He left that place and went to the region of Judea and beyond the Jordan. And crowds again gathered around him; and, as was his custom, he again taught them. Some Pharisees came, and to test him they asked, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?" He answered them, "What did Moses command you?" They said, "Moses allowed a man to write a certificate of dismissal and to divorce her." But Jesus said to them, "Because of your hardness of heart he wrote this commandment for you. But from the beginning of creation, 'God made them male and female.' 'For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.' So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate." Then in the house the disciples asked him again about this matter. He said to them, "Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her; and if she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery." People were bringing little children to him in order that he might touch them; and the disciples spoke sternly to them. But when Jesus saw this, he was indignant and said to them, "Let the little children come to me; do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs. Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it." And he took them up in his arms, laid his hands on them, and blessed them.
The disciples spoke sternly to the children. This initially stands out at me. It makes me initially think that the disciples don’t like children, but after thinking about it, I feel they were just worried about Jesus being bogged down with all the attention he was getting.
This passage is full of Jesus’ teaching the crowds that had gathered. A portion of this passage is found on 2/5/2012. The Pharisees are at it again, testing him by asking questions about the law of Moses. These questions are about divorce and the legalities thereof. Jesus says that Moses gave them the law of divorce because their hearts were hardened, and explains the intent of the law. He clarifies the intent of the law and relationship between the man and woman becoming one flesh.
The scripture says that people were bringing children to him in order for him to lay hands on them and bless them. When the disciples spoke sternly, Jesus rebuked them saying that the children should come to him. He uses this situation to explain more about the kingdom of God, saying that one must receive the kingdom like a little child.
Little children have a naiveté, vulnerability and a willingness to listen and receive. Jesus doesn’t say that one must receive on “blind faith” or be uninformed. I think that we must make ourselves vulnerable and willing to receive, taking the promises of God on faith. There lies the call in today’s passage. We are called today to be vulnerable and willing to receive the kingdom of God, thus making ourselves available to God as little children. (there is a deeper reflection concerning children on Feb 5th)
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