The Greatest in the Kingdom
Read: Matthew 18:1-9
We now jump to Jesus’ fourth discourse in the book of Matthew. The general theme of this
discourse is the anticipation of a future community of followers and the role of Christ’s apostles
in leading them. The discourse emphasizes the importance of humility and self-sacrifice in this
community. It teaches that in the Kingdom of God, it is childlike humility that matters, not social
prominence or influence. Today’s passage begins with the disciples asking Jesus a question about
how the hierarchy of God’s society works. Jesus answer is still radical today. The disciples ask
the question, “Who is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven?” They have misunderstood what
greatness is, they see it as human endeavor, accomplishment and status. Their question wasn’t
merely about church hierarchies or the pecking order in Heaven but about the way God evaluates
and what He sees as important. In Jewish society, a child was of no importance. To become like
a child represents a radical reorientation of their value system. The humility of a child consists of
childlike trust, vulnerability, and the inability to advance his/her cause apart from the help, direction
and resources of a parent. Jesus is teaching that true greatness is to be found in the acceptance
of an inferior position. In verses 6-9, Jesus goes on to teach about stumbling blocks. Jesus uses
exaggeration to emphasize the necessity of rigorous self-discipline in radically removing sin from
the disciple’s life before it leads to judgment. A stumbling block is something which trips someone
up or draws them into sin. Stumbling blocks can be friendships, the internet, alcohol, media, etc.
– basically anything that lures Christians into sin. Jesus understands that disciples are vulnerable
and that stumbling blocks are a real danger. We are all vulnerable but we are also responsible
for our actions. Jesus uses the examples of the hand, foot or eye. In our culture, we could
paraphrase…if your computer causes you to sin, throw it away or if a friendship causes you to fall
into sin, stop hanging around with that person and so on.
PRAYER and MEDITATION
1. Ask the Lord to show you anybody that you have misjudged by using the world’s value system
instead of the Lords. Confess this as sin. Then ask the Lord to show you what He values
about this person.
2. Ask the Lord to reveal to you any stumbling blocks in your walk with Him. Is there anything or
anybody in your life that needs to be cut off in order that you can keep growing in your walk
with God?
3. Thank the Lord for what He has shown you today. Ask God to continue to work in your life
in these areas and to help you continue working through these things. Pray that you will
experience much joy as you obey Him.
