In His Name Devotionals
JESUS DIED TO SAVE THE WORLD
WHO DIED TO SAVE JESUS?
In His Name Devotionals
JESUS DIED TO SAVE THE WORLD
WHO DIED TO SAVE JESUS?
“Then they brought little children to Him, that He might touch them; but the disciples rebuked those who brought them. But when Jesus saw it, He was greatly displeased and said to them, ‘Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God. Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it. And He took them up in His arms, laid His hands on them, and blessed them.” (Mark 10:13-16 NKJV)
To consecrate ourselves to God is the commencement of life; there is no other. Christian parents should, in heart and purpose, consecrate their children to God from birth. For a little child is the gift of God’s marvelous love. In children are vast possibilities for good or evil; for themselves and for others; for time and eternity. A child is too precious a jewel for us to take for granted or be careless about, lest, as the man returning from South Africa with his whole fortune in one diamond, tossed it up in sport till at last it fell into the sea, so we, too, could be responsible for the loss of our child’s soul.
Soon after the visit of the wise-men, Jesus was carried to Egypt by His parents to escape the cruelty of Herod, who sought to slay Him because He ‘was born King of the Jews.’ To make sure that the young Jesus was destroyed, Herod ordered all male children of Bethlehem under two years of age to be slain. The fate of those innocents was a strange one. They died for the Christ they never knew! Those little ones died so Jesus could live; and in living, fulfill His destiny—dying on the cross for the sins of the world!
It is not hard to understand why our Lord “was greatly displeased” when the disciples “rebuked those who brought” little children to Him. The silver lining on the dark cloud over the death of those little children in Bethlehem is this: they followed after Jesus on His flight. Our precious Lord looks around, and seeing the spirits of His playmates, welcomes them with the gladness of a divine sympathy. Those Bethlehem children were the first of our Master’s glorious band of martyrs, and as they draw near to Him, the meaning of their martyrdom flashes upon them, and their sorrow is changed into joy. Yes, these little children were the first to give up their lives for the Son of God. But there is more! Jesus died to save the world; those little children in Bethlehem died to save Jesus! No wonder Jesus loves children so much!
