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Matthew 19, as we continue going 
through this first gospel, we find ourselves in a section dealing 
specifically with family matters. Remember in chapter 18, Jesus 
deals specifically with matters affecting the church or relationships 
within the community of the people of God. And in chapter 19, the 
family is dealt with specifically in terms of marriage and its 
original intent, the place of lawful divorce, in God's arrangement 
as He speaks to, legislates in a post-sin world or a post-fall 
world. And then this morning we're going 
to take up verses 10 to 15, specifically Jesus' instruction on celibacy 
and then Jesus blesses the little children. So I'll read verses 
1 to 15 and then our focus, as I said, is on verses 10 to 15. 
Now it came to pass when Jesus had finished these sayings that 
he departed from Galilee and came to the region of Judea beyond 
the Jordan. And great multitudes followed 
him and he healed them there. The Pharisees also came to him 
testing him and saying to him, is it lawful for a man to divorce 
his wife for just any reason? And he answered and said to them, 
have you not read that he who made them at the beginning made 
them male and female? And said, for this reason a man 
shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife and 
the two shall become one flesh. So then, they are no longer two 
but one flesh. Therefore, what God has joined 
together, let not man separate. They said to him, why then did 
Moses command to give a certificate of divorce and to put her away? He said to them, Moses, because 
of the hardness of your hearts permitted you to divorce your 
wives. But from the beginning it was not so. And I say to you, 
whoever divorces his wife except for sexual immorality and marries 
another commits adultery, and whoever marries her who is divorced 
commits adultery. His disciples said to him, if 
such is the case of the man with his wife, it is better not to 
marry. But he said to them, all cannot 
accept this saying, but only those to whom it has been given. 
There are, or for there are, eunuchs who were born thus from 
their mother's womb. And there are eunuchs who were 
made eunuchs by men. And there are eunuchs who have 
made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven's sake. He 
who is able to accept it, let him accept it. Then little children 
were brought to him that he might put his hands on them and pray. 
But the disciples rebuked them. But Jesus said, let the little 
children come to me and do not forbid that, for of such is the 
kingdom of heaven. And he laid his hands on them 
and departed from there. Amen. Well, let us pray. Our 
Father in heaven, we thank you for the Lord's day. We thank 
you for this place of rest. We thank you for this place where 
we, in a special way, get to meet with our God. The New Covenant 
community, you have promised that you would be in the midst 
of your lampstands. And now we thank you for this 
great privilege and blessing. Our Father, we pray that the 
Holy Spirit would work in our hearts and minds, that He would 
illumine our minds, that You would guide us and lead us into 
all truth. And may these things affect the 
way that we live. May these things help us, God, 
to conduct ourselves in a manner worthy of Your Gospel. For those 
outside of Christ, we pray that today would be the day of salvation. 
That as the gospel goes forth, you would be pleased to bless, 
by the power of your Holy Spirit, to the saving of sinners. We 
pray as well, our God, that you would forgive us now for our 
transgression and our sin. We confess our breach of your 
holy law. We confess our lack of conformity 
unto those things that you command. And our Father, we just pray 
that even now you would cleanse us in that fountain that is open 
for sin and uncleanness. Wash us and purify us and help 
us, God, to receive with thanksgiving the word of the living and the 
true God. And we pray these things through 
Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen. Well, as we consider this 
particular topic, or these two particular topics, the instruction 
on celibacy, and then, in a sense, instruction concerning children, 
it is imperative that we remember the context. Jesus was asked 
specifically concerning the reason for divorce. Verse 3, is it lawful 
for a man to divorce his wife for just any reason? Jesus then 
answers with Genesis 2.24, the original intent of God at creation 
was one man and one woman in a permanent union until they 
be separated by death. Then the Pharisees ask concerning 
Moses' permission in Deuteronomy 24, why then did Moses command 
to give a certificate of divorce and so put her away? We saw what 
the actual command is given there in Deuteronomy 24, 1-4. We're 
not going to rehearse all of that material, but suffice it 
to say... that God, in a post-fallen situation, 
gives legislation through His law to remedy and provide redress 
for those victimized by others. In this case, when a man is ungodly 
or a woman is ungodly, with reference to her spouse, the Lord has spoken 
concerning this issue of lawful divorce. Here, in verse 9, Jesus 
specifies specifically Pornea, we saw last week in 1 Corinthians 
7, that willful desertion also falls under that. So this is 
the context, and remember that I reminded you that there were 
two prevailing schools of thought concerning divorce. There was 
the very conservative school of Shammai, interpreting the 
unclean thing in Deuteronomy 24, he specified that it was 
only for that particular that men could divorce their wives. 
And then there was the school of Hillel, which was far more 
liberal. A man could divorce his wife, 
according to the Hillelian school, if she burned his dinner. A man 
could divorce his wife if he found someone that was more pleasing 
in his eyes. And as we come to our section 
now, verses 10, to 12 specifically, Jesus talks about the subject 
of celibacy. Notice, in the first place, it 
comes on the heels of the disciples' reaction to what Jesus has said. So notice, the instruction on 
celibacy in the first place, the disciples' reaction to Jesus' 
teaching. Verse 10, his disciples said 
to him, if such is the case of the man with his wife, it is 
better not to marry. They have understood what Christ 
is teaching. They have understood that Christ 
is very conservative in this matter of when it is permissible 
to divorce a wife. The disciples indicate that they 
are on the level of Hillel. They seem to entertain a far 
more liberal view. If such is the case, that we 
can only stay together except for porneia, then it's better 
not to get married. Remember I said we ought not 
to look at marriage with reference to the permissions for divorce. 
