Jesus then wanted to give the people a great blessing. He placed himself in the middle of the crowd, with the children roundabout him, and the parents roundabout them. Before turning to the children, Jesus blessed their parents. He prayed for them, and the text says, “the things which he prayed cannot be written, and the multitude did bear record who heard him” (17:15). The record of the incident says, “No one can imagine the joy that filled our hearts when we heard him pray for us unto the Father” (17:17). Jesus appreciated the sacrifices and devotion of parents. He may have been praying that they would be good parents, to have the strength and wisdom to be able to do what these little children needed to have done for them. He may also have been opening to their view the promises and blessings of the eternal nature of family relationships. As Jesus looked around after blessing them, he said to those parents, “Blessed are ye because of your faith. And now behold, my joy is full” (17:20).