- Accessibility and Inclusion — A Better Way to Build
- The Table of Christ Has Room for All (Luke 14:12–14)
- Accessibility as a Core Requirement, Not a Bonus
- Welcoming the Margins (Mark 10:13–16)
There is a pattern that appears again and again in the Gospels.
People are brought to the edges.
Children are dismissed.The vulnerable are overlooked.Those without status are considered interruptions rather than participants.
And each time, Jesus moves toward the margins.
In Mark 10, people bring children to Jesus. The disciples respond in a way that would have seemed reasonable at the time — they rebuke them. Children, in that culture, held little social value. They were not seen as central to serious teaching or important interaction.
But Jesus sees differently.
The Rebuke That Reveals Assumptions
The disciples’ reaction is not unusual.
They are trying to protect what they believe matters. They are managing access. They are filtering who is worthy of attention.
In doing so, they reveal an assumption:
That some people are more important than others.
That some deserve access, while others can wait — or be turned away.
This assumption is not confined to the first century.
It appears wherever systems prioritise efficiency over inclusion, where people are filtered based on perceived value, or where access is quietly restricted.
Jesus Reverses the Pattern
Jesus’ response is immediate.
He is indignant.
This is not mild correction. It is a clear challenge to the assumptions behind the disciples’ behaviour.
“Let the children come to me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God.”
He does not simply allow the children.He insists on their inclusion.
And more than that, he elevates them as an example.
The Margins as a Place of Insight
In Jesus’ teaching, the margins are not just included — they are instructive.
Those who are overlooked often reveal something essential about the kingdom of God.
Children, in this passage, represent dependence, openness, and lack of status. They do not approach with credentials or claims. They come simply as they are.
Jesus does not require them to become something else before being welcomed.
Barriers We Do Not Notice
The disciples likely did not see themselves as excluding.
They were managing access.They were prioritising.They were acting within accepted norms.
This is how exclusion often operates.
Not through explicit rejection, but through unnoticed barriers:
- assumptions about who belongs,
- expectations about how people should engage,
- structures that favour some while disadvantaging others.
Welcoming the margins begins with recognising these barriers.
Inclusion as Intention
Jesus’ instruction is clear: do not hinder them.
Inclusion is not passive. It requires intention.
It requires removing barriers, not just avoiding rejection. It requires making space, not just allowing presence.
This applies beyond physical gatherings.
In digital spaces, systems, and communities, the question remains:
What is preventing people from participating?What assumptions are shaping access?
The Posture of Welcome
Welcoming the margins is not simply about access. It is about posture.
Do we receive people with openness?Do we value them as they are?Do we create space for them to belong?
Jesus does not tolerate reluctant inclusion. He models genuine welcome.
He takes the children in his arms.He blesses them.
This is active, intentional care.
The Challenge of Reordering Priorities
Welcoming those at the margins often disrupts established priorities.
It may:
- slow processes,
- require adaptation,
- challenge expectations.
It may feel inefficient.
But the kingdom of God does not operate on efficiency alone.
It operates on grace.
The Risk of Comfortable Inclusion
It is easy to include those who are already similar.
Those who communicate in familiar ways.Those who fit existing structures.
Welcoming the margins means going further.
It means including those who:
- require different approaches,
- challenge assumptions,
- or do not fit neatly into existing systems.
This requires humility.
Learning From Those We Welcome
Inclusion is not one-directional.
When we welcome those at the margins, we are also changed.
We learn:
- to see differently,
- to listen more carefully,
- to question our assumptions.
The margins are not only places of need. They are places of insight.
A Reflection of the Kingdom
Jesus’ actions in Mark 10 reflect the nature of the kingdom of God.
It is not reserved for the powerful.It is not limited to the qualified.It is open to those who are often overlooked.
Welcoming the margins is therefore not an optional practice. It is a reflection of the kingdom itself.
Carrying This Forward
As this month continues, accessibility and inclusion will be explored in design, teams, and practice.
But this remains central:
Inclusion begins with welcome.It requires intention.It reflects the heart of Christ.
The Invitation
Who is being overlooked?Who is being unintentionally excluded?What barriers exist that we have not yet seen?
These are not easy questions. But they are necessary.
Because welcoming the margins is not about expanding access alone.
It is about aligning with the way of Christ —a way that moves toward those others overlookand makes room for them to belong.
Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®). Copyright © Crossway.