This month, our lectionary readings have detailed Jesus’ leadership lessons for his often “hard-headed” disciples. Why hard-headed? Because they are deeply entrenched in the laws, traditions, cultural assumptions, and mores of their current society –Jewish and Greek/Roman. 

It’s significant to note that throughout these lessons, Jesus has a child on his lap or by his side. Now in today’s passage, people (most likely especially women), obviously hearing his defense of children and his counter-cultural views on valuing them as equal members among his followers, not to mention his defense of women in his pronouncement on divorce (as in that patriarchal society, only men had that power), crowds of them, have begun bringing their children to him to be blessed.

Jesus’ disciples view this as a huge…