Whoever receives this little child in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me receives Him who sent Me. For he who is least among you all will be great

 

St. Ignatius of Antioch being devoured by lions in the Colosseum at Rome.  Menologion of Byzantine Emperor Basil II (r. 976–1025), illustrated manuscript, ca. 1000.  Vatican Library (Ms. Vat. gr. 1613)

 Now it happened on the next day, when they had come down from the mountain, that a great multitude met Him.  Suddenly a man from the multitude cried out, saying, "Teacher, I implore You, look on my son, for he is my only child.  And behold, a spirit seizes him, and he suddenly cries out; it convulses him so that he foams at the mouth; and it departs from him with great difficulty, bruising him.  So I implored Your disciples to cast it out, but they could not."  Then Jesus answered and said, "O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you and bear with you?  Bring your son here."  And as he was still coming, the demon threw him down and convulsed him.  Then Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, healed the child, and gave him back to his father.

And they were all amazed at the majesty of God.  But while everyone marveled at all the things which Jesus did, He said to His disciples, "Let these words sink down into your ears, for the Son of Man is about to be betrayed into the hands of men."  But they did not understand this saying, and it was hidden from them so that they did not perceive it; and they were afraid to ask Him about this saying.  

Then a dispute arose among them as to which of them would be greatest.  And Jesus, perceiving the thought of their heart, took a little child and set him by Him, and said to them, "Whoever receives this little child in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me receives Him who sent Me.  For he who is least among you all will be great."  Now John answered and said, "Master, we saw someone casting out demons in Your name, and we forbade him because he does not follow with us."  But Jesus said to him, "Do not forbid him, for he who is not against us is on our side."

 

- Luke 9:37–50 

 

Yesterday we read that, about eight days after Jesus first warned the disciples about the events and struggles to come (see Monday's reading), that He took Peter, John, and James and went up on the mountain to pray.  As He prayed, the appearance of His face was altered, and His robe became white and glistening.  And behold, two men talked with Him, who were Moses and Elijah, who appeared in glory and spoke of His decease which He was about to accomplish at Jerusalem.  But Peter and those with him were heavy with sleep; and when they were fully awake, they saw His glory and the two men who stood with Him.  Then it happened, as they were parting from Him, that Peter said to Jesus, "Master, it is good for us to be here; and let us make three tabernacles:  one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah" -- not knowing what he said.  While he was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them; and they were fearful as they entered the cloud.  And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, "This is My beloved Son.  Hear Him!"  When the voice had ceased, Jesus was found alone.  But they kept quiet, and told no one in those days any of the things they had seen.

 

  Now it happened on the next day, when they had come down from the mountain, that a great multitude met Him.  Suddenly a man from the multitude cried out, saying, "Teacher, I implore You, look on my son, for he is my only child.  And behold, a spirit seizes him, and he suddenly cries out; it convulses him so that he foams at the mouth; and it departs from him with great difficulty, bruising him.  So I implored Your disciples to cast it out, but they could not."  Then Jesus answered and said, "O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you and bear with you?  Bring your son here."  And as he was still coming, the demon threw him down and convulsed him.  Then Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, healed the child, and gave him back to his father.  My study bible comments on this passage that while the disciples' faith was incomplete (see Matthew 17:19-20), Christ's rebuke (O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you and bear with you?) is directed also to the crowds, whose faith was weaker still (see Mark 9:22-24). 

 

And they were all amazed at the majesty of God.  But while everyone marveled at all the things which Jesus did, He said to His disciples, "Let these words sink down into your ears, for the Son of Man is about to be betrayed into the hands of men."  But they did not understand this saying, and it was hidden from them so that they did not perceive it; and they were afraid to ask Him about this saying. This is the second warning that Jesus gives to the disciples about the betrayal and His suffering to come.  My study bible tells us that Christ's repeated prediction of His Passion was meant to encourage and strengthen His disciples for the terrifying events that they would face, and also to assure them that Christ was not powerless but went to the Cross willingly.

