“At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” Matt 18:1-4 (ESV)
Raising little boys can be a very taxing endeavor for a mother, especially if they are close in age and seem to get into all kinds of mischief. In reference to my brother and me growing up, my mother always said that if we hadn’t thought of doing something dangerous or outlandish, it wasn’t worth doing. Whether it was falling out of a tree, getting kicked by a pony, or wrecking a bicycle, our mother was in a constant state of triage in our home.
I can remember one instance when my brother and I had been out playing on the swing-set. Like any normal little boys, we couldn’t leave anything alone. We had to modify everything we got our hands on, and the swing-set was no exception. I remember we decided it would be cool if we took both swings off and reconnected one of the swings with the chains on the hooks farthest out, bringing them in at a very distinct angle. We then proceeded to climb up into the swing together, which was a very tight fit for two little boys, but we made it work. Each one of us held onto the chain which was on our side and then wrapped our free arm around each other as we swung.
Mounting the swing in this fashion had an interesting effect on the performance of the swing. As we began to pick up momentum, we discovered that the reach of the swing had been shortened greatly but the speed with which we were covering the distance had been increased exponentially. We were excited about our new discoveries and continued back and forth at an increasing rate of speed, looking much like an old black and white movie in fast-forward mode.
Everything was going great until our speed carried us up too high and gravity began to have an overwhelming effect on our little bodies. We went forwards and upwards to a point that the centrifugal force of the swing could no longer keep the chains tight (another discovery we were not so excited about). So rather than returning whence we came, we retreated backwards and downwards plummeting hard to the ground.
Everything happened too quickly for either one of us to react. Since our arms were interlocked, my shoulder was hyper-extended when my brother’s weight came crashing down on top of it as we hit the ground. Suddenly, the pain was excruciating and all I could think of was running to my mother in order for her to mend my ailing limb as it hung dangling limp from my body. I was sure my arm was broken, but she would inform me I had merely sprained the arm. It was painful all the same.
As she tended to my wounds, my brother, who for all I knew could have been outside dying, had now made his way into the house. It would’ve been an understatement to say, he had a very odd appearance about him as he came into the bathroom where I was being looked after. My mother began to laugh profusely and asked, “Oh my, what happened to you?”
There is something you have to understand about the swing-set. Our parents would purchase playground equipment for us on a regular basis, so there were a number of items in our playground. As a result, the only area big and flat enough for all of it was just outside the yard in the cow pasture. When my brother fell on my arm, he had also landed on his head. He was not hurt, however, because his blow had been cushioned by a big old cow-pie. Yep, my bright red-headed brother now had the most interesting shade of green hair I had ever seen.
Immediately, our mother abandoned my plight and began working on my brother. Here I am in excruciating pain, and he just smells and looks funny. Mom, on the other hand, knew my condition was very stable. While my brother, at least for the moment, had the greater need.
Now that I’m older and have children of my own, I realize that our children, most of the time, feel their needs are the greatest in relation to their siblings. We as the parents, then must assess each situation and handle it appropriately, even when someone else feels their needs are more important than everyone else’s. People often ask parents, “Which one of your children is your favorite?”, or “Which one of them do you love the most?” At those times I am reminded of what my mother always said when asked a similar question. “The one I love the most is the one who needs me the most at the moment”.
When I read that the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom?” I realized that what they were really asking Jesus was, “Who is your favorite?” In answer to their question, Jesus took a small child and gave what appears to be a very short and concise response, about humbling ourselves and not offending these little ones. However, as we take a closer look at the ensuing illustrations, we find His answer to each of us actually lies within the balance of the chapter.
Christ begins the explanation to His statement by pointing out that we all sin, thus making it a much more difficult task to separate the wheat from the chaff. How can He pick a favorite if we were all equally sinful? More specifically, if we want to be the greatest in the kingdom, what are we doing to prevent others from stumbling as they watch our walk? Jesus now begins to spell out for His disciples, and us, the qualities of what one who is the greatest in the kingdom might look like.
The first one of these qualities, He points out for us, is the ability to humble ourselves to the truth that we are sinners, and accepting the fact that our sinful actions can cause others to stumble. If we accept this, then do we have the fortitude to act upon our commitment? And, do we love these little ones enough to pluck out our very eyes, in order to ensure we don’t do something to make them stumble?
