29 · Words and actions of Jesus

Jesus and the Children

Mark 10:13–16

Läs på svenska
Jesus welcomes and blesses children while adult disciples stand nearby in a biblical setting.

People bring children to Jesus so that he may touch them.

How does a child receive God's kingdom?

Choose a perspective

There is no score – choose the perspective you find closest and discuss why.

Discuss: What quality of children might Jesus want adults to learn from?

After your discussion: compare with our assessment

Our assessment

A takes the verb “receive” seriously. Jesus describes the kingdom of God as something received, not as something presented here as the result of status or achievement. C takes the concrete situation seriously. The children are precisely the people whom the disciples try to prevent from approaching. Jesus reverses the situation: they are to come, they are not to be hindered, and the kingdom belongs to “such as these.” Mark does not explicitly identify exactly which quality of children Jesus intends. The interpretation should therefore remain open to several related dimensions.

29 · Mark 10:13–16

Go deeper

Text & context

Full translation

13 People were bringing children to him so that he might touch them, but the disciples rebuked them. 14 When Jesus saw it, he became indignant and said to them, “Let the children come to me. Do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. 15 Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will never enter it.” 16 And he took them in his arms, laid his hands on them, and blessed them.

Translated from the Greek text – SBLGNT

What is happening here?
People bring children to Jesus so that he may touch them. The disciples try to stop them by rebuking those who are bringing them. Mark describes Jesus' reaction with a strong word: he becomes indignant. He tells the disciples to let the children come and not to hinder them. Jesus then makes the children part of his teaching about the kingdom of God. He says both that the kingdom belongs to “such as these” and that whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will never enter it. The story ends with Jesus taking the children in his arms, laying his hands on them, and blessing them.
Notice this

The problem at the beginning is not that the children themselves refuse or hesitate to come to Jesus. The problem is that other people try to hinder them. Jesus becomes indignant and says: “Do not hinder them.” Then he does more than merely tolerate their presence. He takes them in his arms, lays his hands on them, and blesses them. Also notice the verb “receive” the kingdom of God. The passage does not say here that the kingdom is conquered, earned, or achieved.

Language & translation

From the Greek

ἠγανάκτησεν – ēganaktēsen

became indignant The verb aganakteō expresses strong displeasure or indignation.

ἄφετε τὰ παιδία ἔρχεσθαι πρός με – aphete ta paidia erchesthai pros me

let the children come to me Jesus directly commands that the children be allowed to come.

μὴ κωλύετε αὐτά – mē kōlyete auta

do not hinder them Kōlyō means to hinder, prevent, or forbid.

τῶν γὰρ τοιούτων ἐστὶν ἡ βασιλεία τοῦ θεοῦ – tōn gar toioutōn estin hē basileia tou theou

for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these Toioutos means roughly “such / such as these.” The wording leaves open the precise way in which those who belong to the kingdom are “like” the children.

δέξηται – dexētai

receives From dechomai, to receive or welcome. This is a key word in verse 15.

ὡς παιδίον – hōs paidion

like a child Paidion means child or little child. Jesus gives the comparison but does not identify one single quality in this passage that it must refer to.

ἐναγκαλισάμενος – enankalisamenos

took in his arms The verb describes taking someone into one's arms or embracing them.

κατευλόγει – kateulogei

blessed An intensified verb for blessing. Mark portrays Jesus as actively and personally blessing the children.

Translation note

Independent English translation from the Greek text, using SBLGNT as the primary Greek edition.

Compare for yourself

Read Mark 10:13–16 together with Matthew 19:13–15 and Luke 18:15–17. Pay particular attention to:

  • aganakteō
  • kōlyō
  • dechomai
  • paidion
  • toioutos
  • enankalizomai
  • kateulogeō

Also compare Mark 9:33–37, where Jesus earlier uses a child in his teaching about receiving people in his name.

Continue the conversation

Discuss further
  1. Why do you think the disciples try to prevent the children from approaching?
  2. What might the verb “receive” suggest about the relationship between a person and the kingdom of God?
  3. What possible qualities of children might Jesus' comparison point toward?
  4. Why do you think Mark ends by showing Jesus actually taking the children in his arms and blessing them?
Parallel passages
  • Matthew 19:13–15
  • Luke 18:15–17
  • Mark 9:33–37
Sources
  • The Greek New Testament: SBL Edition (SBLGNT), Michael W. Holmes, ed.
  • Mark 10:13–16
  • Matthew 19:13–15
  • Luke 18:15–17
  • Mark 9:33–37
  • Standard Greek lexical resources for aganakteō, kōlyō, dechomai, paidion, toioutos, enankalizomai, and kateulogeō