Mark 10:13 describes people bringing young children to Jesus so he could touch them, and his own followers turning them away. The verse shows that the disciples thought Jesus was too busy or too important for children, and the verses that follow show he thought exactly the opposite. The speaker is the Gospel writer Mark, narrating events around Jesus, and the people involved are parents or others carrying children, the disciples who rebuked them, and Jesus himself.
They were bringing to him little children, that he should touch them, but the disciples rebuked those who were bringing them.
Mark 10:13 (WEB)
What Mark 10:13 Means
The verse begins with “They were bringing to him little children.” The word “little” points to young children, not teenagers, and the scene is one of ordinary people trying to get their families close to a teacher they had heard about. Nothing about their request is unusual. People in that culture often brought children to respected rabbis for a blessing, so the parents were doing something familiar and hopeful.
The phrase “that he should touch them” tells us what they wanted. A touch in that setting was a sign of blessing and care, and the parents wanted their children to receive that from Jesus. The verse then says the disciples “rebuked those who were bringing them.” To rebuke means to speak sharply against someone, so the disciples were not gently redirecting people but scolding them for approaching.
What the verse does not say is why the disciples acted this way. Mark doesn’t spell out their motives, so any explanation is a reasonable reading rather than a certainty. It does not promise that every child will be healed or that every request will be granted. It simply records a moment of misjudgment and sets up Jesus’s response in the next verse.
The Context of Mark 10:13
Mark’s Gospel was written for a readership that included many people who were not Jewish, and it moves quickly from one scene to the next, showing Jesus as a servant and teacher who acts with authority. Traditionally the book is attributed to John Mark, a companion of Peter. Verse 13 sits in a passage about marriage and divorce, where Jesus is teaching in a house and his disciples keep asking him questions. The shift to children feels abrupt, but the connection is about who belongs in God’s kingdom and who gets pushed to the margins.
The verses after 13 are the key to reading it. Jesus becomes “moved with indignation” and tells the disciples to let the children come to him, adding that God’s kingdom belongs to people like these. He then says that anyone who does not receive the kingdom like a little child will not enter it. Read alongside that response, verse 13 becomes a portrait of the disciples getting it wrong, and Jesus correcting them.
Key Phrases in Mark 10:13
Matthew 19:14
But Jesus said, “Allow the little children, and don’t forbid them to come to me; for the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to ones like these.”
(WEB)
Matthew records the same scene and includes Jesus’s words that the children should be allowed to come to him. Reading both accounts side by side helps you see the event from two perspectives and strengthens the picture of Jesus welcoming young people.
Psalm 127:3
Behold, children are a heritage of the LORD. The fruit of the womb is his reward.
(WEB)
This psalm describes children as a heritage from the Lord, a gift rather than a burden. It supports the wider biblical view that children are valued by God, which helps explain why Jesus responded so strongly to the disciples’ rebuke.
A Short Prayer From Mark 10:13
Lord Jesus, you welcomed the children who were brought to you, even when the people closest to you tried to send them away. Help me to see the people around me the way you do, especially those who are young, overlooked, or easily brushed aside. Soften my heart when my own plans make me want to hurry past them. Teach me to receive your kingdom with the trust of a child, bringing you my needs without pretense or fear. Thank you that you never turn away anyone who comes to you. Amen.
