Jesus, in the previous section of Mark 10:1-12 speaks about divorce and the calling of the people back to the scriptures, the Imago Dei (the image of God), and a never-ending commitment to Himself both for better and for worse is now recorded in Mark’s gospel blessing children and using them as examples of how salvation, grace, and the kingdom of God is received and given through the example of children.

Children were nonfactors in the time of Jesus and were considered nothing more than incompetent pest who would uncover secrets they heard and roam about just getting in the way. Children did not enjoy rights of their own as children do today in some parts of the world as well as in the USA. At any rate, people were bringing little children to Jesus from the ages of infants to three and up who still had an innocence about themselves. Yet, the disciples are recorded in the synoptic gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke rebuking the people who were bringing the little children to Jesus who more than likely included the little children’s parents. They did not just refuse them they rebuked them or criticized them sharply and reprimanded them. This made Jesus indignant or angry at the disciples and used this situation to make several points about salvation and the kingdom of God or of heaven using little children as a prime example. We can learn four lessons from the Lord in this situation: