Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven

 

 At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, "Who then is the 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 they were staying in Galilee, Jesus said to the disciples, "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 the 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 comments that this question from the disciples indicates a selfish interest in worldly power.  Jesus points to a little child as the model of true discipleship in response, and He emphasizes the virtues required for entrance into the kingdom of heaven.  My study Bible names these as humility, dependence, lowliness, simplicity, obedience, and a willingness to love and be loved.  In Orthodox iconography, St. Ignatius of Antioch is shown as this child.  In some legends of the saints, he's the boy who gave the loaves and fishes (John 6:9).

 

 "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!"  According to my study Bible, little ones include all who have childlike simplicity, all who are poor in spirit.  

 

 "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."  See also Matthew 5:29.  As my study Bible puts it, this reference to mutilation is an illustration of decisive action to avoid sin; it does not advocate literal amputation.  It's also a reference to harmful relationships that must be severed for the salvation of all parties (see Luke 14:26; 1 Corinthians 5:5).  

 

We might find Jesus' talk of cutting off a hand or foot a little baffling and perplexing.  But the metaphor is well-chosen (as, of course, are all of Christ's metaphors, the Word Himself used language in a way that is at once simple and yet not forgotten).  But every one counts with Christ, and every word is true.  First of all, He's addressing to the disciples this very important question of what it is to be great, even the greatest.   He has warned them twice already of His Passion, death, and Resurrection to come.  At this stage they are likely beginning to understand that He's about to set off toward Jerusalem, the Holy City, and they know that His prediction is all about Jerusalem and what will happen there, in the place of the religious leadership of Israel.  But regardless of His predictions of His death, they no doubt share the popular expectation that the Messiah goes to Jerusalem to rule in King David's place, as king, and establish an unshakeable kingdom.  And so, their question, "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?" is not an uninterested question; it's a question that reflects their concern for their places in the kingdom they believe He is going to establish.  Kingdoms are hierarchies, and in every kingdom there are great men, those who sit on the right hand of the king, and this is what they are concerned about as the disciples to the One whom they presume will become King.  As my study Bible says, it's a question which indicates a selfish interest in worldly power.  But Jesus' power, and His leadership, works in a different way than a worldly way.  So He first teaches them what it means to be truly great in the kingdom of heaven.  In the kingdom of heaven, one must pursue humility, a likeness to a little child, simply in order to properly enter.  Moreover, as these men will be the ones administering and leading His Church, they must learn what it is to truly serve, to have authority or power in His Kingdom.  And in that capacity, His first teaching is not an instruction so much as it is a very, very potent and extreme warning:  "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!" This is not a kingdom of corruption, in which power and authority may be used at will.  This is an entirely different set of values, in which the least of those among the persons in that kingdom are to be protected, nurtured, cared for.  Any abuse or offenses to be suffered by the least powerful will result in the worst of fates for the one by whom it comes.  The reference to self-mutilation, the cutting off of a hand or foot, refers to decisive action that must be taken to curb ones own impulses to the abuse of power:  a hand reaches where it shouldn't go, grasps what it should that doesn't belong to it, reaches out to strike, as does a foot.  A foot may stray over boundaries that should be respected, trampling over proper restrictions or people, trespassing where it's not meant to be.  These impulses to the abuse of power must be not simply curbed, but cut away as far as possible from the person subject to them, and in Jesus' words, they continue at peril to their own lives.  Just like a diseased hand or foot may need to be lost to save the whole body when threatened with overwhelming infection, so it is with such impulses.  They don't simply imperil others in their charge; they would be in peril for their own lives for causing such offense in their positions as guardians and leaders of His Church and His flock, even (and maybe especially) for the least among them, all those who are like the little children in their care.  If only we could always wish that such words by Christ were always heeded with the serious suggestion of peril He intended.  How many would be better off in the Church?  Let us always, always keep it in mind, and seek to keep His word as seriously as He gives it.  From the beginning, in Genesis, we've been given commands regarding what we're supposed to stay away from.  Now in the fullness of discipleship and leadership in the Kingdom, human beings are about to given a kind of power and authority they've never had to this extent, the keys to the kingdom.  But regardless of authority, we are all always under a higher Authority.  Will they be able to keep His commands?  Our battle against temptation remains as important as it always was.