Do not "hinder" them.

Have you ever stood in a doorway, completely unaware that you were blocking someone's path? Perhaps you were deep in conversation, checking your phone, or simply lost in thought, while behind you someone waited patiently—or impatiently—for you to move. Maybe it was at the supermarket, and your cart was blocking the aisle and someone was trying to get through. That moment of realization, when you suddenly become aware of your obstruction, often comes with a flush of embarrassment and a hurried apology. "I'm so sorry, I didn't realize I was in the way!"

This everyday occurrence offers us a profound window into one of the most challenging aspects of spiritual life: the ways we unknowingly hinder others from encountering the divine. The Greek word κωλύω (kōlyō), translated as "hinder" or "prevent" in our English Bibles, appears at crucial moments in the New Testament narrative—moments that should make us pause and examine our own hearts. For in these passages, we discover that often the greatest obstacles to grace are not the obvious enemies of faith, but rather the well-meaning guardians of it.

 

The Linguistic Landscape of Hindrance

The verb κωλύω carries a forceful meaning in Greek. It means to prevent, to forbid, to withstand, or to keep someone from doing something. The word implies an active intervention, a deliberate or effectual blocking of action or movement. In classical Greek literature, it was used to describe military forces preventing an enemy's advance or legal authorities forbidding certain actions. There is nothing passive about this word—it describes an active stance of opposition, whether intentional or not.

What makes the New Testament usage of this word particularly striking is who does the hindering and who is being hindered. Time and again, we find that it is the disciples, the religious insiders, the very people closest to Jesus who become the obstacles. And those being hindered? Children, seekers, new believers—those whom society might consider less important or less worthy.

 

"Do Not Hinder the Children"

While the synoptic gospels all record this event, Luke’s account provides a unique and powerful detail that strengthens its connection to baptism. Luke writes, "People were bringing even infants to him that he might touch them. And when the disciples saw it, they rebuked them. But Jesus called them to him, saying, 'Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God'" (Luke 18:15-16, ESV).

Luke’s specific use of the Greek word βρέφη (brephē), translated as "infants," is critical. This word is also used elsewhere in Luke to describe the baby Jesus in the manger (Luke 2:16) and John the Baptist as a baby in the womb (Luke 1:41, 44). The disciples were not merely hindering older children, but infants who could not possibly understand the theological implications of the moment. These infants came to Jesus not by their own will or understanding, but were brought by others to receive a blessing—a gift of grace they simply received. The disciples' rebuke was a direct, active opposition to this unmerited blessing.

 

The Blessing and Its Significance

Jesus' act of "blessing" the children by the laying on of hands is deeply significant in a Jewish context and powerfully prefigures Christian baptism. In ancient Judaism, the laying on of hands was a traditional symbolic gesture used for healing, ordination, and, most importantly here, for pronouncing a solemn blessing. It was a physical sign of a spiritual reality, a way of transferring divine favor and inclusion. When Jesus lays his hands on these infants, he is performing a divinely sanctioned act of grace, affirming their place in the Kingdom of God, regardless of their lack of understanding or social status.

This act mirrors baptism in several key ways. The infants were passive recipients of this grace; they did not earn or comprehend the blessing but simply received it. This points to baptism as a gift of grace, not a reward for understanding or a righteous act. The Old Covenant included children through the sign of circumcision, and Jesus' blessing of the infants suggests a continuation of this inclusivity under the New Covenant, with baptism as its new sign.

 

The Baptismal Parallel in Luke-Acts

As the author of both the Gospel of Luke and the Book of Acts, Luke's use of the same word, κωλύω, creates an intentional and unmistakable parallel. In the book of Acts, we find this word used in two pivotal baptismal scenes:

1. The Ethiopian Eunuch (Acts 8:36): After Philip preaches the gospel to the Ethiopian, the eunuch exclaims, "See, here is water! What prevents [τί κωλύει] me from being baptized?" The eunuch, an outsider from a foreign land and a man excluded from full participation in Jewish worship, asks if there is any barrier. Philip's immediate response is to baptize him, making it clear that no external status or social barrier can hinder the flow of God's grace.

2. Cornelius and His Household (Acts 10:47): When Peter witnesses the Holy Spirit falling upon Cornelius and his Gentile household, he asks a rhetorical question: "Can anyone withhold [μήτι δύναται κωλῦσαί τις] water for baptizing these people, who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?" The answer is an emphatic "No." God has already demonstrated His radical welcome by giving the Holy Spirit, making any human attempt to hinder baptism a direct opposition to the will of God.

It's worth noting likewise that the same word occurs when Jesus comes to John to be baptized by him in Matthew's Gospel. We find the word used in a startling context when Jesus comes to John the Baptist to be baptized. John "would have prevented [διεκώλυεν] him, saying, 'I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?'" (Matthew 3:14).