This was the problem with the Pharisees. We don't enter into 
a marriage arrangement looking for the exit gate. We don't enter 
into a marriage agreement by looking at the ways that we can 
escape if we don't like what it is about. So they give evidence 
to the fact that they are more of the mind of Hillel in this 
whole instance. They had not reflected upon the 
relationship between Genesis 2.24 and Deuteronomy 24. What 
Christ has been doing as he confronts the Pharisees, as he answers 
this question. From the beginning it was not 
so. Divorce legislation comes in a post-fall condition. just 
like laws regulating slavery, laws regulating warfare, laws 
regulating polygamy. All those things come as a result 
of the hardness of man's heart, the sinfulness of his heart. 
God provides redress for those who find themselves in a terrible 
situation. So the disciples are thinking 
along the lines of Hillel, and they're probably thinking along 
the lines of these Pharisees. Hill says they are virtually 
making the attractiveness of marriage contingent upon the 
possibility of easy divorce. This is precisely the problem 
that the Pharisees had, and this is precisely the reason why Jesus 
brings out Genesis 2.24. From the beginning it was not 
so. When you enter into marriage, enter it with this mindset. One man, one woman, until death 
do us part. One man, one woman, for better, 
for worse, for richer, for poorer, whatever the case may be, we 
are in this for the long haul. In other words, when you say, 
I do, you need to mean it. That's God's intent at the creation. It's interesting to me as well 
in verse 10. They say, if such is the case 
of the man with his wife, it is better not to marry. It doesn't 
even seem like they entertain the possibility of marrying well. Right? Instead of looking for 
loopholes on how to get out of a potentially bad marriage, take 
some extra time to find a potentially good spouse. Take the time to 
pray. Take the time to reflect. Take 
the time to work on yourself. Take the time to prepare yourself 
for a lifelong commitment to another human being. Don't approach 
marriage saying, I've got this exit gate, I've got this exit 
gate, I've got this loophole, and I've got this. No. Why don't 
you find someone, by God's grace, that you can say, I do too, and 
meet it. Now, I realize we cannot foresee 
the future. I realize that we are not prophets 
nor the sons of prophets, but it seems to me that there are 
times when persons rush into marriage far too prematurely. Take your time. Relax. God is good. He is sovereign. If He has decreed your marriage, 
then He will provide that special guy or that special girl. The disciples don't even seem 
to entertain the reality. marrying well. Well, maybe we 
should take more time on this end to look for that potential 
spouse so that we don't have to think about this exit plan. 
That might work as well. Now, notice Jesus' response. Three things I want us to consider 
with Jesus' response here. First, the difficulty of this 
saying. Secondly, the types of eunuchs. And thirdly, the exhortation. 
I love sermons like these because I always imagine that at lunch, 
one of the children is going to say to their mommy or daddy, 
what's a eunuch? And then you get that happy occasion 
of getting to explain that to them. I've had that in my time. 
When my children were little, one of them used to phrase sentences, 
what means this? And then they'd say something 
like, what means eunuch? Or what means this or that? I don't want to give you more 
words to have to define at home. I'm trusting that everybody here 
has an idea of what a eunuch is and what celibacy means. Note first the difficulty of 
this saying. The disciples respond, if such 
is the case of the man with his wife, it is better not to marry. 
But he said to them, all cannot accept this saying, but only 
those to whom it has been given. Now interpreters are divided 
on what Jesus is talking about here. When he says all cannot 
accept this saying, is he referring to his teaching, to his doctrine, 
to what we find there in verses 7 to 9? where he teaches that 
one man, one woman, till death do us part, except for Porneia? Is that the saying that's in 
view that Jesus says that all cannot accept this saying? Or 
does Jesus refer to what they just said? If such is the case 
of the man with his wife, it is better not to marry. Now, 
Jesus says all cannot accept this saying. I take it as a reference 
to what the disciples said. for two reasons. In the first 
place, what the disciples say comes on the heels of Jesus' 
correct teaching, of Jesus' doctrine. But Jesus answers in verse 12 
to their particular statement. If such is the case of the man 
with his wife, it is better not to marry. Jesus says, all cannot 
accept this saying, but only those to whom it has been given. 
And then he explains in verse 12 concerning this whole issue 
of celibacy or of being a unit. So this saying is not his doctrine. It would be odd for Jesus to 
set forth an ideal and then sort of say, well, not all can accept 
this. That doesn't matter whether we accept that or not. We are 
under the word of the living Christ. We need to listen to 
that one who speaks with great authority, that one whose voice 
crushes the cedars of Lebanon. It doesn't make sense if Jesus 
sets forth truth and then says, You know, all cannot accept this 
saying, but only those to whom it has been given. No, it's what 
the disciples had just voiced. Now notice, the saying is difficult 
and hence received by those to whom it has been given to receive 
it. It's difficult. What I think 
we learn from this passage, and as we compare the Bibles teaching 
elsewhere, is that marriage is normative. Marriage is the normative 
way. That is the normal social relationship. Now celibacy or being a eunuch 
isn't hellbound. It doesn't mean you're hellbound, 
you're of Satan or anything like that. But notice that Jesus says 
that this saying is a difficult one and it's only received by 
those to whom it has been given. As well, the saying is received 
by those who have received the gift of celibacy by God himself. Notice, all cannot accept this 
saying, but only those to whom it has been given. Paul says 
the same thing in 1 Corinthians 7, verse 7. But each one has 
his own gift from God, one in this manner and one in that. 
