At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who, then, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.” (Matthew 18:1-5 NIV)
When my brothers and I were young, my brother David used to write “David the Great” on everything. I would come along behind him, and change it to “David the Grate”. He got on my nerves frequently because he was always intentionally trying to aggravate me. We all grow up wanting to be great at something. The disciples of Jesus wanted to know who would be considered great in the kingdom of heaven. They were probably expecting a different answer than the one He gave them. Maybe they were expecting Him to say, “Whoever fully obeys the law”, or “Whoever sacrifices the most for God, and his fellow man”, or something like that.
First, Jesus answers the question of how one even enters the kingdom before He explains what constitutes greatness. He knew He had to lay the groundwork first. Imagine going to the football coach and asking, “How do I become the greatest football player?” He might say, “Well, let’s first answer the question of how you become a football player before we get into discussing greatness.” There is really no point in discussing football greatness with a person who is not even playing the game.
Jesus says first, “Unless you change…..”. There is something fundamentally flawed with our basic nature that needs a radical reformation. In theological terms, this is what is known as “Original Sin.” This is the bend in the human hear that leads us away from God. From the time we are born, we are oriented to going astray. We are self-centered, and want to do things our own way. So how do we change? What is the first step? We become like a little child. What does this mean? Aren’t little children also basically self-centered? Yes, they are. However, there is something about being a child that we tend to lose when we get older. Children are curious and looking for answers. They are always asking the “why” questions. They are seeking.
As we get older, we tend to stop asking the “why” questions. We seem to quickly form opinions and conclusions about things. By the time we become teen-agers, we think we know everything. We leave “seeker” mode because we think we have it all figured out. I am not saying that everyone is this way, or that it always turns out this way, but things generally tend in that direction. Some of the dumbest people in the world are the people that think they know everything. The older I get, the more I realize how little I really know.
“Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”
We must get back to that placed of seeking. Jesus says, “Seek, and you will find.” We don’t find anything if we are not looking for anything. We do not stumble upon God as we are going about our business. We must be intentional in our search. “And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.”
Then look at what Jesus says. “If anyone causes one of these little ones- those who believe in me- (seekers of truth) to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.” That is a heavy thing to say.
As I was reading these words recently I was reminded of several young people I know who entered college as Christians and came out as atheists, or at least agnostics. Their atheistic, evolutionist professors had ruined their faith in Christ. Perhaps we should make millstones more readily available to college professors.
“Woe to the world because of the things that cause people to stumble! Such things must come, but woe to the person through whom they come!”
God greatly values the childlike faith that can say, “I don’t have the answers to life. God help me! Show me the way!”
God brings the severest condemnation to those who see the ones seeking truth, and intentionally lead them astray by filling their heads with a bunch of humanistic, God denying rhetoric.
Danny's Stump 