Mt 19:13-15
13Children were brought to [Jesus] that he might lay his hands on them and pray. The disciples rebuked them, 14but Jesus said, “Let the children come to me, and do not prevent them; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” 15After he placed his hands on them, he went away.
To Lay His Hands: After the episode about the “hardness of heart” (Mt 19:1-12), probably directing to the disposition of “learned men” like the Pharisees, Jesus welcomes the children and blesses them by laying his hands on them. The laying on of hands intends the sense of imparted power. The ceremony of the laying on of hands represents God’s commission, blessing, and equipping for service. So that the community of Israel may not lack a leader after him, God tells Moses to take Joshua, a man of spirit, “and lay your hand upon him… Invest him with some of your dignity, that the whole Israelite community may obey him” (Nm 27:18, 20). The imposition of hands is also a ritual used in paternal blessings. In the presence of Joseph, Jacob lays his hands on the former’s sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, and blesses them (Gn 48:14-15).
Often, Jesus’ healing is conveyed by his touch (Mt 8:3; Lk 4:40). In the Gospel, he blesses the children by placing his hands on them. Children are a negligible component of Jewish society. They have no social claims, having no achievements to speak of. The disciples think that the Master should not be disturbed by those of little account. But Jesus not only gives them importance and his blessing. He also proposes them as models of belonging to God’s kingdom. Children are his example about how to accept the good news of God’s love with an open, simple, and humble attitude.