Celibacy is a gift given by God. Now, some have taken this passage 
and say the celibacy that's in view are those who are lawfully 
divorced because of porneia, but they are prohibited from 
being remarried. I hope that we've demonstrated 
that when there is a lawful divorce, Remarriage is assumed and permitted. So that's not what's in view 
here. It's not simply the persons who find themselves divorced 
and now they can't remarry and so it has been given to them 
to become eunuchs for the kingdom of God. No. This is a general 
statement. We see marriage, we see divorce, 
and then we see this class of men and women that are called 
eunuchs. Those who are celibate. Those who are not in the marital 
state. So I want us to understand that 
the Lord Jesus and the Apostle Paul both teach that celibacy 
is a gift given by God. Now, can you think of one ecclesiastical 
organization that rejects this particular proposition? I sure 
hope you're thinking Rome. I sure hope that your mind has 
swam the river Tiber. I'm sure hoping that you understand 
that the mandate for clerical celibacy flies contrary to what 
Jesus says and what Paul says concerning the gift nature of 
this act of celibacy. Listen to the papists. Concerning 
clerical celibacy, this is a matter of discipline which rests on 
a positive enactment of ecclesiastical law. They then say this, this 
is in a Catholic encyclopedia from the Marian edition of the 
Catholic Bible. It is grounded in the doctrine 
of the superior excellence of virginity. Where did they ever 
get this? Why is this their sort of thing 
that they have to keep pushing? And why do Protestants follow 
this line of thought? There is no superior excellence 
about virginity. God made Adam and Eve, and it 
was good that they came together. It wasn't icky, it wasn't dirty, 
they didn't need cootie spray, it was good! This idea that potpourri 
presents and that sometimes Protestants grab on to, that virginity and 
singlehood is higher than marriage, is off the pit. What does Paul 
say in 1 Timothy chapter 4? What does he identify as a doctrine 
of demons? When you see a bunch of high 
school children or high school kids with a pentagram on the 
ground, with candles and they're worshiping Satan, certainly that's 
bad. But the doctrine of demon that 
Paul describes in 1 Timothy 4 are those who forbid marriage and 
receiving meats that God gave for the good of his creatures. 
So back to the papists. It is grounded in the doctrine 
of the superior excellence of virginity and has been reinforced 
by the spiritual and temporal experience of many centuries. Now, I know this is going to 
sound crass and I apologize if you are offended, but I can imagine 
that there are countless young people who have been sodomized 
as a result of this procedure that would argue with this being 
something superior. That this was a temporal experience 
that was wonderful. I agree with C.H. Spurgeon when 
he says enforced celibacy is the seedbed of sins. Do not prohibit 
a man or a woman from what God says is lawful. That's it. Potpourri is wrong. Clerical 
celibacy is wrong. It is wicked to deny a man something 
that God has said is good. Now notice, in the second place, 
the types of eunuchs there are. In the first place, there are 
eunuchs who were born that way. birth defect, genetic deficiency, 
whatever it is, they were born that way. They're of the sun, 
is what the Jews called them. Of the sun meaning, S-U-N, that 
from the first moment they hit sunlight, they were this way. It's a condition that some persons 
have. In the second place, there are 
those who are made that way by men. The eunuchs who were made 
such by men. Now we could put potpourri here 
to be sure, But if you look in the scriptures, you'll see indications 
or evidences of what was customary in certain Eastern societies. You have eunuchs watch the women. You have eunuchs watch the harems. You have eunuchs orchestrate 
affairs of that particular part of the royalty. You see it in 2 Kings, chapter 
2 Kings 9, 2 Kings 20. Esther, of course, who makes 
sure that the women get dressed and they're made up and all that 
stuff. It is the eunuchs. They were made such by men. Consider 
the Ethiopian eunuch in Acts chapter 8. He worked for Candace 
the Queen, and what does he do? He manages the finances. He's 
a trustworthy man. There's a fidelity that is borne 
out by this particular arrangement. And then in the third place, 
there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom 
of heaven's sake. Now, we need to appreciate here, 
as Carson says, the latter is not a commendation of self-castration. but of renunciation of marriage 
in light of the disciple's remark, it is better not to marry." I 
realize you're going to have an interesting lunch today. Unix 
and self-castration. But listen to what Carson says. 
The latter, this idea of one making oneself this way, is not 
self-castration. The church historian Eusebius 
records concerning Origen, the father, that he took this seriously, 
that he engaged in self-castration. That's not what's in view in 
this particular passage. Jesus is not saying you need 
to engage in this if you really want to put the kingdom first. 
Probably what the NIV glosses is right. Those who choose to 
live like eunuchs, in other words, they forego that particular benefit, 
blessing of life, and they put the kingdom of heaven first. 
