Greatness in the Kingdom

Notes for the Ekklesia Meeting
Sundays @ 10:00 a.m. Info: (651) 283-0568 www.dtminc.org Today’s Date: October 30, 2005

Greatness in the Kingdom
by Dan Trygg

" At that time the disciples came to Jesus and said, ‘Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?’ 2 And He called a child to Himself and set him before them, 3 and said, ‘Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Whoever then humbles himself as this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 5 And whoever receives one such child in My name receives Me…’" Matthew 18:1-5

“They came to Capernaum; and when He was in the house, He began to question them, ‘What were you discussing on the way?’ 34 But they kept silent, for on the way they had discussed with one another which of them was the greatest. 35 Sitting down, He called the twelve and said to them, ‘If anyone wants to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all.’” Mark 9:33-35

A dissension had developed among Jesus’ disciples over who was the greatest. This had been brewing for some time. Mark tells us that they had been talking about it on the roadway. It could be that it began with Peter’s choice to walk on the water (14:28). He alone had the boldness to get out of the boat. This was shortly followed by Peter’s confession regarding who Jesus was, which was met with commendation and the statement “I will give you the keys of the kingdom”. Of course, no one knew exactly what that meant, but it sounded very important. It certainly seemed that Jesus was setting Peter apart from the others. Then, the Master chose Peter and the sons of Zebedee to join Him on the mount of transfiguration. Although the three did not reveal what took place there until later, the fact that Jesus singled Peter and the others out for a private time with Him must have ruffled a few feathers. They began to discuss among themselves who was the greatest. We don’t know how the conversation started, or who was involved, but it appears that they all got caught up in the discussion. The final straw was when the Lord sent Peter to catch a fish to obtain the coin large enough to pay for his taxes, as well as the Master’s. This probably felt like another example of Jesus’ favoring of Peter. After all, He did not choose to pay everyone else’s tax. Somehow, whether it was Peter’s gloating, or the other disciples’ envying, the dispute arose again. This time, they came right out and asked Jesus. (Can you hear Peter, “Lord, which one of us is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”)

Jesus took a child (Possibly Peter’s own son?) and stood him in their midst, beside Him. He then said, “Unless you turn and become as the children, not never will you come into the kingdom of heaven.” (In the Greek a double negative is used for greater emphasis.) Jesus was not talking about their salvation. He was referring to them walking in agreement with the King’s dominion, the reign and rule of God. In other words, He was saying, “Whoa, boys! You’re heading the wrong direction. If you want to become great in God’s kingdom, you have to go the other direction. Instead of vying for power, you need to become like children. If you become as humble as this child you will be the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” Jesus was pointing out the difference between their ambition, and the unpretentiousness of the boy. Truly they were headed in the wrong direction. Selfish ambition and striving for positions have no place in God’s kingdom. To bring the point home even further, He added, “Whoever receives one such child in My name receives Me.” What was the thrust of this statement? Those who are busy jockeying for power do not have an interest in devoting their attention to as insignificant a person as a child. Instead, they are trying to impress people. They are interested in popularity, or at least popularity with the influential people. Jesus’ statement cut to the root of such self-promotion. To welcome, accept and bear-with (all meanings of the Greek word translated as “receive”) a child from a heart to serve and honor Jesus is the same as welcoming Jesus (cf. Matt. 25:31-46). It is the expression of Jesus’ own heart. It is the very nature of God’s kingdom to welcome the lowly, the powerless, the unlovely and unwanted. To be great in God’s kingdom is to have an unpretentious heart, willing to serve the lowly, as Jesus Himself was.

Jesus continues developing this distinction between the world’s view of the lowly, versus God’s view, by speaking of the treatment of “little ones”. There are three times in the following verses where the Lord uses this term (vss. 6,10,14). Certainly, His teaching focuses on the treatment of children, but by extension it applies to all who are powerless.