 Then a dispute arose among them as to which of them would be greatest.  And Jesus, perceiving the thought of their heart, took a little child and set him by Him, and said to them, "Whoever receives this little child in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me receives Him who sent Me.  For he who is least among you all will be great."  Now John answered and said, "Master, we saw someone casting out demons in Your name, and we forbade him because he does not follow with us."  But Jesus said to him, "Do not forbid him, for he who is not against us is on our side."   Addressing the dispute as to which of them would be greatest, Jesus uses a little child to teach them about power, hierarchy, and humility.  The little child has the least stature, and yet if they receive one little child in His name, they will be receiving not only Christ, but also the Father who sent Him.   In Orthodox iconography, St. Ignatius of Antioch is depicted as this child.  In certain legends of saints, he is the boy who gave the loaves and fishes (John 6:9).  Regarding the dispute with the other who was casting out demons in Christ's name, Theophylact observes John's comment as regret:  his conscience was pricked by what Christ said about the least and the great.   But, on the other hand, St. Ambrose of Milan sees John as expecting full obedience to accompany such blessings.  My study bible comments that in either interpretation, Christ's response shows that those who act in good faith are not excluded, even if they are not currently numbered among the disciples.  Theophylact writes, "See how divine grace is at work even in those who are not His disciples."  See also Numbers 11:24-30.  On those who use Christ's name without good faith, see Luke 11:23, Acts 19:13-16.

Ignatius of Antioch was a first century bishop, who became a martyr.  There is dispute about the letters we have from him, but generally it is considered that the texts we have are at least based upon authentic communications of the saint, if possibly expanded from originals.  St. Ignatius called himself Theophoros, meaning one who bore God within himself.  (We contrast the title Theophoros with Theotokos, which refers to Mary the Mother of God, the one who literally bore or gave birth to Christ.)  A hallmark of his letters is a profound humility to the point of bearing all the ills and afflictions the world would impose for the sake of the love of Christ.  He uses the term "God's athlete" to describe himself, and as an image for other faithful, meaning one who might bear all kinds of pains and struggles for the sake of the great prize of ultimate faith in Christ, and the crown of martyrdom.  Indeed, the story of St. Ignatius is that he ultimately died in the Colosseum at Rome, being given to wild beasts for the entertainment of the crowds.  In the story of St. Ignatius we can read the ultimate outcome of the little boy who served as a model for Christ's teaching of humility among the twelve apostles.  His great desire was to give his life for Christ, to be -- as perhaps the adult who was that little boy -- one who truly became an example of the faith for all, who bore in himself and followed to the end the life of the One whom he called his bishop, Jesus Christ.  Indeed, he saw this as his mission, as he repeated in the letters that we have.  It is a kind of fullness of Christ's teaching regarding the least and the greatest that Ignatius grew to be the martyr that we know, the one who gave his life as an athlete or soldier for Christ, because it is an expression of the deep love which Christ first expressed to him as the little child in today's reading.   It seems to me quite possible, even likely, that St. Ignatius gave himself the name Theophoros ("God-Bearer") precisely in response to this statement of Jesus directing the apostles to see in the child Christ Himself and also the Father who sent Him.  There are all kinds of ways to be great in this world.  We commonly focus ourselves on our homes, our families, our jobs, our wealth, what we look like, and all these things by which success most often seems to be measured.  But let us consider today an entirely different mindset in the extraordinary humility of the St. Igantius, who sought to bear God in the world following the word of Christ whom he called his bishop.  St. Ignatius teaches us to be athletes and soldiers for Christ, entering an arena, and dedicating our whole lives with such passion to the One who loved us first, and taught us what it meant to be truly great.  His greatest honor was the crown -- the laurel wreath -- of martyrdom, giving his all in loyalty to Christ whom he served above all.