Now, on the one hand, Romanism exalts celibacy. On the other 
hand, we ought not to go the other way and say there's no 
place for it whatsoever. Jesus says there are a class 
of people, and Paul exhorts some in his writing in 1 Corinthians 
7, to be that class of people who forego the blessing of marriage 
and to put the kingdom of God first. What can we deduce from 
this? That the kingdom of God is so 
glorious, and so wonderful, and so valuable, and so precious, 
that men or women, men and women, forego that benefit that God 
gives to His creation, and says, no, I want to put the kingdom 
first. Isn't this Paul's point in 1 
Corinthians 7? A married woman thinks about how she's going 
to please her husband. She thinks about cooking and 
cleaning and doing those sorts of things. But a woman who doesn't 
have a husband, who comes first? It's God the Lord. So on the 
one hand we don't mandate celibacy, but on the other hand we don't 
belittle celibacy. If a Protestant chooses this 
path, praise God Almighty. But remember, it is a gift. Paul 
recognizes that reality in 1 Corinthians 7. It is good not to touch a 
woman. If you're married, you make sure 
that you don't deprive one another or rob one another when it comes 
to that whole part of the marriage relationship. He says, I wish 
all were like me. I wish you would forego those 
things. But each one has his own gift. And then Paul says, 
nevertheless, I think you could do a lot of good foregoing that 
and putting first the kingdom of righteousness. So we need 
to understand that what we find here is Christ teaching on the 
specific types of eunuchs that exist or celibates. And then 
notice his exhortation in verse 22, the very end, he who is able 
to accept it, let him accept it. It's not for everybody. Don't go home today and say, 
I'm concluded I'm celibate. Praise God if you are, but make 
sure it's a gift because you know what's going to happen? 
Remember I said last week when we looked at Paul in 1 Corinthians 
7, one of the reasons God gives marriage, you know every young 
woman's romantic ideal of marriage to prevent uncleanness. I typically 
don't hear that as a response. I mean, sometimes you do. You 
know, we're struggling and we should get married. Praise God, 
get married. I think that's an application of that principle. 
But if ever you meet somebody in the world, why are you getting 
married? You're so young. To prevent uncleanness. That 
doesn't have the romantic pizzazz as, but I love him, and he's 
wonderful, or she's awesome. But that's a legit reason to 
prevent uncleanness. That is, it is wrong to fornicate, 
it is wrong to commit adultery, it is wrong to use a good gift 
God gave us in a manner that is inconsistent with the context 
He gave it. Our society needs a great big 
dose of this reality, that you cannot engage in this manner 
of business and not find yourself in opposition by God. Now notice, The entire Bible 
sees marriage as normative and celibacy as the exception. It is there. There are persons. We ought to encourage them to 
be sure. France notes, to speak of a gift 
of celibacy is to assume that marriage is the norm, but that 
God has given to some people the ability, perhaps even the 
inclination, to stand apart from that norm. Osborne says, neither 
Jesus here nor Paul in 1 Corinthians 7 is saying that celibacy is 
to be preferred or is a higher calling. The only point is that 
it is a valid calling and should be considered by disciples who 
serve the kingdom." So in summary, Jesus gives the doctrine concerning 
marriage. He speaks to the exception clause 
of Porneia. He then hears the disciples say, 
well, if such is the case, it's better not to get married. So 
what does Jesus do? He counters with this whole argument 
concerning celibacy. Yeah, it's not for everybody 
to get married. It's okay if you don't get married, but you 
need to realize it must be a gift because, as Paul says in 1 Corinthians 
7, you might burn in your lust. The lawful means that God has 
prescribed in such instances is to find a wife or to find 
a husband. Now, notice, secondly, it's kind 
of an interesting juxtaposition of themes this morning, isn't 
it? Celibacy and children. Celibacy and children. Note verses 
13 to 15. First, the reason the little 
children are brought to Christ. Verse 13a, then little children 
were brought to him that he might put his hands on them and pray. 
Now, how old were these little children? It's interesting. It's hard to pin down specifically. Little children translates the 
Greek word for little children. In the parallel passage in Luke 
18, Luke also uses the word for infant or baby. 1815, infant 
or baby is used, but in 16 Jesus says, paideia, which is little 
children. It's hard to know specifically 
how old these little ones were. In Mark 10, 16, Jesus takes them 
up in His arms in order to bless them. The passive verb may indicate 
that they were brought to Jesus because they couldn't run on 
their own, or they couldn't crawl on their own. And so the parents 
probably brought them to the Lord Jesus. But that doesn't 
always fly. In instances of healing, in instances 
where other children are dealt with, they're brought by parents 
also. So it's not decisive. how old 
or how young these particular little ones are. Suffice it to 
say, according to verse 13, they come for blessing. Then little children were brought 
to him that he might put his hands on them and pray." The 
idea there is in order to be blessed. In many instances in 
Matthew's Gospel, people are brought to Jesus for what? They 
are brought to be healed. Davies and Allison say specifically 
the hands, Jesus laying his hands on them, are not for the healing 
of disease or defect, but the transmission of blessing. Why 
do these parents, probably, Bring the little children to the Lord 
Jesus so that he would put his hands on them, so that he would 
pray for them, so that he would bless them. Osborne says in Matthew, 
the bringing of the children to Jesus recognizes his authority 
as the one who determines human destiny, as well as his mercy 
and compassion for those who need his help. Isn't that beautiful? 
What happens when little children come to the Lord Jesus? He blesses 
them. What happens when little children 
are brought to Christ? He blesses them. What happens 
when we as parents go to the throne of grace and we bring 
our children there and we say, Lord Jesus, would you lay your 
hands on them? Would you pray over them? And 
would you bless them? You know, today is Father's Day, 
and I reckon that Father's Day is given in order to honor fathers. May I say to fathers here this 
morning, be honorable! If you are a Christian father, 
and you are not bringing your children to Jesus Christ, then 
something is fundamentally wrong in your soul. If you are a man 
who professes faith in the Lord of glory, and you aren't bringing 
those little ones to God, then you need to repent. You need 
to forsake your sin, and you need to beg Christ to forgive 
you, to wash you, and to cleanse you. Because parents bring children 
to Jesus. And when parents bring children 
to Jesus, do you know what they find? They find Jesus receiving 
them. They find Jesus open-armed. They find Jesus, again in Mark's 
account, taking them up in his arms and blessing them. Christ 
is not this ogre sitting on a throne. Christ is not a miser sitting 
on a throne. It's unfortunate that we who 
imbibe sovereign grace or reformed theology or the doctrine of election 
sometimes have this narrow view of the application of redemptive 
benefit. The Bible says He chooses men 
from every tribe, tongue, people, and nation. When we get to the 
book of Revelation, who is standing before the throne? Can we just 
see a handful of people? We see myriads upon myriads. 
