March 6th, 2026
Friday, March 6
Jesus’ disciples came to him saying, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” And calling a child to him, he set the child in the middle of them all and said, “Here’s the deal: unless you turn your lives in a different direction and become like children, you will never enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles themselves like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”
~ Matthew 18:1-4
Jesus’ disciples came to him saying, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” And calling a child to him, he set the child in the middle of them all and said, “Here’s the deal: unless you turn your lives in a different direction and become like children, you will never enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles themselves like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”
~ Matthew 18:1-4
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"Go into the world and make disciples.” These are Jesus’ final words in Matthew’s gospel. But he goes on…“teaching them to obey all that I have instructed you.” To make sense of this, one must read (or reread) Matthew’s story of Jesus. There is no other way. And, as the reader will find, Jesus’ “instruction” is not just words and ideas. It is a way of life. Instruction by living.
There is a clear theme to Jesus’ instruction and living in Matthew’s gospel. It’s best illustrated in Jesus’ exaltation of children as examples. Jesus’ words of Jesus about becoming like children are only in Matthew’s gospel. There’s something important here Matthew’s gospel is highlighting.
First thing’s first: NO ONE in Jesus’ world exalted children as examples. Let me repeat: no one would do this. Let’s be clear on another thing: modern Christianity tends to totally miss the boat when it comes to understanding what Jesus is saying when he says this. We often interpret it to mean that we should have “childlike faith,” which often means believing without question (which is usually not quite right anyway…children ask the most questions), or some idea of innocence. How we think of children and how they did in Jesus’ world are worlds apart.
Children in Jesus’ world were low, generally despised as an annoyance, and unfit for “real life” until they grew up. They were in need of training and development. And, here’s the best one: they were disposable. They were numbered among slaves, the poor, and women as low in society.
Jesus says in Matthew’s gospel: become like these. Ummmm…say what, Jesus? In fact, he goes further: unless you become like these, the kingdom of heaven isn’t your place. Jesus doesn’t mean heaven after you die here. He means participating in the life of God’s good rule on earth. Unless you become low, disposable, insignificant, you’ll miss out. And he’s not joking.
Jesus says all of this in the context of talking about following him and taking up the cross. It’s in the context of Jesus’ disciples wondering which of them will be “great” among the people in Jesus’ kingdom. It’s in the context of the rich man (upwardly mobile in society) asking Jesus what he must do to inherit eternal life.
Jesus himself lives this insignificant life. We often let his miracles overshadow this (which is something Jesus was very leery about). Jesus enters the world as the “un-king” born into poverty, among those ignored and overlooked. When tempted to seek power and get noticed, he refuses. When he teaches, his words speak of blessing for the poor in spirit, those who mourn, the meek, and those generally under the wheel of struggle in the Roman world. When he rises from the dead, he makes no scene of triumph, but instead returns quietly to join with men and women sitting in fear (we should probably rethink our Easter celebrations).
At the end of Matthew, the message is clear. And the command is clear: be like this. This is the way of Jesus, the way of the cross. It is not living a life that seeks to make ourselves known, to try to have influence. That is our culture’s voice. And it is loud. We’re still Romans. And the way of the cross is still just as impractical. As long as we keep chasing our own importance, we'll never know what it means to become like a child in the kingdom.
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For reflection:
Prayer: Heavenly father, you welcome the lowly and disposable as your favored ones. Too often we despise the lowly and do not want to be among them. We keep ourselves from the treasures of your kingdom. Soften our hearts and form us to be like children of your kingdom. Amen.
"Go into the world and make disciples.” These are Jesus’ final words in Matthew’s gospel. But he goes on…“teaching them to obey all that I have instructed you.” To make sense of this, one must read (or reread) Matthew’s story of Jesus. There is no other way. And, as the reader will find, Jesus’ “instruction” is not just words and ideas. It is a way of life. Instruction by living.
There is a clear theme to Jesus’ instruction and living in Matthew’s gospel. It’s best illustrated in Jesus’ exaltation of children as examples. Jesus’ words of Jesus about becoming like children are only in Matthew’s gospel. There’s something important here Matthew’s gospel is highlighting.
First thing’s first: NO ONE in Jesus’ world exalted children as examples. Let me repeat: no one would do this. Let’s be clear on another thing: modern Christianity tends to totally miss the boat when it comes to understanding what Jesus is saying when he says this. We often interpret it to mean that we should have “childlike faith,” which often means believing without question (which is usually not quite right anyway…children ask the most questions), or some idea of innocence. How we think of children and how they did in Jesus’ world are worlds apart.
Children in Jesus’ world were low, generally despised as an annoyance, and unfit for “real life” until they grew up. They were in need of training and development. And, here’s the best one: they were disposable. They were numbered among slaves, the poor, and women as low in society.
Jesus says in Matthew’s gospel: become like these. Ummmm…say what, Jesus? In fact, he goes further: unless you become like these, the kingdom of heaven isn’t your place. Jesus doesn’t mean heaven after you die here. He means participating in the life of God’s good rule on earth. Unless you become low, disposable, insignificant, you’ll miss out. And he’s not joking.
Jesus says all of this in the context of talking about following him and taking up the cross. It’s in the context of Jesus’ disciples wondering which of them will be “great” among the people in Jesus’ kingdom. It’s in the context of the rich man (upwardly mobile in society) asking Jesus what he must do to inherit eternal life.
Jesus himself lives this insignificant life. We often let his miracles overshadow this (which is something Jesus was very leery about). Jesus enters the world as the “un-king” born into poverty, among those ignored and overlooked. When tempted to seek power and get noticed, he refuses. When he teaches, his words speak of blessing for the poor in spirit, those who mourn, the meek, and those generally under the wheel of struggle in the Roman world. When he rises from the dead, he makes no scene of triumph, but instead returns quietly to join with men and women sitting in fear (we should probably rethink our Easter celebrations).
At the end of Matthew, the message is clear. And the command is clear: be like this. This is the way of Jesus, the way of the cross. It is not living a life that seeks to make ourselves known, to try to have influence. That is our culture’s voice. And it is loud. We’re still Romans. And the way of the cross is still just as impractical. As long as we keep chasing our own importance, we'll never know what it means to become like a child in the kingdom.
___________________________________________
For reflection:
- What would it look like to become like a child in the same way as in Jesus’ world? What are the challenges to this for you? How might it actually open you to a more abundant life?
- For those with children: When have you ever felt insignificant? Jesus says that the insignificant people are actually his favorite and that is what everyone in His kingdom is like.
Prayer: Heavenly father, you welcome the lowly and disposable as your favored ones. Too often we despise the lowly and do not want to be among them. We keep ourselves from the treasures of your kingdom. Soften our hearts and form us to be like children of your kingdom. Amen.
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