Jesus & the new birth: One day some parents brought their children to Jesus so he could lay his hands on them and pray for them. Matthew 19:13

The Gospel of Saint Matthew relates that Jesus left the region of Galilee and began his journey to the city of Jerusalem after the death of John the Baptist and his transfiguration in front of his disciples James, Peter, and John. His mission to announce the Kingdom of God to the children of Israel according to the flesh in Galilee had concluded, although the mystery of his person would not be revealed until his death on the cross and his mysterious resurrection.
And it happened that on his final journey, some people introduced him to some children. And in this situation, Jesus again referred to the theme of the new spiritual childhood. And the Gospel of Matthew tells how this story of Jesus began: "One day some parents brought their children to Jesus so he could lay his hands on them and pray for them" Matthew 19:13. But the disciples didn't want the children bothering Jesus and rebuked them. To which Jesus replied: "Let the children come to me. Don't stop them! For the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to those who are like these children" Matthew 19:14.
With this spiritual teaching, Jesus emphasized the need for a new birth, not according to the flesh but according to the spirit, to enter the Kingdom of God, the empire or government of the divine perfections. Men must become like children again to attain heavenly citizenship, but this does not mean becoming naive; rather, they must acquire a new kind of consciousness. When Jesus said that the Kingdom of God is like those who are like children, what he meant was that men must become like children in the Spirit to receive the new spiritual life, the eternal life, or contemplative life.
But the disciples did not understand this spiritual truth of Jesus because he had not yet received the holy spirit. The Kingdom of God as a spiritual reality was elusive to the disciples. The disciples received the promise of becoming like children again during the last supper, when Jesus indicated that after his departure, they would receive help from a paraclete sent by the Father. And it was at the Christian Pentecost that this new childhood began for the disciples, a childhood that led them to preach the gospel to all corners of the known world.

For more information, check out my profile, follow the link, and download my ebook.