Sermon: The Path to Kingdom Greatness
Scripture: Matthew 18:1-11 “About that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who is greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven?” Jesus called a little child to him and put the child among them. Then he said, “I tell you the truth, unless you turn from your sins and become like little children, you will never get into the Kingdom of Heaven. So, anyone who becomes as humble as this little child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven. “And anyone who welcomes a little child like this on my behalf is welcoming me. But if you cause one of these little ones who trusts in me to fall into sin, it would be better for you to have a large millstone tied around your neck and be drowned in the depths of the sea.
“What sorrow awaits the world, because it tempts people to sin. Temptations are inevitable, but what sorrow awaits the person who does the tempting. So, if your hand or foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It’s better to enter eternal life with only one hand or one foot than to be thrown into eternal fire with both of your hands and feet. And if your eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It’s better to enter eternal life with only one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell. “Beware that you don’t look down on any of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels are always in the presence of my heavenly Father.” For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost.”
Introduction: Matthew 18 begins with a discussion about the question, Who is the Greatest disciple? Who is the greatest among us in the kingdom? Jesus’ disciples were probably surprised by Jesus’ response, Jesus calls a child and places the child among them and tells them that unless they change and become as little children, they will never even enter the kingdom. If they are concerned about their own status, they have missed the point completely.
A child in the ancient world was without status or rights, completely dependent on the good will of others to care for him or her. Jesus further specifies what this means in the following verse: “Whoever humbles themselves like this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven”. It is giving up claims to power and status and knowing one’s total dependence on God that counts as greatness in the kingdom of heaven.
The Summer Olympics will be starting soon, and the media focus will largely be on the athletes that will strive to prove how “great” he or she is in comparison to all the others. Those who win a medal will be considered great in that particular event, with bronze being great, with the silver being greater and the gold being the greatest. Yet, as we all know, the greatest athletes do not always win every contest. In baseball, even the greatest homerun hitters strike out much more than they get hits. We also understand that even if a person is great in the sense of having exceptional abilities, they are not a great person unless they also have good character qualities. While on vacation, my wife and I visited the Olympic and Paralympic Museum in Colorado Springs. I was surprised by some of the athletes posted on the large screen and walls. Though all the athletes were great, some were given special recognition and a place on the walls as you enter the museum.
The pride and arrogance of the disciples must be addressed, and their attention refocused. Jesus does that by saying, “Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me” (Matthew 18:5). Jesus humbles himself in identifying with a little child, one without power or status. This is neither the first time nor the last in Matthew’s Gospel that Jesus identifies with those who are powerless, needy, and marginal, and says that our response to such persons is, in effect, our response to him (Matthew 10:40-42; 25:34-46).
Jesus uses a little child as an example of greatness in the kingdom, then he offers a parable of the lost sheep”, instructions on correcting wayward believers, and concludes with a parable of the unforgiving debtor. Why did Jesus use a little child to teach lessons on Kingdom greatness? Why did Jesus want us to be like children? First, please know this is not an exhortation to childlessness. We are called to spiritual maturity. Yet there are some attitudes in a child necessary for us to emulate that we might not have considered, and those attitudes may not be on our minds as we pursue greatness. The disciples of Jesus wanted to be great in the kingdom. Some people criticize the disciples for even asking the question. Jesus considers it normal and shows them a better way and a better attitude. It is normal to desire promotion, achievement, and elevation. We are created in the image and likeness of God who turned darkness into light and then beautified his creation and said, “This is good!”
To change and be more like children in this sense is not to regress, not to abandon maturity or rationality or discernment. It means to adopt a different attitude. In the epistles, Paul later complained about the follies of adults who fail to grow up. So what is the text about? Jesus picks up a little child and sits him on his lap, in the middle of his disciples pointing out the trusting nature of a little child, the believing nature, the forgiving nature and the joyful nature of a child. You can almost see the little child sitting there giggling and laughing as Jesus points outs his greatness. Matthew 18 begins with a question from the disciples to Jesus: Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? Jesus' surprising response becomes the foundation for the rest of the chapter. Jesus calls a child to Him and puts that child in the middle of the group of disciples as they are talking. The discourse emphasizes the importance of obedience, humility and self-sacrifice as the high virtues within the beloved community. It teaches that in the Kingdom of God, it is childlike humility that matters, not social prominence and clout.
