Jesus showed great love and care for children during his ministry on earth. Here is an overview of how Jesus interacted with children based on accounts in the Gospels:
Jesus welcomed children
Jesus welcomed children and did not view them as unimportant or a nuisance. When his disciples tried to shoo children away, Jesus corrected them saying, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 19:14). Jesus wanted children to feel welcomed and loved in his presence.
Jesus took time for children
Jesus made time for children even when he was very busy. The Gospels record instances of parents bringing their young children to Jesus so he could bless them and pray for them (Matthew 19:13, Mark 10:13). Despite having immense demands on his time, Jesus graciously paused to show love to each child brought to him.
Jesus held and blessed children
Jesus didn’t just speak brief words to the children – he took them in his arms and blessed them. Mark 10:16 says “And he took them in his arms and blessed them, laying his hands on them.” Jesus had physical contact with the children to bless them rather than merely waving at them.
Jesus affirmed children as models of faith
When the disciples rebuked people for bringing children to Jesus, he responded by saying the kingdom of God belongs to those like children. Jesus taught that children’s humble and sincere faith was a model for adults. Luke 18:17 says “Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.”
Jesus defended and valued children
Jesus sternly warned his disciples not to hinder children from coming to him and not to despise any of these “little ones” (Matthew 18:10). Jesus valued children and defended them as precious in God’s sight. He wanted both his disciples and all adults to treat children with great care.
Jesus healed children
The Gospels record instances of parents bringing their sick children to Jesus, believing he could make them well. When two blind men brought their blind son to Jesus, he was moved with compassion and healed the boy (Matthew 20:29-34). Jesus’ miracles of healing for children displayed his great love.
Jesus raised a child from the dead
One of Jesus’ greatest miracles was raising a child from the dead. When the daughter of Jairus, a synagogue ruler, died at age twelve, Jesus brought her back to life, telling her to “get up!” (Luke 8:41-56). This stunning miracle highlights Jesus’ care for children.
Jesus held children up as examples of humility
Jesus taught his disciples that they needed to become like children to enter the kingdom of heaven. He commended the humility of children as a virtue, saying “Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 18:4). Jesus saw children’s humble hearts as a model.
Jesus taught profound truths using children
Jesus used children to teach deep spiritual truths. When his disciples asked who was the greatest in the kingdom, Jesus called a child and had him stand among them as a visual lesson, teaching that childlike humility makes one great in God’s eyes (Matthew 18:1-5).
Jesus corrected his disciples’ poor treatment of children
When Jesus’ disciples tried to hinder children from approaching him, Jesus was “greatly displeased” and corrected them sternly (Mark 10:13-14). Their actions did not align with Jesus’ heart of love for children. Jesus continually protected and valued children.
Jesus included children in his kingdom promises
Jesus specifically included children in the gracious promises of God’s kingdom. After blessing the children, Mark 10:14-15 records Jesus as saying “for to such belongs the kingdom of God…whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.” Children were included in the covenant blessings.
In summary, the Gospels paint a beautiful picture of Jesus welcoming children, taking time for them, blessing them, touching them, valuing them, defending them, healing them, raising them, and using them as models of faith and humility. Jesus’ interactions with children provide powerful glimpses into his compassionate heart and the importance he placed upon even the youngest – the children.
[Expand to 9000 words by adding more detail, explanation, and Scriptural support to each section above while maintaining excellent quality and relevance throughout. Make sure the article is very thorough, search-friendly, and optimized for easy NLP processing.]
Jesus showed immense love and care in how he interacted with children during his earthly ministry. The Gospel accounts provide profound examples of Jesus welcoming children, being patient with them, blessing them physically and spiritually, holding them up as models of faith, defending them from mistreatment, healing them, raising a child from death, and continually reinforcing their value and importance in the kingdom of God. Jesus’ treatment of children ran counter to prevailing cultural norms of that day and provided a striking model for all his disciples to follow – that children are to be treasured, valued, and pointed to Jesus.
One of the most vivid examples was Jesus placing a child in the midst of his disciples when they were arguing over who was greatest in the kingdom. As recounted in Matthew 18:1-5, Jesus responds to their arrogance by bringing a child into their midst and saying “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” What a profound visual lesson! Jesus taught that the humility and sincere faith of a child should be modeled by all who desire to inherit eternal life.
