Mark 10:13 (LSB)

Passage

And they were bringing children to Him so that He might touch them; but the disciples rebuked them.

Nearby Context

Mark 10:11 And He said to them, “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery against her;

Mark 10:12 and if she herself divorces her husband and marries another man, she is committing adultery.”

Mark 10:13 And they were bringing children to Him so that He might touch them; but the disciples rebuked them.

Mark 10:14 But when Jesus saw this, He was indignant and said to them, “Permit the children to come to Me; do not hinder them; for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.

Mark 10:15 Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at all.”

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "bringing", "children", "might", "touch", "disciples", and "rebuked". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "bringing" and "children", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 12's "and if she herself divorces her husband..." into verse 14's "But when Jesus saw this He was...", so "bringing" and "children" belong inside that flow. In Mark context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "bringing" and "children" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.