Let The Children Come – Dr. Hona Amer

Scripture:

“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 (NIV)

Perspective:

When you are trying to do something important, keeping distractions and annoyances to a minimum is key. If people come and interrupt your train of thought or ask something of you, it is easy to become frustrated. It is even worse when you are on the receiving end. When you feel like someone is bothered by you, it can feel like they don’t value you.

Jesus was busy. He had so many people vying for his time and attention. The disciples understood the pressure and demands on his schedule. When people started bringing little children to Jesus, the disciples were going to protect His time. They thought that they knew how to best use Jesus’ time. They were going to save him from distractions and annoyances. Maybe they even strategized how they could create a system where Jesus could heal more people at one time. But, Jesus saw the children differently. He knew that taking time for them would not promote his position, give him power or increase his fame. He was less concerned with those things, because he understood the value of making time for people. In the same way, Jesus extends the same invitation to you. Sometimes it can be easy to think that the Creator of the Universe has better things to do than help us through our problems, challenges, and pain. But, when we understand God’s character, we can rest assured that no request is too small or too big to get His attention. He is watching and waiting, extending an invitation for you to come.