We see multitudes redeemed by the blood of the Lamb. You don't 
go to the throne and say, well, you know, I've got however many 
kids. If you just, you know, we'll save a person. Bring them 
to Christ. Bring them to church. Teach them 
how to sit still. Sometimes people say, oh, did 
you notice the kid? He was out of line. If you're 
dealing with your kid, I don't notice it. If you're not dealing 
with your kid, I may not notice it, but somebody is. Teach them 
how to sit and listen. It's unacceptable to sit there 
like a worm. Pay attention. The voice of God 
Most High is coming through the preaching of the Word. Amen. We're too loosey-goosey in this 
whole thing. We allow our children to dictate. Persons do this when it comes 
to the choice of the church. Well, you know, my kids didn't 
like it. Is the Word preached? You know, if I was going to choose 
an attorney, I would choose the better of the two, not the one 
who had Nintendo in his lobby so my kids would be entertained. 
I want a good attorney. I don't want Nintendo for my 
kids. Brethren, the Word of God preached 
is what God has blessed through the history of the Christian 
Church. The Word of God privately read is good. Read it to be sure. But as the Second Helvetic Confession 
says, that where the preaching of the Word is, there the Word 
of God is. Bring them to church so that 
the Spirit of God will bring them to the Savior. You are a 
father here this morning and you do not pray for your children. 
And you do not bring them to church. And you are not dragging 
them, as it were, to the Lord Christ Almighty. May I say, repent. Forsake your sin. Quit being 
lazy. Quit being inattentive. Quit 
being disobedient to God the Lord. Now notice what happens 
in this particular instance. The disciples rebuke them. The 
text is a bit ambiguous. Who did they rebuke? Did they 
rebuke the children or did they rebuke the parents, the bringers 
of the children? Mark tells us that they rebuked 
the parents or they rebuked the ones that were bringing. But 
the way that Jesus speaks in this particular section indicates 
that they might have been rebuking the children too. Why would they 
do that? Why would a disciple rebuke someone 
from seeking out Christ? Have you thought about that? 
You ever think about this passage in your Bible reading saying, 
wait a minute, our whole goal as disciples is to proclaim the 
glory of Jesus. It's to try and bring people 
to Jesus. And here we have an instance 
where people are bringing little people to Jesus and the disciples 
get upset about this. They rebuke Christ. Why? I refer you to Calvin and Spurgeon, 
their commentaries are excellent in this regard, giving, fleshing 
out some of the reasons why this may have happened. Notice the 
text doesn't tell us why it happened for sure, but probably one or 
a combination of these things. First, they were being delayed 
in their journey to Jerusalem. Makes sense, right? They're southbound, 
they're going, they're in Judea, they need to get to Jerusalem. 
These little children are brought to, don't interrupt the master, 
we got a schedule to keep. We got places to be, we got things 
to do. It could have been the fact that 
they thought this was dishonoring to the Lord. Oh no, he doesn't 
have time for children. This is similar to that crowd 
that reproved Zacchaeus. Remember in Jericho, Zacchaeus 
knows the son of David is walking through the streets, and Zacchaeus 
lifts his voice and says, Jesus, thou son of David, have mercy 
on me. What does the crowd do? They 
rebuke him. Why? He doesn't care about you, you're 
a poor beggar. And what does Bartimaeus do? He lifts up his voice again. 
Be a Bartimaeus, man. People tell you not to call upon 
Jesus, call upon him louder. That's what Bartimaeus does. 
Jesus, thou son of David, have mercy on me. I love the narrative. 
Jesus stops. He walks over and he says to 
that man, what would you have me to do? The creator of the 
heavens and the earth. The ruler over the waves, the 
God who made the dinosaurs, and the God who made the birds, and 
the God who made subatomic particles, says to blind, begging Bartimaeus, 
what would you have me to do? I want to see, Lord. What happens? Jesus heals him. He sees. Maybe there's some of that. He 
doesn't have time for you children. He's too busy. He's too popular. You dishonor him by bringing 
these little ones to him. Or maybe it was just a disdain 
for the reality that children were not in their place. You 
see, kids up to probably very recently, there was a maxim that 
said children are better seen than heard. I know that's been 
totally revolutionized and now it's children must be heard and 
all their demands and everything given to them. But it didn't 
used to be that way. It used to be that children are 
better seen than heard. Now, you might say, well, is 
this what you like? In some sense, there needs to be respect on 
the part of children, man. But this could have been what 
they're operating under. It's disdain for the reality 
that these children are not in their place. I like how Frantz 
summarizes the options. He says the disciple's motive 
is not explained, but Jesus' response in verse 14 indicates 
that they are wrongly assuming that children have no claim on 
their master's attention. See, Jesus responds specifically, 
let the little children come to me and do not forbid them. The disciple's motive is not 
explained, but Jesus' response in verse 14 indicates that they 
are wrongly assuming that children have no claim on their master's 
attention. Now notice the response by our 
Lord. Jesus said, let the little children 
come to me and do not forbid them. It's a twofold response. 
