Just as I am, without one plea But that Thy blood was shed for me, And that Thou bidd'st me come to Thee, 0 Lamb of God, I come.
IL
A Eepeoof.
"When Jesus saw it, he was much displeased." It is a strong word that is used. This is the only time in the whole of the Gospel narrative that such a strong word is used of Him. " Much displeased " ; the same Greek word is used in the Gospel narrative of the ten disciples when they heard that James and John had tried to secure the best places in the coming Kingdom, and there it is translated "moved with
ST. MARK 239
indignation." We can therefore quite consistently translate our passage, " When Jesus saw it, he was moved with indignation."
1. Why did He reprove the disciples so severely ? There are several probable reasons —
(1) Their conduct did wrong to the mothers. — They rebuked the parents for doing a motherly act — for doing, in fact, that which Jesus loved them to do. They brought their children to Jesus out of respect for Him : they valued a blessing from His hands more than gold ; they expected that the benediction of God would go with the touch of the great Prophet. They may have hoped that a touch of the hand of Jesus would make their children's lives bright and happy. Though there may have been a measure of weakness in the parents' thought, yet the Saviour could not judge hardly of that which arose out of reverence for His person. He was therefore much displeased to think that these good women, who meant Him honour, should be roughly repulsed.
(2) They did wrong to the children. — Sweet little ones ! what had they done that they should be chided for coming to Jesus ? They had not meant to intrude. They would have fallen at His feet in reverent love for the sweet-voiced teacher, who charmed not only men but children by His tender words. The little ones meant no ill, and why should they be blamed ?
(3) They did wrong to Himself. — It might have made men think that Jesus was stiff, reserved, and self-exalted, like the Eabbis. If they had thought that He could not condescend to children they would have sadly slandered the repute of His great love. His heart was a great harbour, wherein many little ships might cast anchor. Jesus, the child-man, was never more at home than with children.
(4) It was contrary to His teaching. — For He went on to say, " Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein." Christ's teaching was not that there is something in us to fit us for the Kingdom ; and that a certain number of years may make us capable of receiving grace. His teaching all went the other way, namely, that the less we are and the weaker we are, the better ; for the less we have of self the more room there is for His Divine grace. Do you think to come to Jesus up the ladder of
240 THE GREAT TEXTS OF THE BIBLE
knowledge ? Come down, sir, you will meet Him at the foot. Do you think to reach Jesus up the steep hill of experience ? Come down, dear climber ; He stands in the plain. " Oh ! but when I am old, I shall then be prepared for Christ." Stay where thou art, young man ; Jesus meets thee at the door of life: you were never more fit to meet Him than just now. He asks nothing of you but that you will be nothing, and that He may be all in all to you. That is His Teaching : and to send back the child because it has not this or that is to fly in the teeth of the blessed doctrine of the grace of God.
(5) It was quite contrary to Jesus Christ's practice. — He made them see this ; for " He took them up in his arms, put his hands upon them, and blessed them." All His life long there is nothing in Him like rejection and refusing. He says truly, " Him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out." If He did cast out any because they were too young, the text would be falsified at once : but that can never be. He is the receiver of all who come to ffim. It is written, " This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them." All His life He might be drawn as a shepherd with a lamb in His bosom ; never as a cruel shepherd setting his dogs upon the lambs and driving them and their mothers away.^
2. What reasons could the disciples have had for preventing the children coming to Jesus ?
(1) Concern for Jesus Himself. — We do not want to think badly of such men as Peter and John, Thomas and Philip. And there is no reason why we should think they behaved very badly. They only made a mistake such as we all make some- times. It was love, rising to zeal, for their Lord which led them to push back the children, though it was not a zeal according to knowledge. They thought He would not like being interrupted in the midst of a grave public discussion. And, besides, they were themselves very much interested in the discussion that was going on, and had begun to take part in it. They did not wish it to be broken off. They thought the women and children could very well wait. They were vexed and annoyed with them for coming forward at such an