Jesus teaches us to give the children priority access to him.
Matthew 19:13-15 13 Then little children were being brought to him in order that he might lay his hands on them and pray. The disciples spoke sternly to those who brought them; 14 but Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of heaven belongs." 15 And he laid his hands on them and went on his way.
Jesus has just gotten done stressing responsible behavior to men in marriage - not to divorce their wives. Women were at the mercy of their husbands - they were property with few rights. One rabbi of the day wrote that it was okay to divorce your wife if she cooked a bad meal! But Jesus sets a new expectation of husbands that this behavior isn't acceptable in his community. In doing so - he teaches husbands compassion and care for the wife.
Now Jesus teaches compassion and care for the children (and not just one's own children but all children). Children didn't have a lot of rights either, but they were treated pretty well in Jewish society. They saw their children as hope for the future. However, the disciples seemed to think they are a bother. Following Jesus was too important for children to interrupt. But Jesus won't have anything to do with that attitude either. He says the kingdom of heaven belongs to the children (and those like them).
Jesus was always turning things upside down rearranging priorities, redoing the social order.
Do we ignore Jesus' teaching to give the children priority access to him? After all - the kingdom of heaven belongs to them and those like them.
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