Inclusivity is an oft-touted platitude of secular society. The world likes to think they offer a place for anyone to be themselves in safety and comfort, and Christianity is decried for being an exclusive religion of fear-mongering and hate. A look at children in the Bible tells us this isn’t so.
In the narrative of Jesus blessing the children found in the Gospel of Luke, the disciples initially turn away those bringing their babies. But Christ himself says, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these” (Luke 18:16).
During his ministry, Jesus notably spends time with children, blessing and healing them. He raises Jairus’ daughter back to life, rids the possessed daughter of a Canaanite woman of her demons, and cures a boy of his seizures. That Jesus allocates so much of his time and energy to children is quite telling. He doesn’t just include them in the heavenly kingdom––they have a place here as well! Earlier in Luke’s Gospel, Jesus addresses those debating among themselves about who was the greatest:
But Jesus, knowing what they were thinking in their hearts, took a child and had him stand by His side, and He said to them, ‘Whoever receives this child in My name receives Me, and whoever receives Me receives Him who sent Me; for the one who is least among all of you, this is the one who is great.’ (Luke 9:46–48)
We’re to welcome even the least of these in society in the name of Christ. See, although this is very consistent with the familial covenants God set up with the patriarchs, the blessings and curses of which would extend across generations, it’s also consistent with how Jesus treats others in the Gospels. Not only does Jesus welcome children alongside him, he also eats with tax collectors and keeps company with prostitutes––he knows them by name. He comes to the poor, the sick, and the heavy laden and he offers them rest (Matt. 11:28).
No matter how small you may feel, no matter how wretched, wronged, or insignificant you think yourself to be, there’s a place for you in God’s kingdom. It’s a great and glorious promise that the apostle John pens at the beginning of his Gospel: “Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God” (John 1:12).
