Luke 18:15-17 for fun!

Translation:
(15) And they brought the children to him that he might touch them. The disciples saw [this] and they rebuked them. (16) But Jesus invited them, saying, "You sent the babes away. Come to me and do not restrain them, for such as these is the kingdom of God. (17) Truly I say to you, those who do not receive the kingdom of God as babes may never ever enter into it."

This is a very intimate scene, though we may not think of it that way. Most of us probably think of a very busy Jesus (healing, preaching, teaching) with a noisy bunch of children in the crowd. The disciples probably thought the children would bother Jesus, particularly after a long day. The disciple's reaction makes perfect sense to anyone who has spent a long day at work only to be greeted by boisterous children.

The fact of the matter is, in Greek the story reads a little differently. First of all, the verb "they brought" indicates a continual action in the past. We could translate it in a number of ways. "They began to bring," "they were bringing," or "they kept bringing." In other words, the action could be just beginning, prolonged or repetitive. We must think carefully what these mean. If "they kept bringing" the children, Jesus might have a different relationship with these people--they're persistent. If "they began to bring" then the relationship is different yet. If it is a prolonged activity then the action was probably not uncommon.

Second, two different words for "children" are used. In v. 15, the word is simply "children" or "babies." When Jesus speaks of the children, he calls them "babes" which is a much more endearing term.

Finally, the word used for the disciple's reaction "rebuked" is a pretty harsh word. It can also mean "to assess a value," "allege as crimination," or "censure." Ouch.

So what does this all mean? "Truly I say to you, those who do not receive the kingdom of God as babes may never ever enter into it." Consider the actions of those who brought their children to Jesus. They brought their babies for him to hold. The disciples censure them, quiet them and send them away, judging them to be unworthy of Jesus' attention. Jesus says that the act of bringing the child, surrendering the babe to Jesus is the better reaction. How do we react to children in our presence? Do we surrender to their sometimes awkward ways so that they too can experience Jesus' touch? Or, do we scold them for coming too close in an unsanctimonious way?