There is a positive and there is a negative. Let them come 
to me. Do not forbid them. Listen to this, parents. Listen 
to this, fathers. Listen to this, children. Again, 
we go into the presence of God as reformed people and we say, 
we know that you elect and we know that you're sovereign. We 
know that you predestine. You know, we don't really pray 
for your kid's salvation. God saved my son. God saved my 
daughter. God opened their ears when they 
sit under the preaching of the Word, so that instead of doing 
this, they go, wait a minute, God comes through preaching. I've heard things this morning 
about my sin, about His holiness, and about the glory of the Redeemer. Heard things this morning. Bring 
salvation to my soul. The Lord Christ tells them. Let the little children come 
to me, and do not forbid them." Notice the reason he gives, for 
of such is the kingdom of heaven. How quickly disciples forget, 
don't they? Have you ever thought this? You've 
heard a sermon, maybe you're a father who's kind of let the 
ball go, and you've not been praying for your kids, you've 
not been having family worship, you don't break open the word 
of truth, you don't pray with them, for them, and over them. 
You go, how do I forget this? What's happened? What's wrong 
with me? Why am I so thick-headed? Well, remember in chapter 18, 
Jesus used a child to illustrate something to the disciples about 
greatness in the kingdom. You would think that in 18, 1 
to 4, when Jesus takes that child and sits him in the midst of 
them and says to them that greatness in the kingdom is being like 
this little child, you would think that a mere chapter later, 
when little children are being brought to him, they wouldn't 
say, get away from him. We are a thick headed people, 
aren't we? We can be a hard hearted people, 
can't we? We can forget lessons quickly, 
can't we? That's why we come. That's why 
we're encouraged. That's why we're reminded. I 
hope you brothers who are fathers do not feel like you've been 
picked on this morning. Hopefully you feel like you've 
been reminded by a fellow father who needs a lot of reminding 
about these same sorts of things. Don't go home and say, yelled 
at us because we don't pray. God be merciful to me, a prayerless 
wretch, when I have several kids at home that I suspect are under 
the wrath of God. Don't whine about how you were 
preached to. Go pray. Now notice. These children probably serve 
as an emblem. The emblematic nature of little 
children as subjects of the kingdom. Again, Matthew 18, verses 1 to 
4. Matthew 5.3, blessed are who? The proud in heart? No, the poor 
in spirit. For theirs is the kingdom of 
heaven. Children typify that. Children oftentimes show or demonstrate 
that. Not always. Children have pride 
too. But there is a humility that 
is part and parcel of a child, a dependence that is part and 
parcel. Gil says their lively emblems, these are children, 
of the proper subjects of a gospel church state, and of such that 
shall enter the kingdom of heaven." They're lively emblems. They're 
good emblems. This is what a kingdom citizen 
looks like. Frantz says, here as in 18.6, 
it is literal children who focus the issue, but here too as in 
18.5, the use of such rather than these indicates that the 
thought is broader than the little children who are present in the 
narrative setting. So it's, of such is the kingdom 
of heaven. So we can't just say it's children, 
but we can't neglect that in this context, it really is children. These little children are brought 
to Jesus in order for him to lay his hands on them, to pray 
over them and to bless them. And Jesus does it. That's how 
the narrative ends. Verse 15, and he laid his hands 
on them and departed from there. He did what he was asked to do. 
Again, further impetus to pray on the part of men in our church. 
You want to be honored on Father's Day? Be an honorable man. Be 
a prayerful man. Be a man who opens the Scripture. 
Be a man who insists that his family come to church on the 
Lord's Day. Be a man that does not slack 
off. Be a man that perseveres, that 
is consistent, that is faithful in these things, so that one 
day your children will rise up and they won't say, you know, 
I honor you because you're the wealthiest man, I honor you because 
you're the bestest man, I honor you because you're the noblest 
man, but I honor you because you're a faithful man. That's 
what we should long for. That's it. No child will ever 
be able to say of his father, oh, he was perfect. Oh, he was 
fantastic. Oh, he never sinned. If any of 
your children ever say that to you, you know that they've done 
something very wrong. And they are buttering you up 
and you better bring it to pass on them. But they ought to be 
able to say, you've been a faithful man. Bring the little ones to Jesus. Now, back to celibacy. A couple of things by way of 
application of the whole. Just a reminder concerning celibacy 
or eunuchism. I don't know if that's the proper 
eunuchism. The Lord does not condemn the 
life of celibacy. He does not condemn the life 
of celibacy. Now, it is interesting. It's 
not viewed as the optimum and it's not viewed as the norm. 
There are several prohibitions in the Old Testament. Leviticus 
21, Deuteronomy 23, someone who's emasculated cannot enter into 
the assembly of the Lord. Now, when you look at that, there 
is also connection to Ammonites and to bastards and to Moabites. Eunuchism is not the norm, okay? But it is not despised by our 
Lord. In the case of someone who is 
born that way, God's not at war with you for that. Or those who make themselves 
such, those who choose to forego marriage for the sake of the 
kingdom. That is a good thing. That is 
legit. There have been men in the history 
of the church, evangelists, missionaries, that have forgone that so that 
they may seek the kingdom first and foremost. You say, well, 
if you're married, can't you seek the kingdom first? Yes, 
but you do it with a marriage partner. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 
7, if it's only the kingdom, you're not worrying about your 
wife, you're not worrying about your husband. A man might apply 
this if he's being called as a missionary to a particularly 
volatile part of the world. or his wife potentially could 
be murdered, or children could be slaughtered. It might be something 
for him to pray about and consider, and if he has the gift of celibacy, 
to imbibe that and to pursue God's kingdom first and foremost. 
