Luke 18:16

But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.

EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(16) Suffer little children to come unto me.—The close agreement with St. Mark in this and the following verse, makes it probable that this is one of the passages which St. Luke derived from personal communication with him. (See Introduction.)

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

18:15-17 None are too little, too young, to be brought to Christ, who knows how to show kindness to those not capable of doing service to him. It is the mind of Christ, that little children should be brought to him. The promise is to us, and to our seed; therefore He will bid them welcome to him with us. And we must receive his kingdom as children, not by purchase, and must call it our Father's gift.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

See the notes at Matthew 19:13-30.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

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.

Matthew Poole's Commentary

See Poole on "Luke 18:15"

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

But Jesus called them unto him,.... Not the disciples, as the Ethiopic version reads, nor the persons that brought the children, but the children themselves; for the antecedent to the relative "them", can be no other; which shows, that these infants were not new born babes, or children at the breast, but such as were more grown up, since they were capable of being called to, and of coming to Christ:

and said; that is, to the disciples; so the Persic version expresses it:

suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not; See Gill on Matthew 19:14.

for of such is the kingdom of God; or "of heaven", as the Syriac version reads, and as in Matthew 19:14 that is, the kingdom of God belongs to such, "who are as these"; or, "like to these": as the Syriac, Arabic, and Persic versions render the words; (, Matthew 19:14.)

Geneva Study Bible

{5} But Jesus {g} called them unto him, and said, Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.

(5) The elect children of the faithful are included in the free covenant of God. (Ed.)

(g) Those that carried the children, whom the disciples drove away.

EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)

Expositor's Greek Testament

Luke 18:16. προσεκαλέσατο, called, speaking to those who carried the infants. Lk. omits the annoyance of Jesus at the conduct of the Twelve, noted by Mk. Decorum controls his presentation not only of Jesus but of the Twelve. He always spares them (Schanz).—τῶν τοιούτων, of such; does this mean that children belong to the kingdom, or only that the childlike do so? Bengel, De Wette and Schanz take the former view, J. Weiss and Hahn the latter. Schanz says: “τοιούτοι with the article means not similarity but likeness with respect to something going before or following after. Therefore the children as such are recognised by Jesus as worthy of the kingdom.”

Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

16. called them] St Mark adds that Jesus was much displeased with the officious interference of the disciples who so little understood His tenderness.

Suffer little children] Rather, the little children.

for of such is the kingdom of God] Because children are meek, humble, trustful, guileless, unsophisticated, pure. It was a lesson which Jesus often taught, Matthew 5:3; Matthew 11:25; Matthew 17:10; Matthew 17:14; 1 Corinthians 14:20; 1 Peter 2:1-2.

receive the kingdom of God as a little child] See Matthew 11:25. Hence the Psalmist says, “My soul is even as a weaned child,” Psalm 131:2. Tradition (erroneously) supposed that St Ignatius was one of these children.

Bengel's Gnomen

Luke 18:16. Προσκαλεσάμενος, having called to Him) the more on that account [because the disciples had ‘rebuked’ them], and with a gracious tone of voice and expression of countenance.—αὐτὰ, them) Great condescension: comp. Luke 18:19. With good reason [as best exemplifying it Himself] He recommends ‘humility’ to us in Luke 18:14.

Pulpit Commentary

Verse 16. - But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God. St. Mark, who gives us here the memories of a faithful eye-witness - St. Peter - records how much displeased Jesus was when he saw them pushing back the mothers and their little ones, eager to win a smile or perhaps a touch from him whom the people justly regarded as the children's Friend. It seems also to have been the practice for Jewish mothers to bring their babes to famous rabbis, and to ask these teachers to bless their little ones. Christ's "interest in the little children was real, and for their own sakes. It was primary; not merely secondary, and because of the childlikeness of his subjects. If they who are like little children belong to the kingdom of heaven, why should we for a moment doubt that the little children themselves belong to the kingdom? Doubtless they all do. And if that change which men call death happen to them while they are still little children, we may rest assured that it will be to the little ones bye everlasting. They will not be shut out from the higher province of the kingdom of heaven when they are snatched away from the lower" (Dr. Morrison). St. Mark's account, being that of an eye-witness, is fuller and more graphic. It is read in the Office of the Church of England for the Baptism of Infarcts, wherein young children are in like manner presented to Christ. It is considered that the Master's words and act here justify the Church in commending infants, as such, to the blessing of their Father. Surely if little ones were capable of spiritual blessings then, they are so now. It is noticeable that these children were not brought to the Lord to be taught, but "that he should put his hands upon them, and bless them" (Mark 10:16). Luke 18:16

Vincent's Word Studies

Suffer

See on Matthew 19:14. Only Mark notes the taking in his arms.