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15 And they were bringing even their babies to Him so that He would touch them, but when the disciples saw it, they began rebuking them. 16 But Jesus called for them, saying, “Permit the children to come to Me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. 17 Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at all.” Luke 18:15-17
Luke placed this short section about childlike faith here to follow up on the message of the previous parable. Self-righteousness is no savior for any man and the Lord Jesus constantly pointed this out in His teaching. He pictured mankind as debtors and too bankrupt to pay what we owe. Yet, most are completely deceived regarding the prerequisite for salvation.
The Lord Jesus desires of us child-like faith. The only way to enter God’s kingdom is to become like a child and be born again. If the proud Pharisee had become like a child, he too would have gone home justified.
This is why we read in v.15, "And they were bringing even their babies to Him so that He would touch them." Mothers desired to expose their children to the Lord Jesus. Of all the word-pictures presented to us in the four Gospels this is the most precious. Although their culture did not value children, the Lord Jesus did. And, this shows how far the religious community had drifted from the Word of God.
In the second half of v.15 we read, "But when the disciples saw it, they began rebuking them." Even the disciples had been duped by an improper handling of the Word of God. and, that improper handling of God's word had trickled down into the Jewish culture.
In v.16 we read, "But Jesus called for them, saying, 'Permit the children to come to Me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these."' God's love for little children is confirmed throughout all of the Scriptures. And, His kingdom is made up of those who have child-like qualities. In fact, in the previous parable of the Pharisee and the Tax-collector, the Pharisee lacked such qualities.
The Kingdom belongs to the lowly, the humble and the failures. Like children, those who enter God's kingdom cannot achieve anything that would cause God to respond favorably to them. This is why the Lord makes it clear that the kingdom belongs to the lowly, the humble and the failures. The kingdom belongs to those who have no merit, no achievement, no moral, no spiritual and no religious achievement, those who cannot on their own do anything to earn salvation. And none are a better illustration of this than children who have achieved nothing.
Now, this does not mean they are not sinful. No, children are sinful and have fallen out of a personal relationship with God. The Lord Jesus was not attributing to children any innate goodness. Rather, he highlights certain qualities possessed by little children that are essential for entering God’s kingdom.
In Mark 10:15 we read, "Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it at all." Little children provide the best illustration of how we are saved. We are saved by God's sovereign grace invading our lives when we have concluded that we are helpless on our own. And like a little child who is trusting, unpretentious, dependent, and helpless, we come into the kingdom.
Having said all of this, we must remember: God’s promises are never forfeited by the weakness of our faith. And, as a result, the grace of God gives us the freedom to face the tormenting realities of life and eternity. The cross of the Lord Jesus is always and forever there to repeat over and over to our forgetful and unbelieving hearts that God meets our guiltiness with His grace, our shame with His salvation, and our regret with His redemption.
