Children in Greco-Roman times
From the perspective of the ancient Greco-Roman world, children were often not regarded as ‘full human beings’. This was because children were frequently considered to be underdeveloped or to have limited knowledge. Even though children had potential during that period, their potential was also heavily dependent on their social status and gender. For example, children who were enslaved during that period had no prospect of achieving full adulthood or living freely.
Interestingly, in the Bible, children are also depicted as having limitations and as being in a state of incomplete development. However, not all passages in the Bible view children solely in terms of their limitations; there are also passages that focus on the important role of children and give them space as subjects.
Jesus and Children in the New Testament
Accounts of Jesus meeting and embracing children can be found in several passages in the New Testament. In the Synoptic Gospels, there are also several stories focusing on children, including instances where Jesus healed and cast out demons from children (Matthew 15:21–28; Mark 9:14–29; Luke 7:1–10). There are also accounts of Jesus raising children from the dead (Matthew 9:18–26; Mark 5:21–43; Luke 7:11–17). In these stories, readers generally focus only on the miracles performed by Jesus, whilst the children in the narratives are seen merely as supporting characters; yet these children should be the centre of the narrative, as their reactions and actions contain the lessons taught by Jesus.
Since the 2000s, there has been a growing focus on reading the Bible from a child’s perspective, known as Childist Biblical Interpretation. A book has also been published entitled T&T Clark Handbook of Children in the Bible and the Biblical World, which aims to promote messages regarding child protection and to re-examine the content of the Bible to help explore the dynamics of children as subjects within the text and within society.
Child Agency in the Gospel of Luke
Children’s agency is a child’s ability to act, choose, think, feel and influence their surroundings or relationships as an active individual, rather than merely as a recipient of commands. In Luke 11:11–13, we see an interaction between a child and his father, in which the child asks for the food he needs: fish and eggs. This interaction between child and father is a positive one, in which the father observes, acknowledges and endeavours to meet his child’s needs as an individual. From this illustration, a message can be drawn: that a father is willing to give his child what they need.
When reading Luke 11:11–13, readers often overlook the focus on how the figure of the child is portrayed in the narrative. The child’s role in this narrative serves to instruct the reader or listener. The child in this story is not merely a decorative element in the teachings of Jesus; rather, the child plays a positive role in instructing the disciples, as well as the readers or listeners of these verses.
However, readers often focus solely on how God is willing to provide for and meet the needs of His people. In this verse, readers can see how there is agency whereby the people, as children, can express their needs to their God.
The Agency of Children in the Gospel of Matthew
Unlike the Gospel of Luke, In the Gospel of Matthew 7:9–11, there is mention of a mutual relationship, which does not depend solely on the figure of the father but may also involve the mother or other people in general, as indicated by the word ‘someone’. In Luke 11:11–13, the relationship between child and father is indeed clearly evident; however, the child’s agency is limited, as the child remains dependent on the father’s authority to meet their needs. Viewed from a positive perspective, the father naturally strives to provide the best for his child; this serves as an important message for readers to use their own agency to pray and ask God for what they need.
The Child’s Agency in the Parable of the Prodigal Son
Generally speaking, when reading the parable of the Prodigal Son, the figure viewed negatively is the Younger Son. On the other hand, when viewed from a different perspective—namely, when the Younger Son attempts to do something different, in this case leaving his father’s house—this represents the Younger Son exercising his agency, which subsequently leads him to repent. In this instance, the son’s agency is demonstrated through the course of his life.
A Child’s Agency Is Not Merely About Obedience
Most children obey their parents not out of a sense of awareness, but out of fear. The Bible teaches parents to respect a child’s agency, to listen to a child’s needs and choices. Parents can play a role in advising and explaining both the negative and positive aspects of the choices a child makes. In this way, both children and parents will learn together and develop a cooperative relationship with one another.
