At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” 2 And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them 3 and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
5 “Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, 6 but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea. Matthew 18: 1-6 ESV
Matthew 18: 1-6 Little Ones
Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven - This is not a question from pure motives, of the best intent. There is no competition amongst our brethren, but that which is with ourselves, who I was yesterday, has the old Calvin been put to death yet, or does he still walk about enamored with himself? God calls us to obedience regardless of our position, and regardless of what others, the culture, or even those that claim to be Christians do. At best we are like little children making mud pies, smiling as we hold up something inedible, wanting to be acknowledged for greatness. Even our best acts are soiled, and we have no access to God except by the sacrifice of another, yet some will run off their deeds like a resume. Peter has been smacked the most, corrected the most of the apostles, and you may not understand this anymore, our culture has moved so far away from pointing out wrong, from correcting poor performance, but every time the Lord has corrected him it has been for his good. Remember, whom the Lord loveth, He chaseneth. The disciples are very earthly in this, wanting to know who gets what title and where they will be seated. It gets even worse, James and John bring their mommy into it, how embarrassing.
20Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons came to Jesus with her sons and knelt down to make a request of Him. 21“What do you want?” He inquired. She answered, “Declare that in Your kingdom one of these two sons of mine may sit at Your right hand, and the other at Your left.” 22“You do not know what you are asking,” Jesus replied. “Can you drink the cup I am going to drink?” “We can,” the brothers answered.…
…23“You will indeed drink My cup,” Jesus said. “But to sit at My right or left is not Mine to grant. These seats belong to those for whom My Father has prepared them.” 24When the ten heard about this, they were indignant with the two brothers. 25But Jesus called them aside and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their superiors exercise authority over them.…
…26It shall not be this way among you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, 27and whoever wants to be first among you must be your slave— 28just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.”… Matthew 20: 20-28
And calling to Him a child - Maybe pictures and props will help, but looking at the account in Matthew 20, it will be in retrospect.
…2He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs You are doing if God were not with him.” 3Jesus replied, “Truly, truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.” 4“How can a man be born when he is old?” Nicodemus asked. “Can he enter his mother’s womb a second time to be born?”… John 3: 2-4
Unless you turn and become like children - Another word for turn is repent, and this is a spiritual matter, you have to become something you're not. Before you are born again, you are dead in trespasses and sins. When you are born again you come into new life, God's spirit quickens you, and now you are a baby. Why do I relate it to that? Well look at verse 6, "one of these little ones who believe in Me", it's not just children he is talking of in general, but this is the birth of the church, it is those who have come to believe in and call upon Jesus. You don't start out an adult in the faith, and wrongly have many been treated as so. You don't come on your credentials, remember, you deny yourself, you have nothing to offer God but the sin that requires so great a sacrifice as the Son of God. A child is not able to care for themselves, not "viable" as our culture would say. They are impressionable, need teaching, shelter, food, in other words, dependent. Again we can reflect on Matthew 5 and the Sermon on the mount. Blessed are they that mourn, right, those that cry over their sin, are exacerbated about their inability to rectify their situation, to get themselves clean. See yourself the way you are, little beggars reaching up with little dirty hands, and crying Abba, Father, help me. Blessed are the poor in spirit, poor, spiritually bankrupt, dependent upon God for every breath. Is that not you? Do you have something to offer God that actually belongs to you and is worthy of His Holiness?
13Then the little children were brought to Jesus for Him to place His hands on them and pray for them. And the disciples rebuked those who brought them. 14But Jesus said, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not hinder them! For the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” 15And after He had placed His hands on them, He went on from there.… Matthew 19: 13-15
…47For this is what the Lord has commanded us: ‘I have made you a light for the Gentiles, to bring salvation to the ends of the earth.’ ” 48When the Gentiles heard this, they rejoiced and glorified the word of the Lord, and all who were appointed for eternal life believed. 49And the word of the Lord spread throughout that region.… Acts 13: 47-49
You will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven - Quit jumping ahead, you are worrying about the wrong things, you need to become what you're not, be born again, recognize yourself as dependent upon God for everything. You're worried about whose going to be the boss, but your own Master came serving, washing feet, fasting, praying, but you want to learn how to play the game, climb the corporate ladder. His kingdom is not like these, it doesn't work that way, you won't just check off boxes with God, you won't just learn what to say and what not to say. He is not a self help God, He is a deny yourself kind of God, the only God, and He has provided the only Way, which is Christ, Who is saying become a child.
Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven - He's affronting the road they want, to walk to and sit in high places, be respected, be esteemed. They are looking for avenues to feed their pride, justify their egos, and He is handing them a cross. Come on now, it's corny, but that mighty oak started from an acorn. Don't despise this child, if you do then you are denying your own humanity, you are denying your own beginning, forsaking the call. I think about it again, Judas is here with them, he is hearing all of this, and it is so against their fallen natures, ours as well, but to refuse humility is to refuse Christ.
