19:13-15 What does Jesus mean here by His reference to little children as "...for of such is the Kingdom of Heaven"?

19:13-15 What does Jesus mean here by His reference to little children as “...for of such is the Kingdom of Heaven”?

Jesus teaches here that the Kingdom of Heaven is made up of those who exhibit humility and childlike faith, whether they be little children or adults (cp Mt 18:3-4).

We learn too from these scriptures that little children go straight to heaven when they die, which is also confirmed for us in the Old Testament (cp 2Sam 12:22-23).

When David said here “I shall go to him...” he meant that he would one day be with his son in heaven. Neither Mt 18:3-4 nor Mt 19:13-15 mean that little children do not have an inherent potential for sinning, but rather that they are not culpable in the same sense as those whose sins are premeditated and deliberate.

God does not hold them accountable as He does those who can properly understand His purpose for them in His plan of redemption. The age of accountability will vary with one’s understanding (under Jewish law a youth is accountable at 13 years of age by his Bar Mitzvah – a ceremony by which he is accepted into the Jewish congregation of men).

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