Our Lord Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem. When he got there, his life-blood would be shed as the sacrifice for our sins and the sins of the world. This event had been prophesied about by the messengers of God for centuries. The fulfillment of this even no doubt occupied a large part of our all-knowing Lord’s mind.

By this time is Jesus’ ministry, his reputation was well-established. His miracles attested to his power, his teaching to his gracious wisdom. People flocked to see him wherever he went. His popularity had increased among the people of Israel and so had his unpopularity with the religious establishment, the Scribes and the Pharisees. They hated Jesus so much that they would even align themselves with political enemies they didn’t like, people like the Herodians, just to create a front against Jesus.

The Pharisees had built a fence around the law in an attempt to establish and preserve their own man-made traditions. These stringent ‘traditions of the elders’ imposed strict regulations on the pious and religious, leaving many curious loopholes for the shrewd and meticulous interpreters of the law. Their legalism took people captive through hollow and deceptive human tradition.

Our Gospel lesson for today has two parts. One is a teaching on the sanctity of marriage; the other is on the sanctity of life, and the fact that little children are indeed welcomed into the sight of God. In our Gospel lesson two weeks ago, Jesus spoke about the importance of receiving a seemingly insignificant child in his name. Last week, the Gospel focused on the importance of the faith of a child and how it must be protected. Jesus makes no bones with his "Woe" to the person who causes a child to sin.

The Pharisees and their allies tried again and again to challenge Jesus and his work. In spite of their arrogant attitudes and attempts to trap Jesus in his words, he tries to teach them and answers their questions. He doesn’t do it as gently with them as he did with the common people, but he still does it in a way that gives them opportunities to recognize and repent of their wrong attitudes.

In our text, we see Jesus explaining that it is God that brings couples together and guides their lives so that they can live for God. Privately, with his disciples he urges sanctity of marriage, and teaches that God not only loves husbands and wives, but he loves the product of those marriages, their children. Children are indeed loved by God. And Scripture is clear, they are important to our Lord.

The incident that brings all this to light was the parents who were bringing their children to Jesus to receive a blessing. Their eager parents brought their children to Jesus because they recognized that Jesus had come not only for them but also for their little children, and they wanted their children to receive the blessing and love of the Savior.

We don’t know for sure who it was, but someone didn’t approve of the parents’ actions. We don’t know why the disciples did what they did. Maybe the disciples thought Jesus was just to busy to be bothered with such things. But the parents kept trying to bring their children to Jesus in spite of the disciples trying to send them away.

The action of the disciples troubles Jesus. We read that when he saw it, Jesus was indignant. In righteous anger, Jesus showed the disciples how wrong they were. Jesus tells them; "Let the children come to me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it."

Jesus came for all. His life, death, and resurrection would attain salvation for the world. What a pity that so many people in his world reject God’s grace. The Son of God came to seek and save the lost – from the greatest to the least. He went to the Samaritans who were looked at by the Jews as a people on about equal footing with a dog. Jesus rejoiced over the confession of a Roman soldier. Here, he even showed that the youngest child was precious in his Father’s sight.

The disciples, like many people in our time, think that little children can’t believe and that they really don’t matter. The disciples failed to understand why Jesus came and what his kingdom was all about. So Jesus taught his disciples and he teaches us two important lessons.

First, God’s kingdom is for children. After all, part of God’s kingdom is his gracious rule in the hearts and minds of believers. Faith is not a matter of intellect or will. It’s a matter of trust in Jesus and in the promises of our gracious heavenly Father.

Today, there are many obstacles to that faith. How many children today don’t even have chance to live because their parents, for the sake of convenience, expedience, or some other reason or excuse determine that it’s better to end their child’s life before they’re even born. How indignant Jesus must be over those who are kept from life.

Or how about the parent who thinks they are doing their child a favor by ignoring his or her spiritual training now and figure it’s best for that child to make his choices about religion when they grow up. Jesus said, "Let the children come." Bring them to him now. Give the Holy Spirit the opportunity to create faith in that infants heart through the waters of Baptism.

Just as a baby needs feeding and nurturing, so does his faith. The faithful Christian parent and the church seek to nurture the child in faith and teach the child in the way he or she should go, teaching and leading by example, by word, and by deed, and by bringing the child to God’s house, placing the Word into their hands and hearts, leading them in the way of Christ so that when they are older they might not stray away from the way of our Lord.

Second, not only are children part of God’s kingdom through faith in him, it’s also that kind of childlike faith that God is looking for in all of his believers; simple, humble, trusting faith that looks only to him.

We, after all, are in some ways, just like children. We are truly dependent on God. We can’t save ourselves. We can’t make a decision to follow Christ, but the Holy Spirit comes and creates faith in us. This faith is a gift of God in all who believe, and it is by faith alone that we take hold of the kingdom of God. "Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it."

In spite of what some people teach and believe, the truth remains that there is such a thing as original sin. Paul wrote to the Romans that "By one man’s disobedience, the many were made sinners." "One trespass led to condemnation of all men."

Through Baptism, Jesus gives his gracious forgiveness of sins to even the youngest child. "Let them come!" It is no accident that the passage is included in the order of Baptism for children.

Jesus told the disciples not to hinder the children. He became indignant with the disciples and no doubt becomes indignant with anyone else who ignorantly prevents children from receiving the blessings of Baptism today. Thinking ahead to the cross, he proclaimed the preciousness of the life and salvation of those children.

Paul also had the cross in mind when he was explaining the concept of original sin. Just as we are all condemned because of the sin of Adam, we are all saved by the one mans act of righteousness. That one act, the suffering and death of Christ on the cross leads to justification and life for all men; by one man’s obedience, Christ’s obedience, the many will be made righteous.

Jesus encourages us to have a childlike faith in what He did for us on that cross and the salvation he procured for all who believe. "Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it."

Trust in Jesus like a child – with a faith that takes His Word to heart, completely trusting in him and his love. Amen.