Who’s the Greatest?
“And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 18:3
Chapter 18 of Matthew centers around the teachings of Jesus to His disciples about how Christ-followers are to behave. It begins with the most basic evil which lurks in the hearts of every person, and that is pride. The disciples, still in the mind frame that Jesus would be setting up his earthly kingdom soon, all envisioned having important positions in His kingdom. They even asked Him who was the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
Before answering them, Jesus called out to a little child who was nearby. Nowadays we caution our children to stay away from strangers, but Jesus was not a stranger to the children. There was such a peace and a gentle spirit about Him that children were not afraid to come to Him. This trust in Him was what Jesus was about to illustrate to His disciples. He basically told them that they must become like little children in order to enter the kingdom of heaven. The disciples did not understand what the kingdom of heaven was all about. They were still thinking about an earthly kingdom even though Jesus had been telling them about the spiritual kingdom of God for over two years. But we can’t blame them. They had not yet been made to understand Jesus’ mission because God had not revealed it to them, but would at the proper time.
Here Jesus is giving them a true picture of humility which is required to become a child of God. To be converted means to turn from one’s prideful, arrogant, and selfish ambitions to the humble simplicity of a little child. A small child has no thought of climbing the ladder of success, winning the “rat race”, or making a name for himself or herself. They have no concern for social status or economic prosperity. They really have no concern for just about anything because they know that Mama and Daddy will take care of everything. They have a truly honest and trusting spirit. In our efforts to keep children safe, we teach them to distrust and be suspicious of others, but their childlike nature is to believe and trust.
Jesus admonition was meant to urge the disciples to stop their disputing about earthly, temporal things, to repent of their selfish attitude, and to simply place their trust in Him. Jesus wanted them to stop focusing on prideful positions and examine themselves to make sure they were fit to enter His kingdom. God’s will for the disciples, or anyone else, was not to argue about position, but to “humble themselves, and pray, and seek His face, and turn from their wicked ways…” (II Chronicles 7:14). The one who does that will be deemed to be the “greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” It had not been that long ago since Jesus had taught His disciples the necessity of denying themselves, taking up their crosses, and following Him (Matthew 16:24). In time, Jesus message would sink into their hearts and minds, but for now they needed constant reminders of their true mission as followers of Christ. I think that they are not the only ones who need a refresher course in commitment. We must all examine ourselves, our motives, our speech, and our behavior. Do we have the trust in Christ as that of a little child?