This lesson seems almost out of place, knowing his earthly ministry is ending, Jesus set the record straight. The kingdom is not about titles and position of authority, the kingdom is about relationships. When children play, they are not concerned about who is going to be the captain or the leader. They are in it to enjoy the game. Men love competition. Because of their egos, they will hurt one another, run over one another, criticize one another, all to be proclaim the winner. If someone gets trampled, they consider it unavoidable collateral damage. In the kingdom, relationships are more important than positions of authority and prestige. Jesus gives us the steps to kingdom greatness.
1. Do Right, Turn from your sin and live a life of humility. Matthew 18:2-4 “Jesus called a little child to him and put the child among them. Then he said, “I tell you the truth, unless you turn from your sins and become like little children, you will never get into the Kingdom of Heaven. So anyone who becomes as humble as this little child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven.”
Today, many people only emphasize the grace of God, but repentance precedes forgiveness. Everything hinges on what we believe. Little children are trusting and easy to believe. They tend to take the word of their parents as being honest and true. They normally believe what a trustworthy adult tells them. A few years ago, parents had to begin teaching their children “not to talk to strangers” because most children were taught to trust and believe adults. Those lessons are still important today because our society is so filled with deception and evil. Parents fear their children encounters even online. I want you to think about the trusting attitude of children. The greatest in the kingdom are those who will take God’s word a face value because God can be trusted. Many people turn from their sin because God said it and they choose to obey. This kind of humility leads to greatness. In Micah 6:6-8, the Prophet shows us how to be great when he ask,
“Wherewith shall I come before the LORD, and bow myself before the high God? shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves of a year old? Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, or with ten thousands of rivers of oil? shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?”
Micah reduced the requirements of God to three things, to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God. We need to take that message to heart. Turning from our sin and living a life of humility is one of the first steps to greatness. The second step is to treat others the way you would want to be treated. Jesus commanding his disciples to turn away from sin was pointing to their pride and personal ambition. Little children seldom crave position or power. Living in the background seems hard for Christians when the world around us only celebrates those in the spotlight. Jesus felt it necessary to set the record straight. Great disciples live right!
2. Do Good, Treat Others The Way You Would Treat Me. Matthew 18:5 “And anyone who welcomes a little child like this on my behalf is welcoming me.”
To welcome others as you would welcome Jesus himself is the second step to greatness. Have you ever noticed how easy children can welcome other little children if left alone. They welcome them without considering the economic condition or social status, without considering what school they attend, without considering what color they are. Normally, it is the adults that make the distinctions. They impose their prejudices on their children.
It is easy to accept prominent people, rich people and influential people, it is easier still to overlook children unless they can help us get to where we want to get. Jesus said, “welcome a little child like this.” The disciples did not know the child’s name or background or where he was from, yet Jesus said welcome them on my behalf. Greatness in the kingdom will lead us to serve God and serve others; to love God by loving others; to welcome God by welcoming others. Let’s error on the side of doing good! Great disciples do what is good for all. First, do right, next do good, then do no harm.
3. Do No Harm and Cause None to Stumble. Matthew 18:6-7 “But if you cause one of these little ones who trusts in me to fall into sin, it would be better for you to have a large millstone tied around your neck and be drowned in the depths of the sea. “What sorrow awaits the world, because it tempts people to sin. Temptations are inevitable, but what sorrow awaits the person who does the tempting.”
Greatness in the kingdom comes from doing right, turning from sin and living in humility; from doing good, treating others the way you would treat the Lord, welcoming them, helping them, and loving them. Finally, greatness comes by doing no harm. Doing no harm includes not lifting yourself up by putting others down, not pushing God’s sheep out and not going after sheep that wander from His fold, not harboring grudges and not forgiving those who trespass against us. I know it seems like a heavy responsibility. You may say, “It is hard enough to keep myself straight”, yet God makes us our brother’s keepers. In our effort to climb, you can cause others to fall, fall behind and even tempt them to sin.