This moment is the ultimate expression of the "misguided zeal" you've already identified. John, the righteous prophet, understands his own unworthiness and sees the profound paradox of the sinless Son of God seeking a baptism of repentance. His action is born not of malice, but of a deep reverence for God's holiness and an accurate understanding of the theological order. Yet, Jesus' reply is a gentle rebuke: "Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness" (Matthew 3:15).

In this instance, the person doing the hindering is not an enemy of God, but His closest forerunner. The one being hindered is not a child or an outsider, but God Incarnate. This encounter reveals a crucial truth: even our most sincere and well-intentioned sense of propriety or theological correctness can become a barrier to God's will.

John’s act of hindering was a protective one, but Jesus makes it clear that we must never allow our understanding of how things should be to get in the way of what God is actively doing. It is a final, powerful lesson in relinquishing our own logic and yielding to God's radical, and often surprising, plan.

The linguistic parallel is profound. Just as the disciples tried to hinder infants from receiving Jesus’ blessing—a gift that didn't require understanding—the early church faced the temptation to hinder outsiders from receiving baptism. In both cases, God's will was to tear down these barriers. The message is the same: do not let human judgment, social status, a person's age or level of understanding, or perceived unworthiness stand in the way of someone receiving God's grace.

 

The Subtle Art of Spiritual Hindering

What makes these passages particularly challenging for us today is that the hinderers are not the obvious villains of the gospel story. They are not the Pharisees plotting against Jesus or the Roman authorities executing him. They are the disciples—the very people who left everything to follow Christ. They are Peter—the rock upon whom Christ would build his church. They are the religious insiders who sincerely believe they are protecting something sacred.

Augustine of Hippo, reflecting on these passages in his Sermons, noted that "we often become obstacles to grace not through malice but through misguided zeal" (Sermon 174). We create barriers through our well-intentioned but ultimately harmful attempts to manage, control, or direct the flow of divine grace.

The tragedy is that we often hinder while believing we are helping. The disciples likely thought they were protecting Jesus from unnecessary demands on his energy. Peter initially resisted the inclusion of Gentiles because he was trying to remain faithful to what he understood as God's law. Our motivations, like theirs, can be pure even while our actions create obstacles.

 

The Characteristics of Kingdom Access

When Jesus says the kingdom belongs to those who are like children, he is not promoting naivety or ignorance. Rather, he is highlighting characteristics that facilitate rather than hinder kingdom access. Children approach with:

Unpretentious need: Children know they need help. They do not approach with a resume of accomplishments or a list of qualifications. They simply come.

Trust without full understanding: A child being blessed by Jesus likely did not understand the theological implications of the moment. They simply trusted the adults who brought them and the teacher who welcomed them.

Absence of artificial barriers: Children have not yet learned all the social rules about who belongs where. They do not self-exclude based on unworthiness.

Receptivity to grace: Children receive gifts naturally, without the complex negotiations of adult reciprocity. They simply accept what is given.

These characteristics stand in sharp contrast to the disciples' gatekeeping mentality. Where children simply came, the disciples created categories of worthiness. Where children trusted, the disciples calculated. Where children received, the disciples tried to manage.

 

Removing the Hindrances

The question for us becomes: How do we stop hindering and start facilitating encounters with divine grace? The answer begins with rigorous self-examination. We must ask ourselves:

Who are the "children" in our context—those whom society or even religious culture might deem unimportant or unworthy?

What barriers have we erected, perhaps even with good intentions, that prevent people from encountering God?

Where have we substituted our own sense of order and propriety for God's radical welcome?

Tertullian, writing in the early third century, observed that the church must be especially careful not to become what he called "a fortress of the saved rather than a hospital for sinners" (De Paenitentia, 7). His warning remains relevant: when we focus primarily on protecting and maintaining rather than welcoming and healing, we risk becoming hinderers rather than helpers.

 

Conclusion

The word κωλύω serves as a stark and repeated warning throughout Luke's writings: be careful not to stand in the way of God's grace. Whether it’s blocking infants from a blessing or raising barriers to baptism for those God has already accepted, the action is the same—a misguided attempt to manage what should be freely given.

God's grace is a gift received through trust, not a reward earned through understanding or social standing. The infants in Luke’s gospel and the eunuch in Acts remind us that the kingdom is open to all who come, regardless of their status or our judgment. Our role is not to be gatekeepers, but to be open doors. Our purpose is to facilitate, not to hinder, the work of God in the lives of those who come seeking Him. Let us therefore pray for the wisdom to recognize our own potential for hindrance and the courage to get out of the way.

 

In Jesus' name,

Judah