Kingdom Greatness
Mat 18:1-7
Have you ever wanted to be first or maybe to be desired to be the best at something? You know, from my own childhood experiences and now in my latter years, I have heard children getting ready to go somewhere or do something that requires getting into a line, one or more might be heard saying, “No. Me first” as they tried to push or move someone else into position behind them. More than once I have tried to either leave someplace early or position myself in the back of a room and closer to the door so I could be first in line to the lunch counter, coffee bar, restroom, or some other place. I also know that we’ve joked about it many times, but when the Sunday sermon runs a little long and people begin looking at their watches, it’s mostly because they want to see if they’re going to beat the Baptists to the restaurant.
We all tend to desire the number one slot, or to be first, or in the lead in some way. It’s part of our nature as human beings, and you know, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with wanting to excel in something. I really want to be a much better preacher than I am. I want to be a better pastor, a more useful minister who sincerely loves people and goes out of his way to help, encourage, comfort, guide, and all the other things ministers do privately and publicly. And I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that at all. But when those desires to be good or great come at the expense of others, then there is something wrong with that. What I’m saying is that first place honestly earned is ok, but when it comes by hindering or stepping on others, well, that’s different. That is wrong. It’s sinful.
In our text today we see an example of people wanting to be #1 which is wrong, and if you’ll turn in your Bibles to Matthew, chapter 18, we’ll read verses 1 through 9. Or as always, you can follow along on the screen.
Mat 18:1-7 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. (5) Whoever receives one little child like this in My name receives Me. (6) "Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea. (7) Woe to the world because of offenses! For offenses must come, but woe to that man by whom the offense comes!
When we look at this passage, it’s important that we remember that this is later, or towards the end of the Lord’s earthly ministry. He’s still got a lot to say and do, but His time is growing short and the fulfillment of His ministry goals is close to the end. He has been baptized by John. He has been spreading His gospel message all over Judea, Samaria, Galilee, and the surrounding areas. At this time, He is in Galilee and will soon be leaving for his last journey to Jerusalem for His appointment with the cross. He has healed the sick, restored sight to many who had gone blind and actually gave sight to one man who was born blind. He has driven demons out of people, some disciples had witnessed His transfiguration, and His popularity had grown in leaps and bounds. He has called out the religious leaders of the day and exposed them for what they truly are.
From very early in His ministry, people wondered if He was the long expected one, the Messiah, and though He tried to keep this kind of talk down at first, He clearly let people begin to embrace the idea later after Peter’s great confession. It was after this that He began to warn the disciples of what He knew lay ahead. In chapter 16, we read that Mat 16:21 From that time Jesus began to show to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day. And again in chapter 17, after His transfiguration Mat 17:22-23 …Jesus said to them, "The Son of Man is about to be betrayed into the hands of men, (23) and they will kill Him, and the third day He will be raised up." And they were exceedingly sorrowful.
Understand now, twice He has told them He was going to suffer and die at the hands of the Jewish leaders. The second time He mentioned it was shortly before our text today, so it should have been fresh in their minds. But apparently, it wasn’t because they had the audacity to ask Him…
I. The Self-Centered Question
Now, if a person wants to be the greatest at something, then they need to have an idea of what it takes to be the greatest. Muhammad Ali frequently called himself the greatest boxer of all time, but would the greatest boxer lose a fight? Ali lost 5 in his career, and at least one of those, to Spinks, was to a relatively inexperienced boxer. So, though he may have been good, or possibly even great at his job, I don’t think he qualified for the “greatest” title.
Wanting to be the greatest is a question the disciples tossed about among themselves more than once. Some of it might have been precipitated by the fact that the Lord did have his inner circle who were privy to some private and personal conversations, visits to their homes, and were able to see the Lord’s transfiguration. Even within that inner circle, the Lord allowed Peter to walk on water and he was usually the first to speak up like in his great confession. So, it’s not difficult to see that a bit of conflict might develop among the 12. Even James and John’s mother got involved by asking Jesus to let her sons sit at His right and left in the kingdom.