The Lord recognizes the legitimacy of such a condition, and the 
Lord and the Apostle as well recognize that celibacy is a 
gift that not everyone has, and both provide marriage as the 
remedy. Now, there may be those who are 
in a fourth category. Those who were born that way, 
those who were made that way by men, those who have made themselves 
such, and those who really want to get married but find that 
right now they're not. The temporary status of celibacy. You realize, I don't have the 
gift. You realize that uncleanness is something that is a struggle. 
You realize that the married state would be preferable for 
me. I want to just encourage you this morning, if this is 
you, in the first place you need to imbibe the kingdom principle 
of Matthew 6.33. Seek first the kingdom of God 
and His righteousness and these things will be added unto you. 
In the context, the things specifically are food and clothing. We might 
be able to imply that wives or husbands could fall under that 
as well. Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, 
then these things will be added unto you. Don't worry about it. Don't fret about it. Same context. Don't worry about what you'll 
eat. Don't worry about what you'll drink. Don't worry about what 
you'll wear. Don't worry about tomorrow. Sometimes single persons 
who want to get married get a little bit anxious. And when you get 
a little bit anxious, what then do you Possibly engage in. Cut corners. Pair off edges. Well, you know, you go from, 
you know, a young man that desires a godly wife. She needs to be 
godly and reformed and reads Spurgeon and morning and evening. 
Church attendance and always this and always that. You see 
that same brother five years later. He presents his bride-to-be 
and he says, well, she can breathe. She can say church. Dude, be 
patient. Whatever our lot, whatever our 
condition, whatever our state, whatever our status, it doesn't 
change the kingdom principle of Matthew 6.33. Seek it first! Secondly, I would suggest and 
heartily encourage that based on that reality of imbibing that 
kingdom principle, as a single person, you strive to be content. To be content. God's going to 
respond to faithful, earnest praying rather than grumbling, 
whining, and complaining. How are you? I just want to get 
married! Be content with where God has 
you. Be content with your lot. Be 
content with how it is right now. In the third place, prepare 
for marriage in prayer and deed. I just want to get married. And 
you've got all these problems in your life. First, deal with 
the problems in your life. Be a prayerful man or a prayerful 
woman. Pray to God, Lord, I want this 
for a spouse. Please, Lord, grant me this petition. And then prepare by deed. As 
I said before, get a job. I don't know of any man in here 
that's going to happily give his daughter to a jobless man. 
You say, well, he's spiritually minded. If he's spiritually minded, 
he'll have a job. He'll work hard. That's a tenet 
of spiritual mindedness. Diligent labor. Prepare your 
health. If you're 8,000 pounds and you're 
saying, I just want a spouse, there are some things that you 
might need to deal with. And this is tough, and I'm sorry 
to have to sound crass, but sometimes people want something when they're 
not ready for it themselves. and the necessity to pursue sexual 
purity. The desire to want to be married 
is good. God says it's lawful, it's right. God gives it as a means to prevent 
sexual uncleanness. What does that mean? That sexual 
uncleanness is a temptation. That persons ought to find a 
wife or a husband so that they don't fall prey to that. which 
indicates or intimates or implies that there might be a period 
between this temptation to sexual uncleanness and to the remedy 
that God provides in marriage. So what do you do in the meantime? 
First, Thessalonians 4.3. For this is the will of God, 
your sanctification, that you abstain from porneia. You abstain from it. God provided 
this in the context of covenant. Outside of the covenant, it is 
wrong. The marriage bed is undefiled, 
Hebrews 13. But adulterers and fornicators, 
God will judge. In the third place, see the instruction 
on celibacy, exhortation to those who want to marry, back to children 
in the third place. First of all, with reference 
to this section on the little children, we need to understand 
the Paedobaptist interpretation of the text. You have to know 
that's out there, right? Paedobaptists read this passage 
and say, there it is! There it is! J.C. Ryle refers 
to it as an indirect proof. After we see how kind Christ 
is and merciful Christ is, and how he receives the little children, 
Riles says, you can see why in the history of the church this 
has been an indirect proof to legitimize infant baptism. We 
have one observation to make, like we did last week in 1 Corinthians 
7.14. Our dear pato-baptist brothers 
see water where there isn't. There's no water in this passage. 
There is no hint of baptism in this passage. I understand how 
they get there. I understand the indirectness 
of it. The Abrahamic Covenant, we believe inclusion. Therefore, 
Jesus accepts kids. Let's sprinkle that. You've got 
to bring that to the passage, brethren. It does not come out 
of the passage. The passage does not legitimize 
the practice of infant baptism any more than 1 Corinthians 7.14 
legitimizes the practice of infant baptism. The fact that children 
there are called holy and the fact that children here are brought 
to Jesus does not legitimize a practice that has been added 
in a violation, may I say, of the regulative principle of worship. 
We need to understand the Christological interpretation of the text. What's 
the point in 13 to 15? Jesus receives little children. 
