Matthew 18:1-6
Who’s The Greatest?
Introduction
It must have been a great privilege and awesome experience to have walked with the Lord Jesus Christ during the three and a half years He carried out His public ministry 2000 years ago. Imagine if you can hearing Jesus preach and teach with such great command of the Scriptures. Imagine the boldness and the urgency and the passion with which He must have spoken. How wonderful it must have been to have seen him raise the dead, heal the sick, give sight to the blind, make the lame to walk, calm the raging storm or multiply the fishes and loaves. Can you imagine the awe that must have overcome the disciples as they witnessed the Lord walking on the water, or for the few that witnessed Him during the transfiguration? We can only wonder at the amazing things those men saw and heard that were never recorded, knowing full well that the things that are recorded were beyond imagination – and yet they all occurred.
It is no wonder that as the disciples and the multitudes at large followed Jesus and listened to His teachings about the kingdom of heaven, or the kingdom of God, that they fully expected Him to establish that kingdom in their presence. It is also little wonder that when they witnessed the great power He had and believed Him to be the revolutionary they thought He was that they wanted to put Him on the throne. They were desperate for someone to free them from the yoke of bondage they were under with the Romans, so they thought that this man Jesus was the one who was going to deliver the goods.
Jesus was going to deliver, but not in the way they expected. His was a spiritual kingdom that was not of this world and there would be deliverance from the yoke of bondage, but not from the Romans. Jesus had been trying to tell His closest friends these things as He advanced toward the cross, but they just weren’t getting the point. In their minds Jesus was the King who was about to set up His kingdom right here on earth, and even better – they were His right hand men who were going to be the princes in this kingdom! In fact, Jesus had just told them that He was giving to them the keys to the kingdom of heaven and that they would have His authority to conduct kingdom business! They were going to be running the show! They just knew that Jesus was grooming them to run His kingdom when He threw off the shackles of governmental and religious oppression. He had been slowly turning over to them the responsibility of teaching and preaching and they were even performing the same miracles as Jesus! Listen to them, “Man, look at us! Look at what I can do and what I get to do!”
The disciples must have been greatly enamored with their own greatness and importance as time went on, because we see in these last chapters of this book of Matthew Jesus’ closest friends arguing and bickering over who was going to be the greatest in His kingdom. Who was the most important? Who would sit closest to Jesus? Who was going to be sitting at the head table? Jesus keeps trying to tell them He’s about to die and all they can do is jockey for position in some physical kingdom that isn’t even going to exist during their lifetime! Their thirst and quest to be the greatest blinded them to the things Jesus had been trying to tell them for months, which is what brings us to the discussion we find in Matthew 18:1-6.
“At the same time came the disciples unto Jesus, saying, Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them, and said, verily I say unto you, except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoso shall receive on such little child in my name receiveth me. But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.”
What an interesting conversation! These were fully grown men who were rough and weathered and hand picked by Jesus the King to help Him set up His physical kingdom on earth, and they want to know who is going to be the greatest in that kingdom. Before saying anything, Jesus calls this little kid out off the street and sits him on His lap in the middle of these grown men and says, “If you don’t make yourselves like this little boy, I’m not turning my kingdom over to you. You’re going to have to get your thinking straight if you even want to be a part of my kingdom business.”
These are pretty stern words from the Lord, but how put out He must have been with these men. Only a short time before this event they had tried to cast a demon out of a boy and couldn’t because they hadn’t been trusting Him – they had been trying to do it in their own power. Was He ever going to get through to them? Who did they think they were? Certainly a lot more than they really were! Even in the next chapter, after Jesus gives them the teaching we are discussing, some people bring their little kids to Jesus, and the disciples rebuked them and tried to run them off. “This is the King. He doesn’t have time to be messing around with a bunch of little kids! Go away and quit bothering Him!” Jesus would have to get on to them again, and this continues through the rest of the book of Matthew.
“Well, what does all of this have to do with me?” you might ask. “What difference does it make that these dumb fishermen didn’t get the point?” It makes a lot of difference, because even though none of us are jockeying for position in the Lord’s kingdom today, His people are still missing the point of what we’re all about. Our text may relate an incident that occurred 2000 years ago, but it identifies some truths that are still relevant today. Let’s consider some of these truths and as we do, you allow the Lord to show you where wrong thinking may be keeping you from being useful in His kingdom business.
It Is Human Nature to Consider Self First (1)
Listen to their question again. The disciples asked, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” Mark’s gospel indicates that they had been arguing about it, and Luke’s account shows the same. In fact, while they are discussing the matter with Jesus, Luke points out that the disciples were so worried about themselves and their own recognition that some time earlier they found a man who was casting out demons, and they made him stop because he wasn’t one of their group.
In Matthew 18, the disciples are fussing over who was the most important one of them. In chapter 19 they are still at it, and in chapter 20 James and John and their mother are working on Jesus to try to get them the most prominent seats by the throne. What was the reaction of the other disciples? They all began to argue about it. “Jesus can’t possibly give those seats to James and John! That’s where we ought to be seated!” The Lord was certainly longsuffering with His friends!