In the first example, Jesus warns those who would cause one of the “little ones” who believe in Him to stumble. Those who would intentionally do so deserve to be punished, and their punishment will be worse than being thrown into the sea with a heavy millstone around their neck. The world is full of stumbling blocks, but woe to the one who introduces temptation, encourages others to sin, or in any other way causes them to stumble in their faith.

Furthermore, whatever part of you or your life that may cause you to mess up in sin, put that out of your life. It is better to give that up than continue in the bondage of sin, and the resulting consequences or judgment that will inevitably follow.

In the second example, Jesus warns them not to despise or “think down against” one of these little ones. In healthy families and relationship systems, children and the weak are cherished, nurtured and cared for. Where sin and selfishness reign, however, the attention they require is resented. Children and powerless, hurting people are not able to “carry their weight”, at least not immediately. The temptation is to devalue them for their immaturity or infirmity, and put them down or dismiss them as unimportant. Jesus reveals, however, that in God’s kingdom, their angels continually behold the face of the Father. They have direct, unbroken access. To God, the powerless and weak are always valuable. The resources of His kingdom are instantly ready to act on their behalf. God gives them extra care and attention because of their vulnerability. (This reference to “their angels” is the source of the idea of individual guardian angels. Hebrews 1:14 states that one of the functions of angels is that they are “ministering spirits being sent out to serve for the sake of those being about to inherit salvation.” There are numerous examples of angelic interaction on behalf of God’s people recorded in the scriptures – Gen 16:7-14; 18:2-15; 19:1-22; 28:12; Ex. 3:2; Num. 22:31-35; Josh. 5:13-15; Judg. 2:1-4; 6:11-24; 13:6-21; II Sam. 24:16,17; I Kg. 19:1-7; Dan. 6:22; Zech. 2:3; Lk. 1:11-20,26-38; Matt. 1:20-25; Lk. 2:9-14; Matt. 28:1-7; Acts 1:10,11; 5:19,20; 8:26; 10:3-32; 27:23,24; Rev. 1:1.) Those who have a heart like God’s will also value these “little ones”, and not easily dismiss them.

In the third example, Jesus uses a parable of a shepherd with a hundred sheep. When one wanders off, he leaves the 99 others to search for the one that is straying. If he finds it, he rejoices over it more than over the 99 which never went astray. The conclusion? Jesus says, “Thus it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones might be lost, ruined or perish.” For the disciples, this parable would have had implications that may not readily come to our mind. In the OT, God used the word picture of a shepherd in reference to leaders of His people (e.g., Ezk. 34). Those shepherds who lived for their own comfort did not care well for the sheep. In fact, they even became abusive and destructive for the flock. The flock was scattered for lack of functioning, faithful shepherd-leaders. Good shepherds focus on caring for the sheep. Their role is a serving role. The sheep learn to trust them and follow them because they are well treated, not because the shepherds claim some power over them. Those who would rule by force and severity are evil shepherds, not good ones. One mark of a good shepherd is that he or she will seek after the lost and wandering.

Those who would be great in God’s kingdom will not be those striving to obtain a position of greatness or importance. Those who would be great are those who are as unpretentious as a child, those who focus on valuing and serving others. Instead of being a negative influence, a stumbling block who lures others into sin, or pulls them down, they build people up and encourage them in their walk with the Lord. Like their Master, they will not despise the weak or powerless. They will make time for them, even investing in their future development. They do not follow a “come to me” style of ministry, as if they were someone important that others ought to come to attend to. Rather, like Jesus, they go out after those who are wandering, lost and in danger of perishing.

Indeed, the disciples were getting all turned around. Instead of applying themselves to become the greatest servant of others, they were trying to present themselves as the greatest, ones who ought to be served, respected and honored by others. Jesus corrected them, because they were headed away from the kingdom of God. They were walking in the way of the world, not in God’s way. In God’s kingdom those who are least of all, the “little ones”, are respected, valued, honored and served by those who are the strong and mature (Rom. 15:1). Power and authority in the kingdom of God is given to serve, not to garner service to oneself.