Great in the Kingdom (Matthew 18:1-5)

In this incident, the disciples ask Jesus an important question. Obviously, they were not thinking about the role that Jesus has in the kingdom or that the heavenly Father has in the kingdom or that the Holy Spirit has in the kingdom. We can assume that the disciples would have accepted that God is the greatest person in his kingdom, and that Jesus as the Mediator would rule the kingdom, so it is not those roles they would have had in mind.

If their concern about greatness was not connected to God or to Jesus, then who else could they have been thinking about? One would have assumed that the religious figures of the day could have been mentioned such as the priests and other workers in the temple and the scribes and the Pharisees who were known as devout. The disciples had heard Jesus say that more than religious activities and behaviour were necessary.

Mark and Luke tell us that the disciples asked this question from a selfish perspective because they wanted a high place in the kingdom when it came. In fact, they had been discussing their places in it for a while. Maybe they hoped that Jesus would give an indication regarding their roles when he answered their question.

We can also see that the disciples had a skewed understanding of what qualifies a person to function in the kingdom because they seemed to accept that the promised kingdom would be run along lines similar to that of earthly kingdoms. Earthly kingdoms are all about climbing the ladder.

Before we look at the verbal response of Jesus, we should consider whom he did not choose as models. One would have imagined that the best examples would have been from among his disciples, yet he chose none of them. It could be like us asking Jesus about greatness in the kingdom, and in giving an answer he chooses none of us and instead selects a child that plays in the park across the road. I suppose it is worth us asking if we think he would have selected us, and if not, why not?

There is another deduction that we could make about the child here, and that is that he was converted. We are not told definitely that he was converted, but he could have been. Matthew likes to refer to the children that Jesus spoke to or about, and the disciples would have seen the demeanour of the child here and see that it was very unlike theirs. But leaving that aside, it is important that children become followers of Jesus as soon as possible. After all, it is far better to have a quiet conversion in childhood and follow it with a lifetime of service than to spend years in sin, have a kind of intense conversion, and then leave a few years for the Lord’s service. The last option is good, but a life spent serving Jesus is great.

In his reply, Jesus speaks about three issues. First, there is entrance into the kingdom. Second, there is the dominant feature of kingdom life. Third, there is a reference to interactions that will occur in the kingdom.

Entrance into the kingdom

Jesus uses a young boy to illustrate how an adult gets in to the kingdom. He points out that true disciples will become like children in order to enter the kingdom. We should observe that Jesus is not suggesting that childishness is acceptable. But he does insist that there are certain features are revealed in a situation involving a child that are also found in everyone that enters the kingdom.

Jesus is dealing with the issue of repentance when he says that individuals need to turn to God. When a child is corrected for a fault, it will usually run eventually towards its parents and say sorry about the matter. This may not be the initial response, of course. The child could tell lies and deny he was involved, or he could say that someone else forced him to get involved. But usually they run towards their parents eventually and admit to the problem.

God the Father comes to sinners and calls them to repentance. Usually they resist his efforts to get them to think correctly about their sins. They may deny that they had sinners, they may say that it was only a little sin, they may blame someone else for taking them there, and they can keep on responding in a wrong manner to the call to turn.

Of course, repentance is a gift from God to sinners, worked in their hearts by the Holy Spirit. So to refuse to repent reveals one’s dislike of God. Why do people not want to repent of their sins? There may be many secondary reasons, but a primary reason is pride. Repentance is often regarded as a sign of weakness, and no person wants to be regarded as weak. Yet repentance is a sign of honesty and a sign that we have taken on board what God thinks about our sins.

It may be useful how to think about our sins and here are some suggestions. First, we should repent of the sins we know we have committed. It might help us to write them down and take the sheets with us into the presence of God as we repent. We can even ask God to help us to repent over these sins. After all, we are not meant to sweep them under the carpet.

Second, we should repent of every action and attitude that our sin has affected. When it comes to them, we don’t need sheets of paper because sin has affected all we do, even our best, spiritual engagements. Have we ever prayed without our minds wandering? Have we always said the best when we had the opportunity to speak? Ask God to forgive us our sinfulness.