That encounter also showed Jesus’ high valuation of children. The disciples were jockeying for prominence, while Jesus held up a humble child as worthy of emulation. This reveals Jesus’ countercultural views on children. In that society, children were not fawned over or made much of. But Jesus elevated them as models of kingdom faith and humility. He made clear that his disciples should be servant-minded like a child, not haughty and self-seeking.
When his disciples tried to hinder children from being brought to Jesus, he was greatly displeased and commanded them not to forbid the children but rather to let them come. As Mark 10:14 states “When Jesus saw this, he was indignant and said to them, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.” What a key insight into Jesus’ heart! He wanted small children to feel welcome in his presence and not feel like a burden or afterthought.
Jesus also backed up his words with corresponding actions. When parents brought their young children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them and pray over them, Jesus was only too happy to oblige. As recounted in Matthew 19:13-15, “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.” Despite the demands on Jesus’ time, he always made time to welcome, bless, and pray for children.
The way Jesus included children in the kingdom promises of God is so meaningful. After his disciples try to shoo away a group of parents bringing their children, Jesus is indignant and says “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God.” (Mark 10:14). And again in Matthew 19:14, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.” Far from viewing children as insignificant, Jesus pointed to them as special inheritors of the kingdom!
Jesus also demonstrated extraordinary compassion when he raised a young girl from the dead. As described in Mark 5:21-43, a synagogue leader named Jairus fell at Jesus’ feet pleading with him to come heal his sick 12-year-old daughter. While Jesus went with him, the girl died before they arrived. But Jesus raised her back to life, took her by the hand and told her to get up. What an incredible display of Jesus’ power and love for a child! He ensured this family would not have to suffer the devastating loss of their precious girl.
The way Jesus so regularly embraced, touched, and prayed blessings over children also reveals his great love. Jesus did not maintain cold distance from children that came to him – he warmly laid hands on them and pronounced God’s favor on their lives (Matthew 19:13-15). The biblical accounts portray a Jesus who is kind, gentle, and compassionate with children – not remote and disconnected.
We also see Jesus’ heart for children in how he treated them with dignity and patience. In Matthew 21:14-16, children cried out “Hosanna to the Son of David” in the temple to the praise of Jesus as Messiah. When indignant chief priests and teachers insisted Jesus rebuke the children, he refused. He was happy to receive their praise and treated them with esteem rather than annoyance.
Jesus also praised the faith of the Canaanite woman who begged him to heal her demon-oppressed daughter, a girl described as being “severely oppressed by a demon.” Rather than expressing irritation at this Gentile woman’s persistence, Jesus praises her faith and heals the child because of the mother’s great faith (Matthew 15:21-28). Even from a distance, Jesus showed care for this suffering child.
Though Jesus interacted with children only briefly in the Gospel accounts, these snapshots reveal so much about Jesus’ compassionate heart for all – including the young and vulnerable. He welcomed, embraced, prayed for, touched, healed, delivered, and blessed little ones. And he called his adult disciples to model the humble sincerity and faith of a child.
Jesus’ public ministry was only 3 years, yet in that short time he left profound examples of honoring and valuing children. He made clear that God’s kingdom belonged equally to children and adults. The blessings of faith and salvation were for children too. We especially see Jesus emphasize this in how he specifically included children in his kingdom promises, saying “for to such belongs the kingdom of God” (Mark 10:14).
The Gospel writers took care to record these incidents of Jesus interacting with and valuing children though it occupied only a tiny part of his overall ministry. This shows how countercultural and noteworthy his treatment of children was. By including these details, the Gospel writers reinforced how Jesus’ welcomed and treasured little ones in a society that often overlooked them.
Though Jesus interacted with children only briefly during his 3-year ministry, he left indelible marks concerning his great love for them. How remarkable that though Jesus faced immense demands on his time from ministry and constant crowds, he still stopped to welcome, embrace, bless, and pray for children brought to him. This reflects his heart to care for those whom society deemed insignificant.
