1. What occurred during a particularly trying period in Jesus’ life?

JESUS CHRIST and his disciples were on their way to Jerusalem. Not long before, on two different occasions, Jesus had told his disciples that he would undergo many sufferings and be put to death in that city. (Mark 8:31; 9:31) During this especially trying period for Jesus, the Bible account says: “People began to bring him also their infants for him to touch these.”​—Luke 18:15.

2. (a) Why may the disciples have tried to turn the people away? (b) How did Jesus respond to the situation?

² What response was there to this? Well, the disciples scolded the people and tried to send them away, no doubt believing that they were doing Jesus a favor by protecting him from unnecessary disturbance and stress. But Jesus became indignant with his disciples, saying: “‘Let the young children come to me; do not try to stop them’ . . . And he took the children into his arms and began blessing them.” (Mark 10:13-16) Yes, despite all that must have been on his mind and heart, Jesus took time for infants.

9. From what pollution do children particularly need protection?

⁹ However, because of the pressure of the times in which we live, you may be inclined, as the disciples were, to turn children aside so that you can attend to what may be thought of as more important business. But what is more important than your own children? Their spiritual lives are at stake! You may recall that when the Chernobyl nuclear accident occurred in the Soviet Union in 1986, children were removed from the region to protect them from the pollution. Similarly, if you are to guard the spiritual health of your children, you need to protect them from the world’s poisonous “air,” which is so often spewed out from the television set.​—Proverbs 13:20.