Did Jesus Love the Little Children? An Exploration of Jesus’ Teachings on Children in the Synoptic Gospel Accounts

Christian theologies often take for granted that Jesus is unique within his cul- tural context in his caring for young children. This paper challenges that he was unique in his attitude by demonstrating that affection for children was common in first-century Roman and Jewish contexts. Arguing that children were present among Jesus’ disciples, this paper focuses on the experiences of actu- al children in the Jesus movement as it re-reads the familiar passages associated with Jesus’ teachings about children: Jesus calling little children unto him (Matt 19:13-15 // Mark 10:13-16 // Luke 18:15-17) and the child in the midst (Matt 18:1-7 // Mark 9:33-37 // Luke 9:46-48). This examination of these texts shows that the teachings of Jesus on children and the realm of God are both about children, and also for children.