Jesus Blessed Infants. So... Baptize Them?

Infant Baptism, Christology, and Covenant

Introduction

When I hand out the Bibles to our kids for family devotions, my daughter sometimes flips in her Bible to the picture where Jesus blesses the little children (Matt 19:13–15; Mark 10:13–16; Luke 18:15–17). She asks, “Is that Jesus?” I respond, “Yes, Jesus loves the little children.” There is something deeply resonant about the image of Jesus, a dignified rabbi, spending time with little children. But what does it mean? What is its significance? Should we baptize our children?

[Definitional interlude: those who believe you should baptize their children are called “paedo-baptist.” Those who believe you should only baptize someone upon profession of faith are called “credo-baptist.”]

Infant baptism?

When I was baptist, I read paedo-baptist interpretations of these stories with confusion. They regularly point to these passages as evidence for infant baptism. But these texts say nothing about baptism! They only say that Jesus loves little children, and what baptist would disagree with that? There are plenty of plausible reasons why Jesus would spend time around children other than to provide precedent for infant baptism! It’s one thing, however, to disagree with paedo-baptist interpretation, it’s another to have your own.

Jesus is Covenant Lord

The unanimous witness of the entire New Testament is that Jesus is the Lord of the covenant. He is much more than this, of course, but he is not less. Jesus is the “mediator of the covenant” (1 Tim 2:5; Heb 8:6; 9:15; 12:24). Nobody disagrees about this. He institutes baptism (Matt 28:16–20) and the Lord’s Supper (Matt 26:28), both the signs of the new covenant.

Covenant Lord and Covenant Blessings

As covenant Lord, part of his purview is to distribute the blessings of the new covenant. He bears our curse so that we might receive the Spirit (Gal 3:13–14). In Him we have “every Spiritual blessing” (Eph 1:3), including predestination, adoption, redemption, forgiveness, justification, sanctification, and glorification. As the covenant Lord, Jesus distributes the blessings of the new covenant to those in the covenant. Of course, Jesus is Lord of all creation. But, when Jesus distributes his covenant blessings, it is only to those who are in a covenant relationship with him.

Blessing the Little Children

By blessing the children (and infants) in the gospels (Matt 19:13–15; Mark 10:13–16; Luke 18:15–17), Jesus is, in fact, indicating that they too have covenant status. Now, close readers will note that the word “blessing” actually does not occur in any of these passages. It is in the paragraph heading which modern interpretations often use, but it does not come from the text itself. So, the question is, what exactly is happening in these passages?

Well he “touches” them, at least in Mark and Luke’s account. Matthew, however, uses a slightly more theologically loaded phrase when he says that Jesus “puts hands” on them and prays for them (Matt 9:13). To put hands on someone has three nuances in the New Testament. First, sometimes Jesus or others put hands on those some of those whom they heal (Matt 9:18; Acts 28:8; cf. 2 Kings 4:34). This, however, is not the sense here. Second, in the church, sometimes people lay hands on those whom they are elevating to a position of leadership (1 Tim 5:22). Again, however, this really does not fit the context of these passages.

Third, placing hands on another indicates their covenant status. For example, Ananias puts his hands on Paul before he baptizes him (Acts 9:12, 17). This, I think, is what Jesus intends. Now, someone might argue that in this example, Ananias is actually healing Paul from his blindness. Fair enough, but the two need not be mutually exclusive here. But, I think the action of a Christian leader placing his hands on someone who used to formerly be a the chief persecutor of God’s people, and then him undergoing the rite of baptism, does indicate a change in status. Since baptism is involved here, it is fair to say that this is, indeed, a covenant status, especially given there are a few instances of the laying of hands involved in covenant ceremonies in the LXX (Gen 24:2, 9; Wis 1:16).

Further, Jesus says, in all three accounts, “for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven” (Matt 19:14; Mark 10:14; Luke 18:16), language which seems connected to the idea of covenant in the Synoptic Gospels (Matt 26:28–29; Mark 14:24–25; Luke 22:16–20). In other words, Jesus clearly indicates that children have the status of “kingdom citizen.” Someone might point out that in the next verses, Jesus points out that children are the model of faith (Matt 19:15; Mark 10:15; Luke 18:17). But both these things can be true, and there is no convincing evidence to prove that the children Jesus speaks of do not have covenant status. It is also unclear how Jesus, the Lord of the covenant, could use such evocative language and action when relating to infants if he did not intend to communicate the children’s covenant status and, therefore, rights to covenant blessings. So, I conclude, in these passages, Jesus is indicating that children are in the covenant.

Infant baptism?

So, do these passages mean that we should baptize infants? Well, on the one hand, I see no evidence in any of these passages to argue that any of the evangelists specifically intended this episode to refer to infant baptism. So, it cannot be regarded as direct evidence for infant baptism. But, on the other hand, something stronger is being asserted. It is not simply that Jesus said children should be baptized, it is that Jesus said children should be considered covenant members. This clearly includes infants (cf. Luke 18:15). And if children are members of the covenant that Jesus makes, how could we then withhold the central rite which we give to those who are within the covenant, namely baptism? In other words, aren’t children on whom Jesus laid his hands every bit as entitled to the blessing of the covenant as Paul, on whom Ananias laid his hands? And if we would not withhold baptism from Paul, why would we from children?