…8Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9Grieve, mourn, and weep. Turn your laughter to mourning, and your joy to gloom. 10Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will exalt you.… James 4: 8-10
Whoever receives one such child in My name receives Me - Christ is claiming them as His own, and this is a serious warning. This should give us pause. Believers are children of God, and so how we treat them shows what we think of God.
…39When did we see You sick or in prison and visit You?’ 40And the King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of Mine, you did for Me.’ 41Then He will say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.…
…42For I was hungry and you gave Me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave Me nothing to drink, 43I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, I was naked and you did not clothe Me, I was sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.’ 44And they too will reply, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?’…
…45Then the King will answer, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for Me.’ 46And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” Matthew 25: 39-46
Whoever causes one of these little ones who believes in Me to sin - Listen, this isn't the world He is talking to here, He is addressing His disciples, the church. He will deal with the world, and we should expect the world to be worldly, for them not to hold up God's word, and we are going to continue deeper into this subject as it goes on, but think about this, think hard on this. He has been discussing children, and this is a spiritual lesson about those who believe, those that come into the faith. He is addressing the church fathers, right? and He also calls His children His flock, His sheep. Jesus is going away, back to sit at the right hand of His Father, so who will shepherd His sheep, who will care for His children while He is gone? This is a massive responsibility, and it falls first on parents, that we who believe teach our children about God, and we go to places where there are those more mature than us in the faith, and we learn from them. We are open with them, our lives are exposed, and we direct each other away from the things that God detests and towards the things that He loves and commands. If I am 80 years old and become a Christian today I am but a babe, needing milk, needing direction, needing protection from wolves. The pastors and elders teach the word, and not just what they think will go over well, but they give the whole counsel of God, if it was important enough for God to have written down then it is important for us to read and teach. And now there are parents and there are these children looking up at their parents, watching how they react to the message, watching how they feel about going to church. Does my dad love to sing about God or is he most happy when he gets to sit back down? Do my parents act the same way here as they do at home? Are we teaching our children the right things, teaching baby believers the right things, or are we answering their questions shooting from the hip, pulling from the place of emotions and or the unbelieving, unregenerate culture? What will people who watch you think that you condone, and will God condone the same?
1Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly. 2 We all stumble in many ways. If anyone is never at fault in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to control his whole body. 3When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can guide the whole animal.… James 3: 1-3
…8But food does not bring us closer to God: We are no worse if we do not eat, and no better if we do. 9Be careful, however, that your freedom does not become a stumbling block to the weak. 10For if someone with a weak conscience sees you who are well informed eating in an idol’s temple, will he not be encouraged to eat food sacrificed to idols?…
…11So this weak brother, for whom Christ died, is destroyed by your knowledge. 12 By sinning against your brothers in this way and wounding their weak conscience, you sin against Christ. 13Therefore, if what I eat causes my brother to stumble, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause him to stumble.… 1 Corinthians 8: 8-13
Be drowned in the depth of the sea - Don't be a stumbling block, don't be a false teacher, don't tempt people to sin with you by gossiping or slandering. Don't be one of these hypocrites that pretends at being a teacher only to seduce members of the flock. Don't think, I am a good speaker, I enjoy teaching, and then head for a pulpit that you were not called to and where you will seek the appraisal of men, dishonoring God and leading His little ones astray. It would be better for you not to have been born, but that's too late, so it would be better for you to drown than what's in store for you.
…19I know your deeds—your love, your faith, your service, your perseverance—and your latter deeds are greater than your first. 20But I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess. By her teaching she misleads My servants to be sexually immoral and to eat food sacrificed to idols. 21Even though I have given her time to repent of her immorality, she is unwilling.…
…22Behold, I will cast her onto a bed of sickness, and those who commit adultery with her will suffer great tribulation unless they repent of her deeds. 23Then I will strike her children dead, and all the churches will know that I am the One who searches minds and hearts, and I will repay each of you according to your deeds. 24But I say to the rest of you in Thyatira, who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned the so-called deep things of Satan: I will place no further burden upon you.… Revelation 2: 19-24
…2For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3unloving, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, without love of good, 4traitorous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,…
…5having a form of godliness but denying its power. Turn away from such as these! 6 They are the kind who worm their way into households and captivate vulnerable women who are weighed down with sins and led astray by various passions, 7who are always learning but never able to come to a knowledge of the truth.…
…8Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so also these men oppose the truth. They are depraved in mind and disqualified from the faith. 9But they will not advance much further. For just like Jannes and Jambres, their folly will be plain to everyone. 10You, however, have observed my teaching, my conduct, my purpose, my faith, my patience, my love, my perseverance,… 2 Timothy 3: 2-10
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