16. But Jesus--"much displeased," says Mark
(Mr 10:14);
and invaluable addition.
said--"SUFFER THE LITTLE CHILDREN TO COME UNTO
ME"--"AND FORBID THEM NOT,"
is the important addition of Matthew
(Mt 19:14)
and Mark
(Mr 10:14).
What words are these from the lips of Christ! The price of them is
above rubies. But the reason assigned, "FOR OF
SUCH IS THE KINGDOM OF GOD," or "of heaven," as in
Mt 19:14,
completes the previous information here conveyed; especially as
interpreted by what immediately follows: "AND
HE TOOK THEM UP IN HIS ARMS,
PUT HIS HANDS UPON THEM, AND BLESSED THEM"
(Mr 10:16).
It is surely not to be conceived that all our Lord meant was to inform
us, that seeing grown people must become childlike in order to
be capable of the Kingdom of God, therefore they should not hinder
infants from coming to Him, and therefore He took up and blessed
the infants themselves. Was it not just the grave mistake of the
disciples that infants should not be brought to Christ, because only
grown people could profit by Him, which "much displeased" our Lord? And
though He took the irresistible opportunity of lowering their pride of
reason, by informing them that, in order to enter the Kingdom,
"instead of the children first becoming like them, they must
themselves become like the children" [RICHTER
in STIER], this was but by the way; and, returning
to the children themselves, He took them up in His gracious
arms, put His hands upon them and blessed them, for no conceivable
reason but to show that they were thereby made capable, AS INFANTS, of the Kingdom of God. And if so,
then "Can any man forbid water that these should not be baptized
which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we?"
(Ac 10:47).
But such application of the baptismal water can have no warrant here,
save where the infants have been previously brought to Christ
Himself for His benediction, and only as the sign and seal
of that benediction.
JFB.
Picture Study Bible