Commentary on Matthew 19:13-15

This short passage is an echo of the statement Jesus made at the beginning of the discourse on the Church (Matt 18:1-4). Parents were bringing their children for Jesus to bless. The disciples, with the officiousness of minor officials, thought they were doing their Master a favour by protecting him from such trivial nuisances.

Jesus scolds them:

Let the children come to me, and do not stop them, for it is to such as these that the kingdom of heaven belongs.

Thus, not to children alone does the Kingdom of Heaven belong, but to all those who have the qualities of the child: their simplicity and openness, teachability, freedom from prejudice and readiness for change and adaptation. Only such people are ready to hear the message of the Gospel in its fullness.

The passage leads naturally into the next one about the rich man who asked Jesus what he should do to enter eternal life. For all his wealth, he would prove to be wanting in this particular area of openness.