Let's not debate the merits or the demerits of patal baptism 
and miss what's going on. Jesus accepts children, He lays 
His hands on children, He blesses those children, He prays over 
those children, and Mark, He takes those children up in His 
arms. Let us see the kindness, the mercy, the compassion, and 
the goodness of our beloved Savior to those who are weakest, to 
those who are most vulnerable, to those who are oftentimes most 
marginalized. Christ receives children. And since I've already hit on 
this subject of fathers, the parental implication of our text, 
bring your children to Christ. Mothers, too. Listen to Ryle. See, just because I highlight 
that Ryle says indirect proof, that doesn't mean I throw Ryle 
into the dumpster. Ryle is a good brother. We love 
our Pado-Baptist brothers. We love them dearly. And I hope 
they love us dearly. Ryle says, with reference to 
this passage in 13 to 15, let us draw from these verses encouragement 
to attempt great things in the religious instruction of children. 
And by that, I don't think Ryle says you need to develop a four-point 
sermon, sit your kids on the couch, put up a pulpit, and let 
them have it. You know that happens, right? 
We hear a sermon like this and we run home, we gotta do devotions! We're gonna read an hour-long 
Spurgeon sermon, the family's dying because it's hot and they're 
tired. Don't do that! Great things doesn't 
mean long things. Great things doesn't mean five 
hymns, three psalters, and a, you know, Psalm 119 before you 
go to bed, Junior, who's five. We can get fired up and then 
we swing the other way. You know what happens when we 
try always the great things? The optimum level things? Have 
you seen this in your Christian life? Have you seen this among 
certain Christian leaders? Have you seen this as a byproduct 
of those who preach this radical Christianity? What happens to 
someone who maintains such a position for any amount of time? Either 
A, he becomes proud and obnoxious. because he's doing it and no 
one else is. Or B, they burn out. He can't 
get up off the couch because he's read Psalm 119 every day 
all week to his kids. You can't maintain that. Brothers, 
take a small bite of scripture. Pray with your children. Sing 
songs. They can get their minds wrapped 
around. Educate them at their level. You don't have to go home 
if they don't ask and explain what a eunuch and self-castration 
means. You really don't. If they ask, 
answer in an age-appropriate fashion. You see, we hear sermons 
like this and we swing the pendulum, I gotta be great, I gotta do 
this, I gotta do that, and we burn everybody out and drive 
them mad. Just take small bits, small steps, small bites, and 
do it for the rest of your life. It's that faithfulness over the 
long haul. That's great. That's great. Anyways, back to Ryle. Let us 
draw from these verses encouragement to attempt great things in the 
religious instruction of children. Let us begin from their very 
earliest years to deal with them as having souls to be lost or 
saved and strive to bring them to Christ. Let us make them acquainted 
with the Bible as soon as they can understand anything. Let 
us pray with them and pray for them and teach them to pray for 
themselves. The passage teaches us as parents 
to bring our children to the cross, not to the baptistry. The passage teaches us finally 
that Christ is altogether lovely and chief among 10,000. There 
were parents in that region of Judea who identified that. They 
knew that this man had something to do with the eternal destiny 
of their children. They understood that this man 
could convey blessing through his prayer, through his hands 
being placed upon them. And these parents said, we need 
to bring them to this Christ. This Christ is most glorious. If you are a child here, a young 
person here today, and you've not believed the Gospel, your 
parents have faithfully prayed, and they have faithfully opened 
Scripture, and they have sought to grab you by the hands as it 
were, and bring you to the throne of grace, and fetch a blessing 
for you, and you have not believed, and you have not repented. Believe, 
repent, forsake your sins. Let it be the case that your 
children know experientially something that the Apostle John 
wrote. He said, I have no greater joy than that my children walk 
in the truth. It'd be nice if we raised a brain 
surgeon. It'd be nice if we produced a 
rocket scientist. It'd be wonderful if we produced 
a doctor. But if God takes our children 
and makes them believers, that is the best. Any parent here 
will tell you children that the thing that is most vital in their 
hearts and in their lives is your salvation. If a man sees 
his children saved, he's ready to depart and be with the Savior. 
He sings with Simeon. Remember when Simeon is in the 
temple and he sees the babe Christ? Talk about bold faith. He goes 
and he takes the baby out of Mary's arms. Wow, Simeon, I don't 
know that I would do that. You don't take a baby out of 
a lady's arms. But this was a man of God. What 
does he do? He says, mine eyes have seen 
the salvation of God. Now let your servant depart. When parents see the salvation 
of their children, they say, even so, come Lord Jesus. You 
kids have a lot of privilege. You kids have a lot of benefit. You kids have a lot of means. 
You kids hear a lot of gospel preaching. You kids have a church 
that emphasize justification by faith alone. You have a church 
that seeks to present the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ You 
have parents that are hopefully praying for you, parents that 
are opening Scripture to you. You have a multitude of people 
bringing you to Christ. Believe and you shall be saved. Let us pray. Our Father, we thank 
you for the Word of God and we thank you for its clarity in 
these matters concerning the family. concerning marriage and 
divorce and celibacy and Jesus' reception of the little children. We do pray as parents for the 
little ones in this church. God, we pray that you, by grace, 
would soften their hearts, that they would receive the word of 
truth. that they by grace would look unto the Lord Jesus Christ 
and live. Just as that serpent was raised 
in the wilderness, and just as those bitten by the snakes looked 
and lived, so must the Son of Man also be lifted up, that all 
those who look and live will have everlasting life. God, do 
this for your glory, and do this for the salvation of these young 
ones. And God, do this for the strengthening 
of this local church. And may you indeed cause us to 
persevere and to be faithful, not to seek to do those things 
that are categorized as radical or great in a measured way, but 
just to be faithful men and women, day in, day out, serving the 
God who has saved us. Go with us now, we pray, in Jesus' 
holy name, amen.