Greatest in the Kingdom
Matthew 18:1–5 (NASB95)
1 At that time the disciples came to Jesus and said, “Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” 2 And He called a child to Himself and set him before them, 3 and said, “Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 “Whoever then humbles himself as this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 5 “And whoever receives one such child in My name receives Me.
This was a normal argument for the disciples, which of them was the greatest. John Piper notes, “The greek word for humble did not generally describe a positive virtue in Jesus’ day. It generally meant to crush, bring down, afflict, humiliate and degrade. The word was chosen because Jesus’ demand was not a romantic one, as though childlikeness were sweet and easy. For a strong, self-confident, self-sufficient, intelligent, resourceful, controlling person, Jesus’ demand was devastating. Jesus knew that children were not models for imitation in his day. The reason he chose them was because of their powerlessness and their low social standing.“
Jesus’ demand is that we end our love affair with power and status and self-sufficiency and control. Greatest in the kingdom of heaven is about that kind of humility. This is the kind of teaching that turned the world upside down and still does.
I love you and it is so thrilling to see you serving and growing in the kingdom of God.
Pastor Randy