Luke 18:15-17

4. The Children brought to Jesus: Luke 18:15-17.

Vers. 15-17. It is here that Luke's narrative rejoins Matthew's (Matthew 19:14) and Mark's (Mark 10:13), after having diverged from them at Luke 9:51. Jesus is in Peraea. Of his sojourn in this province Matthew and Mark have as yet related only one fact the conversation with the Pharisees regarding divorce, summarily reproduced by Luke, Luke 16:13-19.

By the phrase: even infants (καὶ τά...), Luke 18:15, Luke would indicate that the consideration enjoyed by Jesus had reached its height. Mothers brought him even their nurslings. The article before βρέφη denotes the category.

The apostles think that this is to abuse the goodness and time of their Master. Mark, who likes to depict moral impressions, describes the indignation felt by Jesus (ἠγανάκτησε) on perceiving this feeling. Luke is less severe, the evangelist who is accused of abusing the Twelve. After calling back those little ones who were being sent away (αὐτά), Jesus instructs His disciples in respect of them. Matthew, as usual, summarizes.

There is in children a twofold receptivity, negative and positive, humility and confidence. By labour expended on ourselves, we are to return to those dispositions which are natural to the child. The pronoun τῶν τοιούτων, of such, does not refer to other children, such as those present, but to all those who voluntarily put on the dispositions indicated. Jesus, according to Mark, clasped those children tenderly in His arms, and put His hands on them, blessing them. Matthew speaks only of the imposition of hands. These touching details are omitted by Luke. For what reason, if he knew them? They agreed so well with the spirit of his Gospel! Volkmar (Die Evangel. p. 487) explains this omission by the prosaic character of Luke (!). According to the same author, these little children represent the Gentiles saved by grace. Party dogmatics, even in this the simplest narrative of the Gospel!