NOTES for Luk 18:15

In the East there is a widespread belief: if a prophet or righteous person touches an infant, the child's destiny will be happy. Even adults have sought and still seek to touch people known for their righteousness, and if parents manage to have a person known for his righteousness stroke their infant, for example, on the head, then one could wish nothing greater for one's child.

Clearly, infants were brought to the Savior from the same considerations. The disciples, as can be seen, thought that some popular prejudices were present here. Indeed, traditional Jewish ideas about spiritual life suppose that it must be at least somewhat conscious, so that, for example, in relation to a child unfamiliar with the Torah, one cannot speak of any spiritual life.

And they perceived the parents' desire to bring infants to Jesus as absurd and meaningless: at such an age one still cannot speak of any spiritual life. Jesus Himself, however, sees this situation somewhat differently. He, of course, does not intend to teach the infants who are brought to Him anything. But neither does He drive away those who find themselves near Him.

This is understandable: if Jesus were simply a teacher of the Torah, even the greatest of all, infants would have nothing to do near Him. But He is not only Teacher; He is the Messiah who has brought the Kingdom into the world. The Kingdom that is always with Him and that can open to those who seek if they trust Him. And here it is not always important to understand what is happening. Sometimes the breath of the Kingdom acts even on those who have the vaguest ideas about God, the Kingdom, and the Messiah.

Of course, in this case there can be no talk of conscious spiritual or church life: for such life a person must understand and be aware of how God works with him. But the action of the breath of the Kingdom can sometimes be useful from the point of view of preparing a person for conscious spiritual life. In any case, it will never be superfluous, and therefore the Savior rejects none of those who come to Him with pure, even if naive, intentions.