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The Proverbs of Solomon present units of antithetical sayings in which the wise or righteous are sharply contrasted with the fool or the wicked
A wise son brings joy to his father, but a foolish son brings grief to his mother
This is because the wise son takes his parents' teachings to heart, values wisdom, fears God, and follows the path of righteousness, unlike the foolish son
Again, the use of the father as the recipient of the wise son’s behavior and the mother as the recipient of sorrow for the foolish son’s actions is simply a common construction in proverbial literature.
Both parents experience either joy or sorrow depending on the child’s behavior
Children should know that wealth gained through wrongdoing will not last, and doing the right thing saves one from death
Lazy people are soon poor, but wise and hard workers get rich
God will not let the godly go hungry, but refuses to satisfy the cravings of the wicked
The book of Mark records an occasion where some parents brought their children to Jesus so he could place his hands on them and bless them, but the disciples scolded the parents for bothering him
Jesus was angry with the disciples for such a response; he welcomed the children in his arms, placed his hands on their heads, and blessed them
Jesus then preached on the instant about the kingdom of God
Children are always dependent, and we must approach the kingdom of God as children
We should receive the kingdom depending not on self-righteousness but on coming to him in humble trust and complete dependence
Jesus declares that only those who realize they are the least before God and can do nothing to merit right standing before him can inherit the gift of the kingdom
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