Matthew 18:1-4

Matthew 18:1-4

In that hour, the disciples came to Jesus while saying, “Who, then, is of great importance in the kingdom of heaven?”  And after calling a child to Him, He stood him in the middle of them and said, “Amen, I say to you all.  Unless you change your manner of living and you all should become as children, you all should surely not enter into the kingdom of heaven.  Therefore, whoever will humble himself as this child, that one is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

The disciples come with a very interesting – and very human – question.  How is it that we become great in the kingdom of heaven?  After all, we know how to become great in human circles.  If you want to be great, you have to be the best at what you do and earn the recognition of other people who are great in that field.  Depending on the context being great means being the biggest, the fastest, the strongest, the smartest, or the most creative.  Therefore, the disciples want to know what evaluation tools God is going to use in heaven.  They simply want to be great.  It is a human emotion.

Do you ever want to be great?  Why do you want to be great?  When you want to be great, what does it say about your need for approval and from whom or from what source your identity is derived?

Second Thought:

To answer the question, Jesus points to a child.  Jesus says – and I’m going to make this rather blunt, “If you want to be great, be like this child.”  Think about what a child is.  A child has very little control regarding their life, and they are okay with that.  A child has very little influence upon the world, and they are okay with that.  The child has very little recognition in the world, and they are okay with that.  Everything the child has, wants, or needs ultimately comes through the parent, and they are okay with that.  Jesus gives us another Galatians 2:20 kind of teaching.  Jesus is saying that if you want to be great in the kingdom of heaven, you’ve got to let God be in total control.  You’ve got to let God set the agenda.  You’ve got to follow God rather than seek out your own desires.  Essentially, if you want to be great in the kingdom of God you have got to put yourself aside and put yourself under God’s direction.  That’s easier said than done.

What do you think about God’s definition of great in His kingdom?  Are you willing to lay down your life and pick up whatever life God sets before you?  In that sense, are you a child of God?

Third Thought:

What Jesus is really speaking about is humbleness.  True humbleness before God is the person who never says “no” to God.  True humbleness looks like the person who discerns what God is saying and then follows.  True humbleness is the person who will go wherever God leads them and look for ways to do God’s will regardless of their circumstance.  True humbleness cares less about the specific circumstance around a person and more about being the presence of God wherever they are.  That is submission.  That is humbleness.  That is what being a child of God is like.

Are you submitted to God?  Are you humble before Him?  Are you willing to follow wherever He seems to be leading you?

Passage for Tomorrow: Matthew 18:5-6