Luke 18:15

In first-century Jewish culture, having a rabbi bless your child was considered a great honor. Parents were bringing their infants and small children to Jesus, hoping he would touch them — a gesture of blessing and divine favor. The disciples, who followed Jesus closely and saw themselves as protectors of his time and mission, pushed these families away, thinking they were being helpful. But Jesus corrected them sharply, welcoming the children and using the moment to make a point about the kingdom of God. The word translated "babies" includes infants too young to walk or talk — people with no status, no accomplishments, nothing to offer.

Lord, forgive me for the moments I've acted like the disciples — guarding my schedule instead of opening my arms. Help me see the people others overlook and treat them as you would. Remind me that you never once turned away someone who came to you. Amen.

There's something uncomfortable about the disciples in this story — because most of us recognize ourselves in them. They weren't being cruel. They were being practical. Jesus had important things to do, important people to see, and here come these parents with squirming toddlers and crying babies. The disciples were managing Jesus's schedule the way we manage our own: prioritize what seems significant, filter out what seems small. But Jesus had a completely different calculus for what mattered, and he made the disciples feel it. Think about who you might be keeping from Jesus — not intentionally, not maliciously, but because of your assumptions about who belongs and who can wait. The neighbor whose life is too messy, the coworker whose questions feel too basic, the person at the back of the room who doesn't fit the profile of someone "worth" investing in. Jesus had a habit of stopping for exactly the people everyone else was trying to move along. What would it cost you to do the same this week — to treat the interruption as the actual point?