TRANSLATION MATTHEW 19: 13

Then small children were brought to him, so that he would put his hands upon them and pray. But his disciples censured them.Then Jesus said,”Do not refuse the children or hinder them from coming to me, for the Rule of Heaven belongs to such as these.” And he put his hands upon them, before leaving that place.

This passage forms a closure with material referring to little children at the beginning of Chapter 18, which lays out the attitudes and practices of a community that honours Jesus. Members of his community are little children of the heavenly father, brothers and sisters who honour one another in the discipline of mutual forgiveness. There is no place for arrogance or exclusivity.

The use of the metaphor of little children for the followers of Jesus emphasises how different they should be from cults that advertise their perfect wisdom or moral superiority. The Jesus community is composed of beginners in discipleship, ready to challenge and forgive each other, always open to the small and unimportant.

Given the history of the Christian churches, blemished as it is with entitlement and self-righteousness, it may be useful for churches to see Jesus’ words about little children as foundational along with the more elevated descriptions given by Saints Peter and Paul. Only as children is the assembly of Jesus a royal priesthood and the body of Messiah.