Little Children

Matthew 13:54 – 19:1

There are many familiar stories and sayings in this passage – the prophet without honor, John the Baptist’s death, the feedings of the five and four thousand, Jesus walking on the water, clean and unclean, the faith of the Canaanite woman, the Pharisees’ demand for a sign, Peter’s confession of Christ, the transfiguration, the parables of the lost sheep and the unmerciful servant, and instructions on dealing with a brother who sins against you. But what particularly struck me, and what I want to focus on, is Jesus’ use of a little child to show the disciples what it means to be great in the kingdom of heaven.

This is something the disciples worried about a lot. They are argued about which one of them was the greatest, asked for seats of honor in the kingdom, and were generally interested in how to become the greatest in the kingdom. This is also something we worry about in the church today, although perhaps in subtler ways. We talk about people who seem particularly “spiritual,” we compare how much others are doing in the church to our own involvement, and feel gratified when we are doing more than others; we like listing off the missions trips we have taken or the number of years we have taught Sunday School; we publicize the fact that we have met or studied with well-known Christian scholars. What are these things but shrewd ways of putting ourselves a little higher in the kingdom than others? But Jesus turns this all on its head. When His disciples want to know who is the greatest, what does He do? He doesn’t give points for the number of souls won, list out a long inventory of activities to be completed, or even mention daily quiet times or prayer. Rather, He calls a child into their midst. And not just any child, but a “little” child. Then, He tells them that unless they change and become humble like this child, not only will they not be the greatest in the kingdom, they will never even enter it!

But what does it mean to become “like little children?” Perhaps it means we need to realize our utter dependence on God, and stop trying to pretend that we can do things in our own power to earn a higher standing with Him. Without His continual love and support, we would not be capable of doing anything to serve Him. Since He is the one who enables us, how can we presume to boast in our accomplishments (1 Corinthians 1:26-31)? As Paul says in 2 Corinthians 10:18, “it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends.” Lord, teach us to be like little children – to recognize our dependence on you and to serve, not in pride, but with true humility.

As someone who loves children, the next few verses in Matthew really make me smile, because they speak to me of how much Jesus cares for children as well. He says, “And whoever welcomes a little child like this in my name welcomes me. But if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.” (18:5-6) While this is a sobering thought, particularly, I would imagine, for parents, as they endeavor to guide their children toward God in righteousness, the extremity of the punishment also shows Jesus’ deep care for and fierce love of children. Not only would it be better for this man if he died, or if he’d never been born, but it would be better for him to suffer an extravagant death – having a huge millstone tied around his neck and being drowned in the depths of the sea! Children are so precious, and spending time with them, guiding them to Jesus is one of the greatest privileges I have ever experienced. I pray that one day, I will have the privilege of leading my own children to Christ and watching them grow in righteousness and love of Him.