So now, once again we see the disciples being concerned with rank and status, so they ask the Lord to settle it once and for all. Mat 18:1 At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, "Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?"
Now it’s easy for us to point fingers and wonder at the disciple’s obtuseness in asking this question so soon after the Lord had told them He was going to suffer and die for the sins of the world. It’s a simple and straightforward question, but it also exposes their lack of understanding of many of the Lord’s teachings. Obviously, their understanding of what it means to be a disciple of Jesus is still in the development stages. Now, ambition to achieve isn’t necessarily bad because it’s one of the things that pushes human accomplishment. I mean, just think of all the medicines, medical, scientific, mechanical breakthroughs, and other strides we’ve taken as a race of beings. Our desire to overcome an obstacle, discover or to be great at something is the driving force that has propelled us to where we are now, and it will continue to propel us into the future. But this question reveals that the disciples’ understanding of greatness at this point was still at odds with the Lord’s meaning of greatness. They are concerned with power and position while Jesus is speaking of kingdom principles and what it means to be one of His followers.
For example, when Jesus spoke of John the Baptist being great, when He said Mat 11:11 Assuredly, I say to you, among those born of women there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist; but he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. He wasn’t speaking of position or power, He was speaking of the great honor of being able to serve God in preparing the world for the Messiah and then actually experience seeing the Messiah with his own eyes. None of the other OT prophets who spoke of the Messiah got that opportunity, but John did. So, in that sense he was greater than all the others before him. But he died before Christ’s atonement on the cross, so now, even the least of those who believe in Jesus after him are greater because they get to experience the new age of grace and the forgiveness of sins under the New Covenant. We get to be the Church of Jesus Christ. His bride. Now, how cool is that?
So, to correct the disciples understanding of what it means to be great, Jesus took a nearby child and used him or her to illustrate…
II. The Life-Changing Answer
Mat 18:3-5 …"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. (5) Whoever receives one little child like this in My name receives Me.
Jesus loves children, of that there can be no doubt, and our text today has been used by many to illustrate that truth. However, the primary reason He brought this child among them was to correct the disciples thinking. To get into the kingdom you have to be converted, which literally means a turnaround, or a change in one’s opinion. It’s a changed mind. And to become as little children means that there’s also a change in the way we look at things and do things. So, in other words, like He told Nicodemus Joh 3:3 …"Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."
This child was an object lesson in humility, which is an essential ingredient in a person’s salvation. Only the humble can recognize their sinfulness and their need for a Savior. Only the humble will seek salvation and the forgiveness of sins. Only those who come to the Lord with the humility of a child can be great in the kingdom!
Now, understand this, Jesus is not commending a child’s innocence here. The Bible recognizes that children can be sinful and rebellious (Deu 21:18-21), and even king David knew that he was sinful from the moment he was conceived. Psa 51:5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, And in sin my mother conceived me. Anyone who has raised children knows that they can be selfish little terrors at the drop of a hat. So, He’s not commending their innocence, but He is using them as a lesson in humility that stems from their vulnerability. Again, He said, Mat 18:4 …whoever humbles himself as this little child
You see, a small child is mostly defenseless and at the mercy of the adults around him or her for protection and sustenance, love and affection, guidance and discipline, and on and on. They really can’t do much on their own, and if they are left to their own resources, they would die. They have no real ability to advance their own cause apart from the help of a parent or some other adult. They don’t know how the world works, and so they are vulnerable and completely dependent on their parents. And Jesus is telling us that we have to take on characteristics similar to that.
So, we become like a child in the kingdom of God when we fall before God and realize that we are completely dependent upon Him for everything! As we learned in His Sermon on the Mount, we must recognize that we are poor in spirit and mourning that we have nothing that commends us to God and that we are separated from Him. So, in meekness we come to Him in repentance and faith, hungering and thirsting for His righteousness. Then because we have received His mercy, we give mercy to others who are in the same condition we once were. The closer we draw to the Lord, the more we become like Him; pure in heart and spreading the good news of peace with God and our fellow man throughout the world.
