Christ's Teachings About Children

Matthew’s is the only gospel which recounts the horrible command of Herod to kill the children two and under as he tried to get rid of Jesus.  The text tells us that he “sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under” (Matt. 2:16).  This horrible deed showed an utter disregard for life and particularly for the life of young children, the most pure in society.  Given that Matthew was the one who recorded this deed for us, I think it is fitting that it was also Matthew who gave us the most of the Savior’s teachings on little children. 

Though Herod was long gone by the time he recorded his gospel, I wonder if Matthew did not think about him as he recorded passages such this: “But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea” (Matt. 18:5-6).  That statement is actually found in all of the synoptic gospels, but there are several statements about children that only appear in Matthew.  For example, he recorded this teaching of Jesus: “Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven” (Matt. 18:10).  A few verses later we read this teaching about the love of the Father for children: “Even so it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish” (Matt. 18:14).  While He was likely speaking of spiritual perishing, this stands in stark contrast to the treatment of Herod to the children in Bethlehem.  Matthew was also the only one to give us this interesting statement regarding the treatment of children: “And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward” (Matt 10:42). The verse seems a little out of place when read in context in Matthew 10.  Jesus spoke of loving Him more than even our family, taking up our cross, losing our life for His sake, receiving Him and the Father, and receiving prophets.  And then suddenly this statement appears about giving a cup of cold water to little children.  Its inclusion to me seems to suggest that as disciples our treatment of little children is as good a sign of our conversion to the gospel as is our receiving the prophets of God.  I think this is confirmed in this statement later in Matthew: “Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.  And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me” (Matt 18:3-4).  So if we receive children in His name—which I take to mean that we receive them as He would receive them—then we are in fact accepting the Savior.  Clearly one of the messages of Matthew’s is that we should pay close attention to our treatment of the little children in our lives.  He presented both the selfish example of Herod who murdered children and the perfect example of Christ who cared deeply for them, and we must carefully consider which side we will follow.  In our society which marginalizes children in order to satisfy the self-centered interests of adults, we must cherish children and “put their well-being ahead of selfish adult interests” (Dallin H. Oaks, Protectthe Children, GC Oct. 2012).  I don’t know how literal Christ’s teaching about the millstone was, but I certainly don’t want to find out personally.  Judgment day certainly does not look promising for Herod.