WHO IS THE GREATEST?
MATTHEW 18:1-4
MATTHEW 18:1-4 NKJ
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.
OBSERVATION:
When I was growing up, I loved to read. Still do. But when I was a kid, I loved to read the Guinness Book of World Records. I loved all the facts that book gave about the fastest, strongest, and biggest. I wanted to know who or what was number one.
Evidently, I am not alone. In our passage for today, the disciples were very interested in who was the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
Maybe they were thinking they were the greatest. After all, they were the ones closest to Jesus.
Or they could have been trying to figure out how to be the greatest. In either case, their question was very likely self-serving.
And Jesus, as He was often prone to do, flipped the script on His guys. He brings a little child into the group and points him or her out. Little children were not highly regarded in the culture of that day. They weren't typically abused; they were simply seen as not important. The disciples had at one time tried to drive away the little children that parents were bringing to Jesus.
So you can imagine that becoming as a little child and humbling yourself as a little child was a shocker to these disciples.
Little children are quick to believe. Quick to forgive. Slow to play status games. Little children easily follow their parents and are ready to believe what their parents say. Little children are not manipulative. Oh, they learn soon enough, but in the very young ones, there is innocence. Little children are quick to receive because they are not carrying a sense of condemnation.
APPLICATION:
Jesus said we are to humble ourselves and become as little children. There are many things we can learn from the little ones and apply to kingdom principles.
Quick to love and accept others. Quick to get over hurts and slights. Not jockeying for power or to be seen and noticed by others. And the list goes on.
It's been a while since I have been a little child. I need God's wisdom to know how to approach His kingdom that way.
PRAYER:
Dear Lord, please show me what being as a little child looks like in Your Kingdom and in my life.