So, Jesus says that we must be converted or changed in order to become like that little child. We aren’t like this by nature because our natural state is sinful. Our natural behavior is to do what we want, to think that we’ve got it all figured out, and to feel like we’re in charge. But that’s got to change. Like the child is humble and realizes his dependence on others, we also have to recognize our dependence on God. That we need His love, His mercy, His forgiveness, His guidance, His sustenance, His providence, His healing, His encouraging, His equipping, and so much more!
Jesus is telling us that this is the person who will be the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. So, do you want to be great? Then humbly submit yourself to God today!
After Jesus gave His life-changing answer to the disciples self-centered question, He then gave them…
III. The Life-Preserving Warning
Mat 18:6 "Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea.
Now that sounds like a no-win situation there, right? I mean, a millstone was a large, flat and round rock that rolled around on top of another flat and large round rock. It rolled around in circles and crushed grain that was tossed onto it. These things were usually so big and heavy that it took a horse or a mule to keep it rolling round and round and round, crushing grain all the while. The picture here is that if you were chained or tied to one of these stones and tossed into the ocean, then you have no hope of escaping death. Think of the old mobsters back in the 20’s, 30’s, and 40’s who put their enemies’ feet in a block of concrete and then tossed them into the river. It’s the same thing. Sure death.
So, anyone who causes one of these little ones who believe in Jesus to sin, their punishment will be great and fearful. But get this, I don’t think that the Lord is specifically speaking about little children here anymore, because He said, “these little ones.” He switched from “child” to “these little ones,” and to me this is speaking of all those who were around Him—men, women, children, all were included in those words. These little children… It’s a reference to anyone who believes in Jesus Christ, anyone who has become a child of God through faith in Jesus.
Now, the world is filled with temptations to sin. The Lord made specific mention of that fact when He said, Mat 18:7 Woe to the world because of offenses! For offenses must come, but woe to that man by whom the offense comes! So, the world is abundant with temptations to cause one of His children to sin, but this doesn’t speak of an individual sinful action, but to cause one to stumble or to turn away from Christ. That’s what “cause to sin” or skandalizo means—to scandalize, to cause to fall or stumble. So, we are to be careful, not only for ourselves, but also for all of God’s children. We don’t want to stumble and fall ourselves, but if we see that trap lying in the path of any other believer, we need to warn them against it to keep them from falling as well.
The world is filled with temptations to sin, but Jesus lets us know that anyone who specially and specifically has a hand in the fall of a believer or “one of these little ones” they will be personally held responsible for their actions. That is how important the child of God is to the Father. It would have been better for that person to never have been born because his punishment will be so great and fearful that having a millstone tied around their neck and being cast into the sea would be more preferrable to them than what they are truly facing!
Oh friends, think of this—in verses 1-5, Jesus said that to be great in the kingdom we must submit to Him and follow His ways. That is the greatest thing in the entire universe that any person could ever do. So, it stands to reason that one of the worse things anyone can do in all the universe is to lead someone away from submitting to Christ and following Him. There is a special type of judgment reserved for those who lead His children astray. We need to heed this warning, and not only watch our own steps, but to help our brothers and sisters to do so as well.
The disciples asked Jesus a Self-Centered Question. He responded with a Life-Changing Answer and then offered us a Life-Preserving Warning. All of these are for our benefit and our growth as faithful followers of the Lord Jesus Christ. But there may be some among us, or listening to me online who haven’t believed in the Lord yet. Maybe you’ve been putting it off. Maybe the way to salvation hasn’t been made clear to you yet. Or maybe you have some questions you still want to find the answers to.
If any of these describe your situation today, I would love to meet with you and try to help you find the answers you’re seeking. Please give me a call, or get with me somehow, somewhere and we can sit down and visit.
But it also could be that today is the day that you want to make your public declaration of faith in Christ. Well, you can do that today. After I close in prayer, and we sing our closing song, if you want to come forward to make your new faith known, or maybe your rededication to the Lord known, we’ll be waiting for you.
Would you stand please and join me in prayer?