He follows up with the parable of the lost sheep, but not before He informs us that He is still talking about these little ones. He does this by telling us not to despise them, for the angels who watch over them have continual access to the Father. This reference tells us that He has not gone on to another story. He is still expounding on the question previously asked and the seriousness of our actions towards them, for they are continually under God’s direct supervision.
The second quality He sets forth is, to see the lost and dying of this world through the eyes of the Father. Too often we are satisfied to stay comfortably within the confines of our own little group. We are uncomfortable defending and protecting those who are not like us. This makes it difficult for us to move outside of our comfort zones. Can we sacrifice everything, and put ourselves at risk for just one sheep? Jesus is telling us we have to come to the position that the lost sheep are not our enemies and we are not competing with them for resources in order to survive. Instead, we must learn to share in God’s grace together unconditionally. It is our selflessness, which produces an abundance greater than all of us combined can consume.
The third quality is contingent upon the first two. He tells us how we are to respond to a brother who has offended us. What it is not, is an example of us going to someone when we think we might have offended them (which is what many people tend to use this passage for). Rather, Jesus has given us a model of how we are to deal with someone who has offended us. First, we are to accept the responsibility that our actions can cause others to stumble. Secondly, we are to strive to see our brother as the Father sees him. If in spite of this, he has still offended us, then we are not to let it fester, we are to go and share the burden with him.
Though we have voluntarily forfeited our rights to Jesus, there are still moments in the flesh, when we find a way to be offended. When this happens, we are not to cause further damage by allowing bitterness to manifest itself. Rather, we are to disarm Satan by removing the stronghold and bringing the offense to light with our brother. If he listens and all is well, great! If not, we are to take another brother (a neutral third party not a collaborator) with us to confront him, more than likely, to determine if an offense actually exists. If it does exist and they are not compliant, then we must be willing to cut ties and move on preventing bitterness which could render us ineffective with others.
Finally, Jesus tells the story of the unfaithful servant whose actions are a direct result of bitterness and greed rooted within his spirit. This final quality Christ reveals is to be able to forgive, as we have been forgiven. Not to see people as God sees them, but to see them as God sees us. Many times we are the offender, and yet Christ has shown us grace. Have we come so far that we have forgotten who we were before Jesus pulled us from the pit of despair, and freed us from the bondage of sin?
That day on the swing-set, my condition gave me the inability to see anything outside of myself. My brother could have been hurt severely, and I never even thought to see if he was okay. I just ran to my mother because I needed help, never once thinking my brother needed help. As a child I was born crippled, and I was sick through much of my growing up years. I can never remember a time, as I struggled with vomiting or high fevers in the night, when I would wake up and my mother wasn’t there. My sister was in a severe automobile accident in August of 1989. I watched our mom beside my sister’s bed in the hospital as she lay lifeless in a coma, while my mother prayed to God to allow her to have the greater pain instead of my sister. Through all the trials and tragedies in our home, mom’s favorite was always the one who needed her most at the moment.
Since that time in my life I have seen many in need. I have dealt with families who have lost love ones in tragedies, husbands and wives on the brink of divorce, children sucked into drugs or alcohol. Each one, hurting and feeling like there is nowhere to turn. Yet, in that weakest moment when we are at the lowest point of the valley, God’s Word tells us that Jesus the one who searches our hearts and knows our every need intercedes with the Father on our behalf (Ro. 8:26-27). It’s at that very instant, when our need is greater than we can bear on our own, that we are the ‘Greatest in the Kingdom of heaven’ to a loving and merciful Father. Today it may be me, tomorrow it may be you, yesterday it was someone else, but rest assured that wherever the need is the greatest, Jesus will be there.
For Further Study: To Humble ones self as a Child
Scripture: For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” But if you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another. Gal 5:14-15 (ESV)
Group Discussion:
- Do our circumstances sometimes blind us to the needs of others?
- List some of the characteristics of becoming the “Greatest in the Kingdom” which you see in this passage.
- How can our actions affect the walk of others?
- Why do we let bitterness destroy relationships rather than tell our bother he has offend us?
- Can, not forgiving others and greed lead to bitterness?
- Who do you know that might be hurting and have you shared the love of Christ with them?
Key Thought:
“We need to see others, not as God sees them, but as God sees us!”