Third, we should repent over gospel sins. By this, I mean those sins that prevent us believing in Jesus. We have heard numerous invitations from Jesus to believe in him for salvation. If we have not done so, we have sinned. There is nothing good about refusing to believe in Jesus. It is a terrible sin to ignore the free offer of the gospel.

We become like children and confess our sins and failings honestly to the Lord. The reason why we do so is because of his amazing promises of mercy to sinners.

The mark of a member of the kingdom

Jesus in his reply indicates that it is possible for every member of the kingdom to be great. His reply also suggests that it is possible for every member of the kingdom not to be great. What makes a person great in the divine kingdom is humility. Since that is the case, it means that we need to check if we are humble. A person knows whether or not he is humble.

The attitude of humility is self-chosen. We can see that is the case when Jesus says that the member will humble himself. This means that the individual voluntary develops a humble way of life. He or she will humble themselves wherever they are, but they would express it in their service for the kingdom.

The attitude of humility is Christlike. Paul outlines the humility of Jesus in Philippians 2:6-8. Although he was God, he humbled himself to become a man, and then as man he humbled himself to perform his saving work on the cross. The response of Jesus tells us two things. One is that it is appropriate for the greatest Person to be humble. The other matter is that it is appropriate for the greatest work to be completed in a humble way.

This attitude is very different from the person who says, ‘I can do nothing,’ and who is always highlighting this detail. Often, this is only an expression of pride because when their statement is probed they become sensitive and annoyed. How should we respond to the claim, ‘I can do nothing?’ Take another two verses from the Bible and put them beside it. Jesus said to all his disciples, ‘Without me, you can do nothing.’ And Paul said to the Philippians, ‘I can do all things through him who gives me strength.’ False humility looks only at self, whereas true humility looks at self through the promises of Christ’s help and sees things very differently.

How would we recognise a humble person?

Here are some comments that may help us find an answer. The author of the commentary on Matthew in the Bible Speaks Today series mentions two. One is from William Temple, who said: ‘I have never sought and never refused a position of greater responsibility.’ That sounds as a comment that understands humility – ready to serve when called. The commentator also mentions the opinion of a preacher called S. D. Gordon, who said, ‘Get every qualification you can and then use it for God.’ His suggestion would be regarded as a common sense approach to humility.

One helpful way of considering humility is suggested by Jerry Bridges when he uses the Beatitudes to explain what humility is. They are expressions of being poor in spirit, which is another way of describing humility. When a person is marked by such features he or she will be very different from other people. In contrast to the people of this world, a believer in Jesus will have a different inner life as well as a different outer life.

C. H. Spurgeon mentioned on one occasion what he considered the best definition of humility he had heard. It was ‘to think rightly of ourselves’. He goes on to point out that if God has given talents to a person and he does not use them for God, that person is not humble but dishonest. Of course, the individual will work depending on God for grace, but he will work because he wants God to be glorified in his life. We can assess whether we are using our God-given talents in the service of God.

Benefits of humility

God promises to have fellowship with the humble. In Isaiah 60:2, we are informed about the kind of person that the Lord will interact with: ‘... this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word.’ Spending time with the Lord and his Word leads to further insight into his plans and that leads to ongoing humility.

Humility is the way to live in order to serve God – it is impossible for a proud person to serve God. It is the way to live in order to receive rewards from the Lord on the Day of Judgement. No self-centred person will receive a commendation on that day. The ones who will are those who served the Lord depending upon him for success and for the grace to cope with success.

The warning

Jesus mentions two very different responses to a humble person. One is that he or she is received, by which is meant welcomed as a follower of Jesus. After all, humility reveals that they are his followers. The other response is to cause them to sin, perhaps by giving to them a bad example.  For example, an intelligent person could work out that a humble believer did not yet have sufficient knowledge to understand a Bible verse and explain it to him in such a way that leads him astray. If that should happen, Jesus says that there will be a severe punishment for the person who caused one of his people to sin.

Some applications

Why did Jesus regard humility as important? We know that he was humble and we know that he wanted his people to be humble. One answer would be that service can only be given by a humble person.

Do I want to be humble? Often, if not normally, the matter of the heart is the heart of the matter.

Would I be embarrassed to be called a humble person and would I be angry if I wasn’t?