18:2 called a little child. The phrase “little child” refers to very young children, not much more than toddlers. The same Greek word is translated “young child” in Matthew 2:8, referring to the very young Jesus as seen by the wise men. In essence, these verses (see also Luke 18:16-17) indicate that very young children can have enough understanding to place their faith in the Lord Jesus for salvation. It is testified of young Timothy, for example, that “from a child” he had “known the holy Scriptures” (II Timothy 3:15). In this verse, the word for “child” is actually the same word as elsewhere translated “babe.”