Elementary Level, Block 9—Jesus
Week 90
Jesus—Caring for Little Children
Point to Emphasize: We can be those who care for younger ones.
Reading Reference: Matthew 19:13-15; Mark 9:36, note 361; 10:13-16, notes 141-2; Luke 18:15-17
Memory Verse: But Jesus called them to Him, saying, Allow the little children to come to Me… (Luke 18:16)
Story Sample
Today I want to tell you a story about Jesus and some children, children just like you. It tells us a lot about how much Jesus cares for us, all of us. This story begins with some parents. We all have parents, and you know that your parents love you. This is one thing all parents have in common: they all love their children, no matter what. And they always want to do what is the very best for their children.
And that is what the parents in our story wanted when they brought their children to Jesus. They knew who Jesus was and all the things that Jesus had done. So, they knew that to bring their children to Jesus was the very best thing they could do. They wanted Jesus to bless each one of them.
These parents wanted their children to see Jesus, but there was a huge crowd. So, these parents had to really struggle to get their little ones close enough. But guess what? They were stopped on their way by the ones who were closest to Jesus, his disciples. In the Bible, it says they rebuked the parents. This means they scolded them for trying to bring their children to Jesus. Why do you think they scolded them? Well, I think they thought Jesus was too important to bother with some little children. Perhaps the disciples thought He should be spending His time doing more important things, like healing and answering important questions, than bothering with some little children. I don’t think they were being mean as much as they were just trying to take care of Jesus and to protect Him from anyone they thought He did not have time for. They just loved Him and thought He shouldn’t be bothered.
My oldest sister is more than five years older than I am. So, when I was in elementary school, it was her chore to babysit me and my two other sisters. She really didn’t like to do this. We were such a bother to her! Especially when her friends would come over. We would do silly kid stuff, like marching around them with our dolls when they were talking. She would get mad and tell us to move out of the way and go to our rooms. We wanted so badly to be included, so it made us feel small and worthless. It doesn’t feel good to be ignored or left out.
And that is what these parents felt when they were scolded for trying to bring their little children to see Jesus. But Jesus thought otherwise. In the book of Mark, it says that when Jesus saw this, He was very upset that the children were not allowed to come to Him. He didn’t like that they thought He was too important to be with the children. To Jesus, everyone was important, even the smallest child. He told them, “Allow the little children to come to Me. Do not forbid them” (Mark 10:14).
So the children all came to Jesus. And He took them in His arms and He blessed them. The parents were so happy. The children were so happy. Jesus loved having the children come to Him. Jesus cares about the little ones. We also can be those who care for younger ones.