, like JESUS, for the infants, children, youth, young adults and other vulnerable individuals in society?” What am I doing to encourage the children?
FOCUSING ON CHILDREN
Here are some of the statistics published by the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition:
Physical Activity
- Only one in three children are physically active every day.
- Children now spend more than seven and a half hours a day in front of a screen (e.g., TV,
videogames, computer). - Only 6 states (Illinois, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Mississippi, New York, and Vermont) require physical education in every grade, K-12.
- Nearly one-third of high school students play video or computer games for 3 or more hours on an average school day.
Nutrition
- More than 23 million Americans, including 6.5 million children, live in food deserts – areas that are more than a mile away from a supermarket.
- Empty calories from added sugars and solid fats contribute to 40% of total daily calories for 2–18-year-olds and half of these empty calories come from six sources: soda, fruit drinks, dairy desserts, grain desserts, pizza, and whole milk.
Obesity – Then and Now
Prevalence of obesity for children ages 2 to 5 years – doubled
The early 1970s: 5%
2007-08: 10%
Prevalence of obesity for children ages 6 to 11 years – quadrupled
The early 1970s: 4%
2007-08: 20%
Prevalence of obesity for children ages 12 to 19 years – tripled
The early 1970s: 6%
2007-08: 18%
- Nearly 45% of children living in poverty are overweight or obese compared with 22% of children living in households with incomes four times the poverty level.
- Almost 40% of Black and Latino youth ages 2 to 19 are overweight or obese compared with only 29% of White youth.
- Obesity is also a growing threat to national security – a surprising 27% of young Americans are too overweight to serve in our military. Approximately 15,000 potential recruits fail their physicals every year because they are unfit.
- The medical care costs of obesity in the United States are staggering. In 2008 dollars, these costs totaled about $147 billion.
See: https://www.hhs.gov/fitness/resource-center/facts-and-statistics/index.html
Parents, schools, churches, youth organizations, temples, community organizations should all refocus on the children, asking are we doing enough to give them what they need---spiritually and in terms of exercise, fitness, and nutrition.
Suffer the Children or Let the Children Suffer
Just as children and youth gain a greater understanding of their bibles by seeing their parents read the bible, they can also gain a greater understanding of exercise and fitness by seeing their parents, relatives, and others exercising and striving for physical fitness too. We can all contribute to the health of our children and youth.
Our healthy choices, our concern for exercise programs in schools, in our communities, in our places of worship could allow the children and our youth to grow to become healthy adults. On the other hand, our indifference to our own diets, physical level of fitness may be setting the stage not only for our own physical decline but providing a pattern for the children and youth around us. Pray that we pay attention to ourselves and our children and youth.
Pray GOD’s blessings on all our children and youth. Pray for their teachers, their community teachers, their parental teachers and their places of worship teachers. Pray for children in detention. Pray for children not only in America but everywhere.
Pray for all of GOD’s children and BE BLESSED!
