I don't think this passage requires much interpretation, so instead, I'd like to focus on just a few points, phrases and words.
I am going to really go out on a limb and say that I wish there was one more thing written in this passage (I'm not trying to say it's incomplete but...). It says, "But Jesus called for them, and said..." I wish it was written, "But Jesus smiled, and calling for them, said..." Because I can just about see Jesus looking at these innocent newborns and toddlers and his heart filling with joy, as most of our hearts would be. I know it doesn't that say it, but in my mind it does. We recall the shortest verse in the bible is "Jesus wept." I wish it had a counterpart that said "Jesus smiled" or "Jesus laughed". It's so easy to lose track of the fact that Jesus Christ was fully human and that means he was capable of the emotions we feel, and the facial expressions we make. We so often hear of Jesus more serious emotions, but rarely see written evidence of his more joyful ones. But alas...I wander.
The word infants pops out at me. So we read that in this translation in Luke, it was not just teenagers, toddlers and elementary school children coming to see Jesus, but parents bringing infants as well. For me this is affirmation of our youngest most vulnerable people. I don't have a problem with infant baptism, and I don't have a problem with small children taking communion. Christ certainly doesn't hesitate to bless them(or "touch" them as this reading says). No where does it say that Christ felt they were too young or couldn't understand what was going on, so why bother.
Then I see the disciples sternly order the parents to cease and desist. This speaks to me too. Remember the disciples would have been those closest to Jesus. They are literally walking WITH him all the time (and this isn't figurative, this is literal). They were his groupies so to speak. And so you think it would be reasonable that they could represent Christ, but we see time and time again, that they cannot, and Christ needs to correct them. In fact when we read a similar story in in Mark 10:13-16, it says that Jesus became indignant. Indignant is one of those words we can use it, and we know it, but it's hard to define it. Thankfully, Merriam Webster can: feeling or showing anger because of something unjust or unworthy. Jesus saw the disciples barring the way for the children as unjust. So clearly children have a value to Christ. We can expand this...ALL people have value to Christ, even those that society would cast down (babies and children, disabled, poor, the elderly etc.) We are those disciples, we know our Lord so well, and we really think we know what he would have us do, and so we act on our own, and Christ has to come and correct us and set us back on track.
This reminds me of a recent situation at the church I serve. There is a young family with a five year old. She wanted to take communion, and her parents were supportive of it. I was pleasantly surprised to learn that our pastor was supportive of it too. Let's just call this little girl Grace. Grace had to take special first communion classes just like the rest of the older kids had to before they could be communed. Her class was separate and just with her, the pastor, and her parents, but was just as informative to her. When it came time to take first communion, there was little Hope at the altar rail with her little hand extended. Later that week, I heard a disciple within the congregation speaking sternly about someone that young receiving communion. I responded to the people that when I asked Grace what communion was she told me it was bread and wine, and when I asked her if it was anything else, she said it was the body and blood of Jesus. that is the perfect Lutheran answer. Communion is both bread and wine and body and blood. Grace didn't need to have this proven to her, she just believed it.
And this brings us to part of the reason Jesus has such a soft spot in his heart for children. He tells us that the kingdom of God belongs to children, and in fact if we want to enter the kingdom, we need to be child like. Why? Why in the world should we be like children? They don't comprehend or understand the way we do, they certainly don't reason the way we do, they don't know all the things we know. And you see, these are the traits that make Children so awesome.
Consider these "childish" traits:
- NOTHING is impossible (a man can be killed and raised in three days...no problem)
- They trust instinctively (until we teach them they shouldn't blindly trust people)
- They love and want to be loved (until we teach them about hate)
- They follow the leader (until we teach them to question the leader's motives)
- They are innocent (until we teach them about lies, sin, and human brokenness)
- Magic can exist (until you tell them it's really an illusion or "make believe")
- They are easily influenced and transformed (until we harden them, and tell them to be who they want to be, rather than being who God wants them to be)
- They are excited to learn (if we introduce them to Jesus, they will want to know more about him... will we?)
- Everything is new, majestic and amazing to them. They are filled with wonder.
And we pray,
Dear Father in heaven, help us to remember that we are YOUR children. Please do not be indignant with us. Show us the way. Help us to love you as a child loves, believe in you as a toddler believes, trust you and depend on you the way infants trust and depend, and to follow you as faithfully as a kid follows. Let us love always, and be stern as little as possible. All things are possible in you. And thank you God for the gift of children...reminders of you kingdom!
In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.
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