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1 At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” 2 Then Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them, 3 and said, “Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 5 Whoever receives one little child like this in My name receives Me. ~ Matthew 18:1-5
Today, we transition into Matthew 18 where the setting is Capernaum, the headquarters of the Lord Jesus and the home of Peter. The disciples had been walking on the road where the Lord Jesus had been teaching and doing miracles. While the disciples were on the road, there began an argument as to which of them would be the greatest in the kingdom of the Lord. It was as if the Lord Jesus said nothing to them about His suffering, His death and His resurrection.
Soon thereafter, the Lord Jesus would be crucified on the cross of Calvary to pay the penalty created by our sin. By doing so, He shined the spotlight on the age old struggle between pride and humility. God resists the proud because the proud resist God. The heart controlled by pride has no room for confession, it does not repent, and it does not ask for forgiveness. Pride is the hidden reef that shipwrecks those who feed it. This is why the Lord Jesus was in the middle of preparing His disciples for His departure from this earth. The primary tool the Lord uses to prepare all of His followers for those moments we face everyday is discipleship. God's idea of discipleship leads us to the place that we decrease and He increases in our lives.
In v.1 of today's passage we read, "At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, 'Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?'"
The lust of the disciples for greatness in the kingdom of the Lord Jesus prompted this question. This only underscores the fact that the world's idea of greatness is not harmonious with the Lord's. His is a culture of selflessness. His culture navigates us to consider the needs of other’s as more important than our own. His way leads us to serve those around us, instead of expecting them to serve us. According to the Lord Jesus, we truly live the abundant life that He promised when we dethrone self and give our will to Him. Greatness in God's kingdom is not relative, it is absolute. Everyone in His kingdom is the greatest. We are great because our greatness is found in Christ's righteousness which is humbling. When God sees us through the lens of His Son, He sees His righteousness applied to us.
In v.2-3 of today's passage we read, "2 Then Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them, 3 and said, 'Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.'"
According to the other accounts of this story, when the disciples saw the people bringing their children to the Lord Jesus, they rebuked them. In Mark 10:14 the Lord Jesus said in response, "Permit the children to come to Me. Don't hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. "
At that moment the Lord Jesus picked up a little child because a child was the lowest ranking person in their society. Also, a child is the most dependent among us. He then used the child as an illustration about humility. According to the Lord's culture, a dependent child is the greatest. Like the disciples, we most often have a contrary understanding of greatness than the Lord. In fact, their argument in that house that day revealed their ignorance of the ways of the Lord. Humility is so difficult to lay hold of because we most often learn it through humiliating circumstances. It is only when we see our wickedness that we grow in humility and are favored by God. The conversion needed is that we go from being defined by pride to being defined by humility.
Interestingly, the Lord Jesus did not rebuke the disciples for wanting to be great. He didn't because He made us to desire to succeed at whatever we do. What the Lord Jesus did do was to tell the disciples the true way to greatness. True greatness is not accessed by seeking to be first, it is accessed by a willingness to be last. According to God's culture, greatness is when we are defined by Him which will always lead us to the ambition of pleasing Him.
In v.4-5 of today's passage we read, "4 Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 5 Whoever receives one little child like this in My name receives Me."
True greatness is championed when we serve others and expect nothing in return. True greatness desires to serve in the name of the Lord Jesus who has won our hearts through His mercy and grace. Serving those most deemed insignificant comes on the heels of being defined by God. But, our problem is we are relentless worshipers of self. It is our nature to worship ourselves. But, when we come into a personal relationship with Christ, He teaches us to be defined by those things which are contrary to our natural way of thinking and living. His culture is dominated by the fruits of the Spirit which are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.
According to the culture of the Lord Jesus, being first means being last. And being last means being a servant. But the disciples had not shirked this world's culture to the point that they were no longer defined by it. Like them, the world has convinced us that we can do acts of service and still not be servants. In the culture of God, servanthood is a must for the disciple of Christ. And, if our intended outcome is personal recognition, we will not be defined by God as servants. True servanthood begins with selflessness which will seek the good of others. This only happens as we are engaged in a meaningful relationship with the Lord Jesus who fully understands our greatest enemy is within us.
