Mark 10:14 Meaning and Explanation
“But when Jesus saw it, he was much displeased, and said unto them, Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →Few scenes in Mark show Jesus visibly angry, and this is one of them. The trigger is worth noticing: grown men deciding on their own authority who is worth the Lord's time. Parents wondering whether their children matter to God, and adults wondering whether they still qualify, both find an answer in a single sentence spoken over the heads of embarrassed disciples.
Jesus overrules his disciples when they turn children away. He calls for the children to be brought to him and says the kingdom of God belongs to people like them.
The Context of Mark 10:14
Mark 10 finds Jesus on the road toward Jerusalem, teaching crowds in the region beyond Jordan. The chapter opens with a question about divorce, answered by returning to the creation account and to the joining of husband and wife. Verse 13 reports that people were bringing young children so that Jesus might touch them, and the disciples rebuked those who brought them. Verse 14 records his displeasure and his correction. Verse 15 adds that the kingdom is received as a little child receives, and verse 16 shows him taking the children into his arms and blessing them. The rich man's question follows immediately.
What Does Mark 10:14 Mean?
Much displeased is strong language for Mark, who reserves visible indignation for moments that matter. The correction has two commands. Suffer them to come uses an older English sense of allow, and forbid them not closes the door on any repeat of the disciples' policy. The reason follows: for of such is the kingdom of God. Of such widens the statement beyond these particular children to everyone who shares their manner of receiving. The children themselves do nothing in the account except be brought, and Jesus welcomes them on exactly that basis. Being carried to him counts as coming to him. Mark keeps the whole exchange in the open, with the crowd watching.
The saying sits between two conversations about entry. Just before, marriage and family are traced back to God's own design at creation. Just after, a wealthy man walks away sorrowful because his possessions weigh too much for the road. Between them stand children with nothing to offer and no standing to defend, held up by Jesus as the picture of kingdom belonging. Israel's Scriptures had long placed children inside the covenant community, blessed by parents and priests, counted among those gathered at every solemn assembly. Jesus takes up that inheritance and gives it his own emphasis, and the blessing in verse 16 is this sentence acted out.
What Jesus does with his hands completes what he says with his mouth. He takes the children up in his arms, puts his hands on them, and blesses them, which is the gesture of a patriarch and a priest. The Son whom the Father called beloved on the mountain now speaks blessing over the smallest members of the crowd. Later in this same chapter he will describe himself as the one who came to give his life a ransom for many, and the word many includes the children in his arms. The welcome shown here rests on the whole road he is walking toward Jerusalem.
Mark 10:14 in the Original Language
paidion (παιδίον), 'little children' -- a young child, the diminutive of the ordinary word for child; Mark's choice covers infants carried in arms as well as youngsters able to walk, which fits the parents bringing them for a touch.
Bible Verses Related to Mark 10:14
“And he took them up in his arms, put his hands upon them, and blessed them.”
- Mark 10:16
“But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.”
- Luke 18:16
“And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.”
- Matthew 18:3
“Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength because of thine enemies, that thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger.”
- Psalm 8:2
Where Mark 10:14 Echoes in Scripture
Luke 18:16 and Matthew 19:14 preserve the same rebuke and the same welcome, which shows how firmly the saying lodged in the memory of the early church. Luke's version specifies infants, sharpening the point about those who can contribute nothing. Psalm 8:2 supplies an older note in the same key, with praise perfected out of the mouth of babes and sucklings, a line Jesus quotes in the temple during his final week. The pattern runs through Scripture: God receives honor from those the powerful overlook.
How to Apply Mark 10:14 Today
Churches and families still sort people by usefulness without meaning to. The correction here is concrete: notice who is being kept at the edge and carry them closer instead. That may mean making room for restless children in worship, learning a child's name, praying with a son or daughter at bedtime, or refusing to treat interruption from the young as a nuisance. The verse also speaks to adults who feel small and unqualified. Coming to Christ with empty hands is the manner he commends, and being brought by someone else counts. We can be the ones doing the bringing this week.
Reflection & Prayer
Who in our circle has been quietly rebuked away from Jesus, and what would it look like to carry them toward him instead? A prayer: Lord Jesus, you were displeased when children were turned aside. Guard me from deciding who deserves your attention. Give me arms open in the way yours were, and a heart small enough to keep receiving your kingdom as a gift. Amen.