THE STORY OF JESUS: Luke 18:15-17
“Bringing babies to Jesus for him to place his hands on them.” (Luke 18:16)
So what exactly happened when Jesus placed His hands on them?
In Mark 10:16 we read that Jesus blessed the children in His arms.
Did this blessing give these babies an advantage over other un-blessed babies?
My guess is that Jesus announced the same blessing He offered to all.
The same blessing announced in the gospel, the same blessing received in baptism.
He blessed them with every spiritual blessing He had at His disposal (Ephesians 1:3).
He extended to them God’s grace, mercy, peace, joy and love!
And like everyone else, that blessing still had to be received.
Like the generously scattered seed, the full blessing was scattered everywhere.
But some soils received the seed blessing, while others did not (Matthew 13:1-9).
If we have ears to hear, and hearts to receive, we will experience His blessing too.
It is not the hands of Jesus, nor the waters of baptism, that create this blessing.
It is God’s heart using any means to get the message through: you are blessed!
Do I see Jesus standing over me, generously blessing me from God’s heart?
What do you sense the Lord saying to you?
PRAYER
Lord, every baby, every adult, every human, stands under the generous flow of God’s blessing through You. Yet so many of us refuse to receive it, to enjoy it, to live from it!