Sometimes people will say, “my habits is not hurting anyone but myself.” If you were in a world by yourself, that may be true. In this world, someone is watching you, following you, copying your every move and walking in your steps. 1 Cor. 8:9-13 “But you must be careful so that your freedom does not cause others with a weaker conscience to stumble. for if others see you—with your “superior knowledge”—eating in the temple of an idol, won’t they be encouraged to violate their conscience by eating food that has been offered to an idol? So, because of your superior knowledge, a weak believer for whom Christ died will be destroyed. And when you sin against other believers by encouraging them to do something they believe is wrong, you are sinning against Christ. So, if what I eat causes another believer to sin, I will never eat meat again as long as I live—for I don’t want to cause another believer to stumble.”
Paul gives us a clear example of how we may cause believers to stumble. We may not have to deal with food offered to idols, but there are so many other ways that people are affected by our actions. In life we must deal with people, who will injure us and mistreat us, God is concerned about saving all. The example Jesus uses is someone who failed to keep his word, fail to pay back a loan, things will happen. Jesus said, make forgiveness your aim. Why? You have been forgiven for so much more than you are owed. Let us choose to do no harm.
Further to promote the humility and moderation of his disciples, our Lord proceeded in the discourse which he began with the little child in his arms, and said, Take special heed that you despise not one of these little ones, or that you do not cast contempt on the weakest or most average of my servants, nor injure the soul of a little child; for I say unto you, that there attendant angels in heaven, who stand before my heavenly Father; who will defend and protect them.
Then Jesus our Savior continues his argument against giving offence to his children by saying; he came into the world to redeem and save them. Therefore, none ought to scandalize and offend them. And to illustrate this, he compares himself to a good shepherd, who regards every one of his sheep; and if any wander or go astray, he seeks to recover it with desire and joy. The natural condition of mankind is like to that of wandering sheep; they err and go astray from God their chief good, and the object of their complete happiness. It is the work and business, the care and concern, of Jesus Christ, to seek and recover lost souls, as the shepherd doth his lost sheep. To forgive others as the master in the parable who was owed a great sum but forgave his debtor. The disciples should do the same. You are greatest in the kingdom when you do right, do good and do no harm!
How mindful we must be in this season of life where tensions are running high, politicians criticize and condemn one another, churches are competing with one another and criticizing one another. A time when everyone proclaims “I am the greatest! The world calls us to pride; Jesus calls us to humility. The world calls us to compete for position and power; Jesus calls us to service. Greatness in the kingdom is marked by humility and service. The pathway to greatness is to do right, do good and to do no harm. In the political arena, we hear bitter enemies pretending to be friends just to win. Many are willing to lie and deceive just to sway the crowds. Truth is cast to the ground; integrity is lost, and deception seems to be the order of the day. Yet, believers are called to be different. We are called to do right in a world doing wrong; do good in a world gone bad; and do no harm in a world doing evil. This is the only path to greatness and it’s the path we must choose. “Then he said, “I tell you the truth, unless you turn from your sins and become like little children, you will never get into the Kingdom of Heaven.”
At the Olympic Games, the number of oath-takers has been extended from three to six including two athletes, two coaches and two judges. Each representative says their own part: “In the name of the athletes”, “In the name of all judges” or “In the name of all the coaches and officials”. Then the athlete recites on behalf of all three categories: “We promise to take part in these Olympic Games, respecting and abiding by the rules and in the spirit of fair play, inclusion and equality. Together we stand in solidarity and commit ourselves to sport without doping, without cheating, without any form of discrimination. We do this for the honor of our teams, in respect for the Fundamental Principles of Olympism, and to make the world a better place through sport.”
Believers are called to be different. We are called to do right in a world doing wrong; do good in a world gone bad; and do no harm in a world doing evil. This is the only path to greatness and it’s the path we must choose always remembering Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, unless you turn from your sins and become like little children, you will never get into the Kingdom of Heaven.” Amen!
