Matthew 19:18. Then were there brought unto him little children, that he should put his hands on them, and pray.
See also Mark 10:13; Luke 18:15.
It was common among the Jews to bring their children to men noted for piety, to have their blessing and their prayers. On the first anniversary of the birth of a child, it was usual to take it to the synagogue to be blessed by the rabbi.
The laying-on of hands when in prayer was also a customary form when invoking the Divine blessing. Thus Israel, when his eyes were dim with age, laid his hands on the heads of Ephraim and Manasseh, and blessed them and prayed for them (Gen. 48:14), and thus Jesus took these children “up in his arms, put his hands upon them, and blessed them” (Mark 10:16).