Matthew 18 is a complete look and lesson in our need to submit ourselves unto God in full surrender of humility. We cannot be partial in our response to humility. We cannot go part of the way with God only. Jesus opens the chapter by calling out and presenting before His disciples, the most unassuming person in their eyes that could ever be thought of of receiving honor and privileges, and teaching a life lesson unto them. This person was one simple child. Most likely the smallest, frailest looking of the bunch, and one in whom no one would set their eyes upon to receive anything from, no one who could bring security or a since of protection, or add one coin of wealth into anyone’s life there that day, but one into whom Jesus bestowed great honor, and before whom Jesus set the example that they must all become like this child, or they would never even enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Converted, to become radically changed from the self exultation and self dependency attitudes that so can plague us as adults.
What a shock to the crowd and a blow to every ego there!
Also, take note to Jesus words when He says, be converted, and become
I think of the caterpillar that one day sheds its prior existence and is converted into and becomes a beautiful butterfly.
Well when we reference our own selves we often think that as we have aged that we surely must have arrived, but the hearing Christ’s words reflects an opposite descent to that. The older we get we must convert and become as the child again that need full dependence on parents, adult supervision to even make it. We have to get back to like that song says, knowing, I Can’t Even Walk without Him holding my hand.
The conversion and practice of becoming and maintaining Child like faith and trust, will be what keeps us humble and free from malice and vengeance, pride, and destruction.
This Chapter 18 will go on to show in detail the benefits of this conversion as we deal with humanity in offering love and forgiveness, of not setting our selves above anyone else
You know that in the area of forgiveness, we can never forgive someone in whom we feel superior to. A young child would never be tempted to have that problem.
How beautiful is the looking glass of a young child.
It is time for God to help take us there.
We see that forgiveness for humanity is unlimited as Jesus sets the example to Peter, not forgive seven times, but seventy times seven. Again a young child would never battle with contempt in their heart as they can have a fight with a friend one moment, and the two can be totally over it and playing side by side the next.
Having and keeping this child like disposition can help us fulfill the things written of love found in 1Corinthians Chapter 13:4-8…
4 Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,
5 Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;
6 Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;
7 Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.
8 Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.
The end of Matthew Chapter 18:23-35 gives us the most compelling detail of this chapter when it gives a vivid account of a man with an astronomical debt that could never have been paid, but as he humbled himself he was forgiven the entire debt by the King. This logically should have been a life changing moment for a man forgiven of such enormous debt. Surely he would be set in motion with thankfulness and gratitude of such a moment offered by the King that he would be so compelled to walk in humility and charitable behavior to all he encountered from that day forward in knowing what unmerited favor had been bestowed upon him by the King. This however was far from what happened, as he immediately sought out one who owed him very little, and when this man made humble plea, he would not forgive and sought to destroy this man.
The King in return, who had forgiven the massive debt, in the end, ended up revoking the forgiveness of the first man because he in turn would not forgive his debtor.
Oh how we have all been forgiven of a debt we could not pay! Jesus took our place on that old cross and forgave us our debts!
What a joy it is to be a Child of God! A true child! Both becoming and maintaining our child like faith, dependency, thankfulness, gratitude, love, and forgiveness, as we stand in the presence of our Mighty God and Father!
