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At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, "Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?" Then Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them, and said, "Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Whoever receives one little child like this in My name receives Me.
"But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea.
"Woe to the world because of offenses! For offenses must come, but woe to that man by whom the offense comes! If your hand or foot causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life lame or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet, to be cast into the everlasting fire. And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into hell fire."
- Matthew 18:1-9
Yesterday we read that, while the disciples were staying in Galilee, Jesus said to them, "The Son of Man is about to be betrayed into the hands of men, and they will kill Him, and the third day He will be raised up." And they were exceedingly sorrowful. When they had come to Capernaum, those who received the temple tax came to Peter and said, "Does your Teacher not pay the temple tax?" He said, "Yes." And when he had come into the house, Jesus anticipated him, saying, "What do you think, Simon? From whom do the kings of the earth take customs or taxes, from their sons or from strangers?" Peter said to Him, "From strangers." Jesus said to him, "Then the sons are free. Nevertheless, lest we offend them, go to the sea, cast in a hook, and take the fish that comes up first. And when you have opened its mouth, you will find a piece of money; take that and give it to them for Me and you."
At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, "Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?" Then Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them, and said, "Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Whoever receives one little child like this in My name receives Me." My study bible says that this question, Who then is the greatest in the kingdom. . . indicates selfish interests having to do with worldly power. "But Jesus points to a little child as the model of the true disciple. For little children have the spiritual attitudes required to enter the kingdom: humility, dependence, lowliness and simplicity. Humility, without which there is on virtue at all, is the acknowledgement of divine grace and mercy, and the constant denial of man's achievement."
"But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea." "The little ones are the humble and simple," says my study bible, "who may be ignored or offended by more influential members of the Church, against whom Jesus issues severe warnings. Scandals may be inevitable, but those who cause them will be punished by God."
"Woe to the world because of offenses! For offenses must come, but woe to that man by whom the offense comes! If your hand or foot causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life lame or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet, to be cast into the everlasting fire. And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into hell fire." My study bible tells us that the reference to mutilating parts of the body suggests decisive action to avoid sin, not literal amputation. "For instance," it notes, "we cut off relations with friends and others, if they are seriously harmful to the soul."
In the latter verses of today's reading, Jesus is repeating what has already been taught in the Sermon on the Mount, which Matthew has given earlier, in chapter 5. There, He said, "If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell." Therefore we must conclude that some sort of repetition as strong as this one (and as strongly worded) conveys essential importance in the teachings of Jesus. It may be strange to wonder what He is talking about, as the allusion to removal of a hand or eye is so vivid and so strong. But really, it must be taken into context. Jesus has issued His second warning that He will be killed, and therefore this Kingdom and its bearing into the world in the form of the Church will be in the hands of these disciples -- and all they can ask about is "Who then is greatest?" So here is the key to leadership: it is the proper care of the little ones. Jesus takes it even farther: unless they become even as a little child, they won't even enter the kingdom themselves. It is the humility of the child to which He's referring, a willingness to learn and to serve. He's speaking about how we look at power and authority. And it's not just about humility before God, but also about the humility to recognize the importance of the care of the others, even the little ones of the Church. It's also about Who they will see in the face of the little ones. Humility is before God and Christ, and also the image of Christ in each little one who will be in their care. Therefore, in the great freedom we understood in the symbol of the fish and the coin in yesterday's reading, the free redemption of the sons, is also a profound equality in this particular practice of humility. The responsibility for the care of other souls is paramount. To become a predator (He has already warned about "wolves in sheep's clothing") upon the little ones is to engage in the greatest sin: to lead others astray for one's own grandiosity and purposes that serve any selfish or exploitative agenda is to propel oneself into the worst possible future. And so we enter into the place once again where self-knowledge and self-correction become of paramount importance. Especially in leadership, where there is temptation to use power in a worldly way, to exploit those who are in some way dependent upon the leadership of the Church, becomes not only the most heinous and punishable sin, but it also becomes something to be perfectly aware of. Temptations will come, and sin will come. But a great leader is aware of these traits or signs in himself or herself -- especially the will to power and its various forms -- and deal with them summarily, efficiently, "cutting off" those parts of ourselves that don't serve the kind of humility that He has in mind. Each of us, as His followers, must take these lessons to heart, because getting away from the things we moderns will call serving the ego (in the pop sense of this word) will hinder our understanding of where Christ calls us to be. He Himself, of course, will provide the ultimate example of this humility, but we should never forget that His service is before God, for the love of the Kingdom, and for the spiritual freedom of each of us. It is His freedom to serve God the Father that frees us, and He in turn would have us be "like Him." So, let us think once again about freedom. What is He calling us to be free from? And what is He calling us to be free to do?
