Mark 10:13 Commentary and Bible Study

The parents brought their children to Christ. This was not a superstitious act on the part of the parents for they were implicitly commended by Christ, and therefore this was an act of faith, for he would have commended nothing else. This was not baptism, and this passage cannot be used as a prooftext for child baptism. They brought the children simply for him to touch them; they sought a blessing from one who they believed was sent from God. If child baptism was found in the New Testament it would certainly have taken place on this occasion, but it did not. This was not something that the disciples could do in the place of Christ. The parents believed in the Lord Jesus, and it was a blessing from him that they were seeking. They were not seeking healing, like so many others who wanted Christ to touch them, but they sought his touch as a sign of God’s blessing on their lives. These were little children and probably too young to remember this event later in life. The parents brought them to him just as they might bring their children to God in prayer for him to bless them in their lives, indeed, Matthew says, ‘Then were there brought unto him little children, that he should put his hands on them, and pray’ (Matthew 19:13). Parents if they have any understanding regard their children as the most precious gift they have received, and godly parents seek the blessing of Almighty God on their young ones. He alone can protect them in a world of such vanity and so many sources of danger: physical, moral, and spiritual. But the disciples were not pleased. What did they think? That Christ would be annoyed by this? That he would not want to be bothered with such insignificant members of society? Their error stemmed from their failure to evaluate the worth of a child correctly. To them, small and weak and dependent and lacking in understanding meant not worthy of Christ’s attention. Perhaps they thought they were protecting him from undue attention. Perhaps they thought the parents were coming in a superstitious way and wasting his time. But the instincts of the parents were correct, and the disciples were seriously out of order.