Make room for the little ones

The detail that carries this scene is the disciples. People were bringing children so Jesus could lay hands on them and pray, and the disciples turned them away - presumably on the grounds that he had more important work on.
Jesus reverses it in one sentence, and then goes further than a welcome. Mark and Luke both record the harder line: whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will never enter it. So the children are not being tolerated at the edge of the real thing. They are being held up as the pattern for everyone else.
Scripture links:
- Mark 10:14 - "Let the children come to me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God."
- Luke 18:17 - "whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it."
Making room for them is not a kindness you extend downward. It is a lesson you are being offered.