Matthew 18:4: Greatest in the Kingdom

“Whoever humbles himself like this child is greatest in the kingdom of heaven,” Jesus in Matthew 18:4

“…for me it is success and drivenness and it is productivity and it is victory that drives me constantly. I – that’s my own little idol and it works well in a church because no one would ever yell at you for being a Christian who produces results.”  (Words from a 2006 sermon from the pastor of a church once known as “the fastest growing church in America.”  To his credit, the pastor has since stepped away from this attitude)

“The cause of Christ is greatly dependent on the self-forgetting souls who are satisfied to occupy a small sphere in an obscure place, free from self-seeking ambition.”  (John MacArthur, Commentary on Matthew 8-15)

Jesus is in Capernaum (see 16:24) on his way to Jerusalem (see 16:21) mindful that there he will be given over to evil men.   His disciples cannot quite fathom all this, at least not yet.   They are more concerned about other things (i.e., themselves) and ask Jesus, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” (v. 1) Instead of lining the disciples up from greatest to least, Jesus does something totally unexpected. He puts a child “in the midst of them” (v. 3).

Jesus says, “Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven,” (v. 4).  This statement is counter-cultural!  It is hard-wired into our fallen natures to be self-sufficient, prideful and to strive to be number one.   Yes, there is a place for excellence in our world today.   But that is not what Jesus is teaching about here.   Also, this is a dangerous topic for me to teach on.  The moment one props himself up as a teacher on humility, he just may have disqualified himself from being humble.   Yet as we walk through Matthew’s gospel together, let’s try to grasp what our Lord is teaching, knowing all of us need grace everyday in our walks with God.

Jesus tells a parable in Luke’s gospel contrasting two men who went to the temple to pray.  The first, a Pharisee who thanked God he was not like all the other losers around him.  Then to further the distance even more between him and the low-lifes, the Pharisee rattled off his list of religious deeds.   But the second man would not even lift his eyes to heaven and cried out, “God be merciful to me, a sinner!” Jesus condemns the first man and says,  “For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled but the one who humbles himself will be exalted,” (Luke 18:14). 

While on a trip to Africa we heard a story from one the clinics that Christian friends of ours operated.  A woman failed to birth a son for her Muslim husband and birthed a handicapped daughter instead.  He divorced her on the spot and left her alone to care for their daughter.   Shame and failure should not be tolerated is the lesson here. 

And as Americans we too struggle with our pride.  In the American church we value achievement and growth over child-like faith.   Too many pastors are more like celebrities and CEOs, than shepherds and servants; our churches are more like enterprises and businesses than flocks and families.  Can one find a Christian book where praise for the author and a list of his achievements are not printed on the dust jacket or back cover?

As I type this it is a hot summer afternoon.   I can hear the sounds of children playing at a nearby swimming pool.   I hear laughter, splashing and rapid conversation.   For me this is an audio picture of how Jesus spoke of humility.   Our God loves us not because we work hard or produce more.  God loves us simply because he chooses to love us.   Warts and all.   Sin and all.   And he wants us to rest in that love.   This is difficult to learn, as it was for the disciples, because we all want to prove our worth and call attention to our successes.  

The greatest in the kingdom of heaven will not be those who are famous on earth.   Fame and humility rarely mix.  Those greatest in the kingdom of heaven will likely be those we have never heard of; missionaries and pastors who labored faithfully yet anonymously, those who endured great trials yet constantly put their hope in God in spite of their difficult circumstances.    Or simply those who enjoyed life, not because everything was perfect but because, like a child, they rested, played and worshiped in the continual presence of their heavenly Father.