Why were they doing all of this? Simply because they were allowing themselves to be controlled by their sinful human natures, even while walking in the very presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. This was the kingdom of heaven, and Jesus was the king, but rather than showing concern for Him or what He might want, all they could think about was themselves. In fact, it seems that whenever Jesus brought up His coming death, the disciples would get frustrated with Him because He was messing up their agenda of putting Him on the throne.
The disciples had proven repeatedly that they were not too concerned with the needs of others. Remember when Jesus was speaking with the woman at the well? The disciples were buying food to fill their bellies and failed to see the multitude of Samaritans for what they were – lost and condemned and in need of a Savior. Remember when the multitudes followed them around the Sea of Galilee and Jesus asked them what they might feed the crowd? The disciples wanted to send them home and let them take care of themselves so they could eat and rest. Whenever people were clinging to Jesus, they would rebuke them. Redemption? Sacrifice? Denying self? What was that all about? All these men were concerned about was getting Jesus on the throne, throwing off the yoke of Roman oppression, setting the religious leaders straight, and enjoying the benefits of being the princes in this new physical kingdom ruled by their best friend Jesus.
In many ways believers in our day and time are much like the disciples were. The times and cultures may have changed through the years, but human nature has not. It is still consumed with self. It still wants to be first, still seeks its own agenda. Jesus had a very clear and simple plan for His first church, and He expressed that plan in what we call the Great Commission found in Matthew 28. Jesus would tell His church that they were to lead people to Christ all over the world, baptize those converts and teach them to obey everything the Lord taught them, and that is still His agenda for every one of His churches today.
It is truly a great commission, and the greatest hindrance to the Lord’s churches carrying it out is that the members of those churches are naturally selfish, self-seeking people who prefer not to get ruffled with the complexities of reaching new and different people. Our own church wrestles with this like most churches. When we join up with a church we bring with us all our experiences and baggage, and we try to make the church what we think it ought to be, often with little regard for what the Bible teaches us it ought to be. We get caught up with being “somebody” in the church, seeking recognition and approval for who we are and what we contribute rather than simply surrendering ourselves to the Lord for His use. We fail to reach people because they don’t fit into our ideas of what a good church member ought to be. We fail to allow new people the opportunity to grow and learn and minister because they make us uncomfortable and mess with our traditions.
While there is much that might be said here, suffice it to say that too often, we, like the disciples in that first church, allow our sinful human natures to control our thinking and actions, causing us to place undue attention on which of us is the most important member among us.
The Lord’s People Are of Little Use without Biblical Change (2-3)
When the disciples asked their question to Jesus, He did something that completely caught the men off guard. Picture them all standing there or walking down a street. The disciples ask their question, but rather than answering them directly, He calls to some kid that might have been playing. The kid walks over, Jesus places him right in the middle of all these grown men and says, “Except ye be converted, and become as little children, you won’t enter the kingdom of heaven.”
What was His point? Simply this – it was the same point He had just told them in chapter 17:21, the same point of John 15:1-5 – that so long as their opinion of themselves was so high they would be absolutely useless in His kingdom business. They had tried to cast a demon out of a boy and couldn’t do it because they had developed this idea that they were so powerful and wonderful, but Jesus said they couldn’t do it unless they were absolutely dependent on Him. In John 15 He had told them that they couldn’t do anything without Him.
So why call this kid? Think about it. Here is this little boy who is a nobody. He has nothing, can do nothing, and for all practical purposes knows nothing. All he did was exactly what Jesus told him to do, and that was come to Him. He called the kid and he came. The disciples were going to have to be converted, that is, they were going to have to have a change of mind and a change of heart, recognize how completely bankrupt they were, how completely dependent they were upon Jesus for their power and ability and everything else if they were going to be of any use to Jesus.
You see, He wasn’t setting up some physical kingdom, nor did He have any immediate plans to do so. His kingdom was about giving men and women the opportunity to hear the gospel and make a decision about God’s provision for their lost condition. His kingdom was about doing the work that He would leave them to do. His kingdom was about casting the net, sowing the seed, seeking the lost and using His churches to do it, but until they recognized how completely dependent on Him they were He wasn’t going to entrust it to them.
This would be a hard lesson to learn. Men have always struggled with ideas of their own self-importance. The Scriptures show us time after time how men and women, lifted up with pride, brought about their own destruction, so it is important that we realize that there must be biblical change in our lives if we are going to be effectively used in God’s kingdom business. That is why the Bible tells us to have the mind of Christ. It tells us that we need to be transformed, that we need to put off the old man and put on the new man, and so forth. The more like Christ we become the more effectively we can be used by the Lord Jesus, and honestly it is a shame that there are so many people in the Lord’s churches who have been just like they are for years and years. The obvious outward things may have changed years ago, but what about wrong attitudes? What about a lack of trust? What about selfishness and pride and so forth? People say things like, “You’ll just have to overlook so and so, they’ve always been that way.” Well that’s a shame! Rather than expecting biblical change we make excuses for sinful behavior.
