Then they brought little children to Him, that He might touch them; but the disciples rebuked those who brought them.
Parallel translations
- WEB They were bringing to him little children, that he should touch them, but the disciples rebuked those who were bringing them.
- KJV And they brought young children to him, that he should touch them: and his disciples rebuked those that brought them.
- BSB Now people were bringing the little children to Jesus for Him to place His hands on them, and the disciples rebuked those who brought them.
- NASB And they were bringing children to Him so that He would touch them; but the disciples rebuked them.
- NLT One day some parents brought their children to Jesus so he could touch and bless them. But the disciples scolded the parents for bothering him.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
People bring children for Jesus to touch, but the disciples rebuke them. The disciples again misjudge who matters in the kingdom.
Overview
Parents seek Jesus' blessing on their little ones, but the disciples treat them as an interruption. Their rebuke reflects the same misplaced sense of importance seen in chapter 9. The scene sets up Jesus' tender correction and his teaching that the kingdom belongs to the lowly and dependent.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 7
- Matt 19:13–15Then little children were brought to him, that he should lay his hands on them and pray; and the disciples rebuked them.
- Luke 18:15–17They were also bringing their babies to him, that he might touch them. But when the disciples saw it, they rebuked them.
- Deut 31:12–13Assemble the people, the men and the women and the little ones, and the foreigners who are within your gates, that they may hear, and that they may learn, and fear Yahweh your God, and observe to do all the words of this law;
- Exod 10:9–11Moses said, “We will go with our young and with our old; with our sons and with our daughters, with our flocks and with our herds will we go; for we must hold a feast to Yahweh.”
- Mark 9:38John said to him, “Teacher, we saw someone who doesn’t follow us casting out demons in your name; and we forbade him, because he doesn’t follow us.”
- Joel 2:16Gather the people. Sanctify the assembly. Assemble the elders. Gather the children, and those who nurse from breasts. Let the bridegroom go out of his room, and the bride out of her room.
- Mark 10:48Many rebuked him, that he should be quiet, but he cried out much more, “You son of David, have mercy on me!”
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Christ at the center
Mark drives urgently to the cross, showing Jesus the Son of God as the suffering Servant who 'came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.'
How Mark 10:13 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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