Spending Time with Jesus
Bible Readings
Take a few minutes to read the Bible verses listed and ask the Holy Spirit to lead you in how this verse applies to you this week.
Luke 9: 47-48, Mark 10:13-16, Matthew 19:13-15
47 Jesus knew what they were thinking, and he had a child stand there beside him. 48 Then he said to his disciples, “When you welcome even a child because of me, you welcome me. And when you welcome me, you welcome the one who sent me. Whichever one of you is the most humble is the greatest.”
Luke 9: 47-48
13 Some people brought their children to Jesus so he could bless them by placing his hands on them. But his disciples told the people to stop bothering him. 14 When Jesus saw this, he became angry and said, “Let the children come to me! Don't try to stop them. People who are like these little children belong to the kingdom of God. 15 I promise you that you cannot get into God's kingdom, unless you accept it the way a child does.” 16 Then Jesus took the children in his arms and blessed them by placing his hands on them.
Mark 10:13-16
13 Some people brought their children to Jesus, so he could place his hands on them and pray for them. His disciples told the people to stop bothering him. 14 But Jesus said, “Let the children come to me, and don't try to stop them! People who are like these children belong to God's kingdom.” 15 After Jesus had placed his hands on the children, he left.
Matthew 19:13-15
Memory Verse
Mark 10:14b
14 When Jesus saw this, he became angry and said, “Let the children come to me! Don't try to stop them. People who are like these little children belong to the kingdom of God.
If you were going to spend time with Jesus, what would you want to do? Would you play with him? Would you ask him questions and talk about stuff? Would you dance and sing together?
When Jesus was teaching and healing people, he spent time with kids. He healed kids and even raised a little girl from the dead! (Mark 5:21-43). One time, parents brought their babies, children, and young teenagers to Jesus. They wanted Jesus to place his hands on their children, bless them, and pray for them. Why do you think the parents wanted Jesus to do that? Maybe they had seen Jesus heal someone or had heard that he was a great teacher. What were the parents looking for from Jesus?
But then the disciples blocked the parents and told them to stop bothering Jesus. Why would they do that? They had seen Jesus do so many amazing things. Did they think the children would waste his time? Maybe they wanted to protect Jesus from another crowd of people who demanded stuff from him. Did they think that kids were not important to Jesus?
Jesus spoke up and was angry at his disciples (Mark 10:14). How many times in Scripture do you remember Jesus being angry? Why do you think Jesus felt that way now? Then Jesus invited the children over; they came, and Jesus took them in his arms and blessed them by placing his hands on them. What do you think the kids thought about that?
Jesus said, “Let the children come to me! Don’t try to stop them. People who are like these little children belong to the kingdom of God.” So what were these children like? How did they come to Jesus? Did they run to him laughing and then hop on his lap? Were they trusting or shy? Were they quiet and kind?
How will you come to Jesus today?
Prayer
Jesus, thank you for inviting me to come to you. Please bless me like the kids in the story, so that I too belong to the kingdom of God. Amen.Related Resources
Ron VandenBurg
Senior Producer of Children’s Ministry at ReFrame Ministries
Ron VandenBurg joined the ReFrame Ministries team in 2014. He plans and develops projects specifically for the spiritual formation of children. Before coming to ReFrame, Ron taught middle-school for 27 years. Ron completed a M. Ed. degree in Teaching, Learning and Development at Brock University. Ron and Rachel have three fantastic adult children and one grandchild and reside in Ontario.