If we expect to be used by God, if we expect the Lord to entrust us with kingdom work, then we must honestly, regularly and diligently bring ourselves into the light of the Word of God and allow it to point out those areas in our lives that have not been surrendered, things to which we prefer to cling, and allow the Lord to change us.
True Greatness Is Marked by Humility (4-6)
So here it is. This is specifically the biblical change that Jesus is after in these guys. Humility. If they really wanted to be great in His eyes, in His kingdom, then they were going to have to humble themselves. It wasn’t about who was the smartest, or who was the strongest, or who was the best orator and so forth. In Jesus’ mind, it was about who was most willing to serve. Listen to what He would say later in chapter 20 when the disciples were arguing again about this same thing,
“…you know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them. But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister (or servant); and whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant: even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.”
The world’s idea of greatness is that you have this great leader on top of the pyramid who is passing out orders and telling everyone what to do and making sure they do it so he looks good, but Jesus’ idea is opposite that. In God’s economy, you flip that pyramid upside down and put the great leader on bottom and you make him serve the rest. He gives his life to serve them, making sure they become all they are to be, seeking their welfare first. When a man can do that – then he is great. Think about it – most anybody can tell somebody what to do when it benefits them, but it takes a great person, a person of great humility and faith to serve the other guy so that the other guy looks good. If the disciples wanted to be great, then they had to follow their leader and be willing to give up their lives. Talk about a hard pill to swallow!
How will this kind of humility be manifested? By its fruit. Every one of these men had their own ideas about who could join up with their elite club. Every one of them had certain prejudices against specific groups that they were going to have to surrender if they were going to prove their willingness to surrender their wills to Jesus. Could they humble themselves so low that they were willing to call themselves equal with stinking little kids? Jesus told them that whoever received one of those kids was in reality receiving Him, and those who didn’t would be better off had they never been born. Now that’s pretty clear!
James said in his letter that “pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.” In Luke 6:17-20, we find this account,
“And he came down with them, and stood in the plain, and the company of his disciples, and a great multitude of people out of all Judea and Jerusalem, and from the sea coast of Tyre and Sidon, which came to hear him, and to be healed of their diseases; and they that were vexed with unclean spirits: and they were healed. And the whole multitude sought to touch him: for there went virtue out of him, and healed them all. And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said, blessed be ye poor: for yours is the kingdom of God.”
What’s the point? You take the widows, the orphans, the diseased and vexed and poor and put them all together and what do you have? You’ve got the dirtiest, most unpleasant, most unwanted people there are, and Jesus says, that’s who you’re after!
It’s one thing to say that you’re humble, but it’s another to prove it by being a servant to people like that. None of us would have a problem serving those from whom we think we have something to gain, but what could we possibly gain by serving people who have nothing to offer? Nothing! And that’s the whole point. True greatness is that inward condition of surrenderedness to the Spirit of God, being continually transformed by the Word of God into the likeness of Christ, manifested by a spirit of humility, so that we might minister to the needs of the most undesirable people on the face of the earth. When we can do that, then we’re great, and then can the Lord use us.
Conclusion
I have thought a lot about this message as I was trying to work out what it was teaching and while I was preparing it to share with you, and now my question is this: what does all that mean for the church member sitting in the pew?
The message is clear – God expects you to surrender your sinful human nature to Him, allow yourselves to be changed, humble yourselves before Him and give your life away in grateful service to Him. That is clear, but what do you get out of it? Isn’t that what you want to know? I know that I am thinking, “Lord, you’re asking me to get out of my comfort zone, to give up my rights to myself and humbly serve you in the most degrading of ways if necessary, and be happy about it?” Why would I want to do that? Why should you want to do it?
There are a number of reasons beginning with two of the most obvious. Jesus set the example and we ought to follow, and Jesus told us to, and we ought to obey. Those two reasons should be enough, but in case they aren’t, there’s a warning. If we fail to humbly submit and serve and in doing so one of those needy are turned away, we are assured that the Lord is greatly angered (verse 6). Jesus is seeking to save the lost, and He has put us here to join Him in that work, and we thumb our noses at Him and His purpose when we refuse to do what He has told us to do – but more is at stake than our comfort and peace – there are souls that are destined for hell on the line.
Perhaps yours is one of them. You have never received Christ as your personal Savior. You can do that today if you will recognize your sinfulness, recognize that you don’t measure up to God’s standard of perfection found in Jesus that is required for access to Him. If you recognize that today, confess it to God and tell Him you’re sorry and ask Him to save you from your sin. He will, and you can settle today your own relationship with the Savior.
For those of us who do know Him, let us use this invitation as an opportunity to surrender ourselves to Him, to commit ourselves to seeking biblical change in our lives, and to humbly join our Lord and Savior in ministering to a world in need of what we possess.
