Jesus Welcomes the Children
People were bringing children to Jesus, wanting Him to touch them and bless them. Little ones, all of them, crowding in close.
But before they even reached Him, the disciples stepped in and started turning people away. They tried to stop it.
And Jesus saw it.
When Jesus saw what the disciples were doing, Mark says He was indignant.
Jesus did not tell the children to go away. Instead He spoke to His disciples: “Let the little children come to me. Do not hinder them.”
The disciples had been trying to stop the children from coming closer, and Jesus told them to do the opposite. Let them come. Do not stand in their way.
The children who were being stopped were now being welcomed near Jesus.
Look closely at what has happened so far: people are bringing children to Jesus, the disciples try to stop them, and Jesus sees what is happening.
Then He says: “Let the little children come to me; do not hinder them.”
Why do you think the disciples tried to stop the children?
What do you think of Jesus' response?
Take a moment to talk together before continuing.
Jesus did more than tell the disciples to stop turning the children away. He said something important about the kingdom of God.
“The kingdom of God belongs to such as these,” He told them, and then continued: “Whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.”
Those are important words, but Mark does not stop here to give us a long explanation of everything Jesus meant by “like a child.”
We should be careful not to add an explanation the passage itself does not give.
Through the years, Christians have thought deeply about Jesus' words on receiving the kingdom like a child, but in this story we can begin with what Mark clearly shows us.
Children were being brought to Jesus, the disciples tried to stop them, and Jesus objected, telling the disciples to let the children come, placing them directly inside His teaching about the kingdom of God.
The passage does not describe the children as an interruption. Jesus stopped what was happening and spoke about them.
Then the story shows us what He did next.
Jesus said: “Let the little children come to me.”
What part of those words stands out to you? What do you think “do not hinder them” means in this story?
And what questions do you have about Jesus saying that the kingdom of God must be received “like a child”?
You do not need to solve every question. Some words of Jesus are worth thinking about slowly, and a child can ask a real question even when the answer is not simple.
Talk about it together, then turn the page.
Mark does not end the story with Jesus only talking about children; he tells us what Jesus did.
Jesus took the children in His arms, placed His hands on them, and blessed them.
The people had brought the children because they wanted Jesus to touch them, and now, at the end, the children who had been kept back were close to Him.
That is where Mark ends this short scene.
The story is only a few verses long, but a lot happens inside them.
People bring children. The disciples rebuke them. Jesus sees, and He is indignant.
“Let the little children come to me,” He tells the disciples. “Do not hinder them.” He speaks about receiving the kingdom of God like a child, then takes the children into His arms and blesses them.
Mark does not tell us what happened after the families left. The story ends by showing the children with Jesus.
Think back to the beginning of the story. At first, the disciples are trying to keep the children from coming closer. At the end, Jesus is holding them and blessing them.
What changed?
Which moment in the story do you remember most? Is there something Jesus said that you would like to ask more about?
You can also ask: “If you had been there, what would you have wanted to ask Jesus?”
There is no test at the end of this story. Let your child notice, wonder, and ask.
How to Talk About This Story With Your Child
Because this story is about children, it can be tempting to turn it very quickly into a lesson about how children should behave. Mark does not do that.
The children are brought to Jesus. The disciples try to stop them. Jesus sees what is happening and tells the disciples to let the children come. That sequence matters.
We also do not need to invent a reason for the disciples' behavior. Perhaps you have heard explanations about what they were thinking or why they believed the children should stay away.
Those explanations may be possible. But Mark does not tell us.
It is perfectly fine to tell a child: "The Bible doesn't say why they did that."
Jesus' words about receiving the kingdom of God "like a child" also deserve care. It can be tempting to supply one simple explanation: "Children trust easily." "Children are innocent." "Children do not doubt."
But Mark does not define the comparison for us in those words.
Rather than turning one interpretation into a fact, begin with what your child can actually see in the story.
Jesus makes room for the children. He tells the disciples not to hinder them. He places the children inside His teaching about the kingdom. And He takes them in His arms and blesses them.
Let your child ask what "like a child" might mean. You do not have to turn Bible reading into a quiz with one expected answer.
There is another useful conversation hidden inside this short story. In this moment, the disciples were the ones trying to stop the children from coming to Jesus. Jesus corrected what was happening.
For a family, that can become a gentle question: are there ways people sometimes make it harder for someone else to come near, participate, ask questions, or feel welcome?
You do not need to force an answer from your child. And you do not need to make the question heavy.
Simply notice together that Jesus said: "Do not hinder them." Then notice what He did: He took the children in His arms and blessed them.
Pray Together
You do not have to use these exact words. You can talk to God together in your own words. Or you can pray:
Jesus, thank You for welcoming the children who were brought to You. Thank You for telling Your disciples to let them come. Help us come to You honestly with our questions, our thoughts, and everything we do not understand yet. Help us also notice when someone else is being pushed away. Teach us to make room for others instead of standing in their way. Amen.
People brought children to Jesus. The disciples tried to stop them. Jesus saw what was happening.
He told the disciples: "Let the little children come to me; do not hinder them."
He spoke about receiving the kingdom of God like a child.
Then Jesus took the children in His arms. He laid His hands on them. And He blessed them.
Mark does not tell us everything the children thought or felt that day. But he leaves us with a clear picture: the children were brought to Jesus, Jesus told His disciples not to keep them away, and the story ends with the children in His arms.
Continue your family Bible time with more free stories and activities from Little Faith Hands.