Jesus’ love embraced the weak, the poor, the marginalized, the outcast – and children. His brief interactions with children, though occupying only minutes out of his thousands of ministry hours – provide powerful revelations of Jesus’ compassionate heart for all people, regardless of age, status, or capacity. The accounts offer glimpses into how much he values children as those who uniquely reflect the humility to receive his kingdom. Though brief, they resound loudly.
Jesus corrected his disciples’ poor attitudes toward children multiple times. When they tried turning away children, Jesus was indignant and insisted that the children be welcomed and blessed. Jesus’ strong reactions emphasize that his disciples had much to learn about mimicking Jesus’ heart of compassion for all – including and especially the young and vulnerable. These accounts serve as timeless corrections for Jesus’ followers in how highly to prioritize ministry to children.
One of the most prominent takeaways from how Jesus interacted with children was his elevation of childlike humility and faith as a model for disciples. When proudly jostling for greatness, Jesus’ disciples were undoubtedly shocked when Jesus presented a small child as an example for them to follow. Yet this visual lesson served as a cornerstone of Jesus’ teaching on humility. Just as a child humbly depends on their father, Jesus taught his followers to humbly depend on God rather than seeking self-promotion.
Another key application was Jesus’ inclusion of children in the kingdom of God. He made clear that God’s covenant promises applied to children too – a revolutionary concept in his era that saw children as inferior and insignificant until reaching adulthood. Jesus dismantled barriers that would exclude children from residing in God’s kingdom, repeatedly emphasizing that the kingdom belonged to them. This affirmed the equal status of children before God.
Though Jesus’ interactions with children were brief, they provided indelible glimpses into Jesus’ tender, compassionate heart for all people. He singled out society’s weak, marginalized, and overlooked – like children – as precious in God’s eyes and special recipients of Jesus’ love and blessing. The accounts offer rich perspective into Jesus’ profoundly countercultural elevation of children. His treatment of children ran counter to prevailing norms – and serves as a model for all Jesus followers.
Jesus demonstrated that even when ministering amid immense demands, one must take time to notice, welcome, cherish, embrace, heal, and bless children. Taking cues from how Jesus interacted with children will revolutionize how the church ministers to and includes children. Though his direct interactions were minimal, they resound as peals of revelation into Jesus’ far-reaching compassion.
The Gospel accounts provide only snapshots of Jesus interacting with children during his earthly ministry. Yet these brief verses offer profound revelations into Jesus’ compassionate heart for all people – including the young, vulnerable, and often marginalized children.
Though Jesus carried the weight of atoning for humanity’s sin, he always took time to welcome, cherish, heal, and bless any child brought to him. He was indignant at his disciples trying to turn them away as bothersome. He insisted that the kingdom of God belonged equally to children. And he elevated the sincere faith of a child as a virtue for all disciples to emulate.
Just a few accounts – Jesus welcoming children, holding them, blessing them, raising a child from death, healing them, delivering a demon-oppressed girl, affirming their place in God’s kingdom, and highlighting their humility as a model for all. Yet these fleeting verses resound as a deafening testimony of Jesus’ immense compassion for all – including the young, ignored, and vulnerable.
The Gospels paint a beautiful, countercultural picture of Jesus’ interactions with children. Though his public ministry spanned only three years, Jesus left indelible impressions of his gentleness, compassion, and elevation of children. He welcomed them, blessed them, touched them, healed them, raised them from death, and held them up as models of sincere faith.
Jesus’ treatment of children flew in the face of prevailing cultural norms that often dismissed or minimized children. Yet Jesus singled them out for special love, blessing, and favor – defending them from mistreatment and reiterating their precious place in God’s kingdom. These brief but profound accounts capture Jesus’ heart of tenderness for all people, regardless of earthly status.
The Gospel writers ensured these interactions were recounted, though they occupied mere minutes of Jesus’ overall ministry. This underscores their significance in revealing Jesus’ countercultural compassion for marginalized children. Though his time on earth was short, Jesus made every moment count – taking time to bless even the youngest brought to him.
Two thousand years later, Jesus still invites the little children to come to him. Though he spent only three years ministering on earth, his interactions with children echo as a resounding reminder of his great love and compassion for all. Jesus’ heart is unchanged – he continues welcoming, cherishing, and blessing the little children.