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Matthew 18:1-20

¹ At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” ² And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them ³ and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. ⁴ Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. ⁵ Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me.

⁶ “But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea. ⁷ Woe to the world for temptations to sin! For it is necessary that temptations come, but woe to the one by whom the temptation comes! ⁸ And if your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life crippled or lame than with two hands or two feet to be thrown into the eternal fire. ⁹ And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into the hell of fire.

¹⁰ “See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven.

¹² “What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray? ¹³ And if he finds it, truly, I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray. ¹⁴ So it is not the will of my Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.

¹⁵ “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. ¹⁶ But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. ¹⁷ If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. ¹⁸ Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

¹⁹ “Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. ²⁰ For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.”

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Great men and women do great things. They contribute, make a difference, and have an influence. Great businessmen create thousands of jobs, build huge companies, and make billions of dollars. Great politicians get reelected, climb higher in office, and change the course of history so that we learn about them in textbooks. Great athletes set records, win championships, create dynasties, and get elected into the Hall of Fame.

Great people don’t just live in this world, they change the world. The greater you are, the more power and influence you have. In the thinking of this world that is greatness.

But what about the kingdom of heaven? In the kingdom where the last are first, and the first wind up dead last (Mt. 19:30), what does greatness look like there?

Jesus calls a child into their midst and says, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” Jesus makes this child an example – be like this. But then, Jesus goes even farther than that. Jesus makes this child the pinnacle of Christian greatness. “Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”

And ever since Jesus said this, we Christians have been ignoring it. We take a quick gawk at the cuteness and littleness of a child and go, “Aw,” then go about trying to make ourselves great by climbing up a spiritual ladder.

In just a few chapters, the disciples will argue about who will sit at Jesus’ right and left hand in His kingdom (Mt. 20:20-22). Paul wrote letters to the Corinthian and the Galatian churches because they were fighting over what made a believer great. In the middle ages, some would go live in a monastery and model their life after this or that saint. Today in the church, you are great by overcoming your Goliaths, living your best life now as though every day is a Friday, making sure it is purpose driven.

But none of these man-made ladders make you greater in the kingdom of heaven. The higher you climb, the greater your achievements, the further from the Gospel you are.

Again, Jesus says, “Unless you turn and become like children, don’t worry about being great, you won’t even enter the kingdom of heaven.” Little children don’t point to their resume and expect a promotion. Little children don’t hand God a bill, “See all my good works, I believe You owe me.” The things you would point at to prove that you are a good, great Christian are the very things that will condemn you to hell. Repent.

Greatness is not something you earn. Greatness is something Jesus gives.

Imagine the child in this text. (Now, the Greek doesn’t actually indicate if the child is a boy or girl like the ESV does. I’m going to go with a girl because that would have been even more surprising in Jesus’ day.)

Jesus calls a little child to Him. Imagine her barely able to walk. She’s dusty, dirty, and diapered. Her dad hovers over her as she grasps his pinkies to stable herself as she waddles up to Jesus. Jesus put her on his lap and says, “Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”

What greatness did she have? What had she done for God? Nothing really. She came when Jesus called and received the honor and blessing Jesus gave. You too today. You have come to this place where Jesus has called you. You have received the blessing of His Word and the absolution that He gives to you. This is what makes you great.

Don’t despise the little ones. Don’t cause them to sin, to stumble and fall away. Bring them, and yourself, to Jesus to hear His Word and delight in it. If they go lost, do everything to seek them out. Go search for them and find them. If they sin, call them to repentance to restore them. That means telling people their fault. And that can be hard. But listen to what Jesus says, “If two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.”

If you agree that a particular sin needs forgiveness and ask God, He forgives. And where two or three of you are gathered together in Jesus’ name, there He is. Jesus, the greatest of all because He became the servant of all, present with the you, little ones. Amen.

The peace of God which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.