Matt. 18:1-4 The Lord Jesus Gives Instruction Concerning Who Are
Greatest in the Kingdom of God
Beloved Congregation. In all our deliberations concerning God’s Kingdom we must always be aware of the fact that God’s ways are higher than our ways and His thoughts are not our thoughts. This is not just due to the fact that our great and glorious God is in heaven and we are frail, finite creatures upon this earth. But the real reason for this is because by nature we are under the dominion and power of the prince of this world and thus hopelessly lost and bound to things of this earth. And as a result of this truth, we saw that even a religious leader like Nicodemus had no understanding of the new birth. Moreover, as we saw last time, a larger group of religious leaders, the Pharisees, had no understanding of the Kingdom of God either. For they asked the Lord Jesus when the Kingdom of God should come. And then Christ told them, that the Kingdom of God cometh not with observation but the Kingdom of God is within you. And so God’s Kingdom is not at all of this world.
Well now, as we examine another aspect of the Kingdom of God this morning let us regard the words of our text under the following theme, THE LORD JESUS GIVES INSTRUCTION CONCERNING WHO ARE THE GREATEST IN THE KINGDOM OF GOD. In the first place let us consider The Need for this Instruction. In the second place let us regard The Need to Become Like a Child. In the third place let us examine The Need to Live Like a Child.
In the first place let us consider The Need for this Instruction. The words of our text, congregation, are placed at certain time, at a specific place in the history of redemption. Verse 1 states, At the same time came the disciples unto Jesus saying, Who is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven? The question we must answer is, When did the discussion revealed in our text take place? What is the significance of it having occurred at this particular time? While we may not be able to ascertain every detail, by comparing the three Gospel accounts, a number of things become quite clear. In the first place we must realize that this saying took place near the end of the Lord Jesus’ third year of public ministry. For most of this time Christ’s followers have been privileged to witness their Master’s labors in both Word and Deed. Consequently, they have become convinced in their hearts that He was the Messiah of God. The disciple Peter had testified of that on two occasions. We read of this in John 6 when many followers left the Lord Jesus on account of His teaching and again in Matthew 16:13 and following when Peter again declared on behalf of the others, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. Yes, their Master was the long promised Deliverer for Whom all Israel had been waiting.
However, the object of Christ’s coming and the manner in which the Kingdom of Heaven would find its place remained hidden to these close followers of the Lord. In verse 22 of the previous Chapter the Lord foretold His impending death for the third time with the following words, The Son of man shall be betrayed into the hands of men. And they shall kill Him, and the third day He shall be raised again. And we read, That they were exceedingly sorry. Both Mark 9 and Luke 9 add that they understood not this saying and were afraid to ask Him about it. And so when it came to establishing the Kingdom of God, the intimate disciples of the Lord were just as ignorant as the general public were and the Pharisees themselves. Oh yes, they truly loved the Lord with all their heart! No question about that. But these hand-picked followers still had so much to learn.
And as a result of this fact they also had misconceptions concerning the place they would be given within this Kingdom. In fact, they allowed their fleshy ambition to get the better of them. You know, congregation, in Matthew 14 – 17 Peter’s name is mentioned about a dozen times while it is mentioned only a few times in the Gospel previous to that and only once, namely, when he denied Christ, in later Chapters. And now that the Lord has brought up His impending death for the third time, the disciples are concerned about their place within the Kingdom that Christ was going to establish. In Chapter 16 the Lord had said concerning the confession of His leading disciple Peter, Upon this rock I will build My Church. Moreover, as Chapter 17 also indicates, three of the disciples were given the privilege of being with the Lord at the top of the Mount when He experienced the transfiguration, including Peter. He and James and John had seen the Lord’s face shine as the sun and His raiment glistening as with white light when the voice of God the Father spake these words, This is My beloved Son in Who I am well pleased; hear ye Him. But now, what about His kingdom? What place would they receive in it? Could it be that Peter was going to have the most important place in it? No, such thoughts are not at all far-fetched. For, remember, Peter had also been rebuked by the Lord Jesus with the words, Get thee behind Me Satan; thou art an offense unto Me for thou savourest not the things that be of God but those that be of man. Yes, Peter had spoken against the suffering which the Lord would be called on to bear. And furthermore, on the Mount of Transfiguration Peter’s suggestion to make three tabernacles had not even received an answer from the Lord.
Yes, congregation, these are the things which lie behind the question which the disciples asked their Master when they asked, Who is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven? While we need not doubt their love for the Lord Jesus, at this particular moment, fleshy ambition filled their hearts. Perhaps a day or two earlier, sorrow had filled their heart when they again heard that their Master was going to be taken away from them. But now that sorrow is forgotten and the disciples are maneuvering as it were for the leading position in God’s kingdom. Would it be Peter, who was so outspoken above the rest? Or, would it be John who seemed to have deeper insight into the mysteries of faith? Whatever they may have thought, the sorrow the disciples experienced had not changed their worldly way of thinking about solidifying one’s position in life. Oh yes, their sorrow was genuine due to their attachment to the Savior. But, by giving the self-serving desires of their own heart the foremost place, they did not receive any clearer insight into the Kingdom that the Lord Jesus had come to establish. No, they held on to their fleshy expectations concerning God’s Kingdom: The Lord Jesus would one day sit upon an earthly throne and they would be gathered around it as heads of state. But….. who would be given the most honorable position? Who will be the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven?
Yes, congregation, while the Lord Jesus’ soul is full of anticipation with respect to the sufferings and death which He will be called on to bear, His followers, those who ought to have been of support to Him, were concerned about their own honor and glory. Oh how immeasurably deep was the suffering which the blessed Savior was called on to bear. Their heart was more concerned for their own honor, than their Master’s death. Unbelievable! Oh yes, is that your reaction? If so, beloved, then you do not have much self knowledge. For truly, how slow of understanding we are to grasp the Lord’s teaching concerning His will for our lives as well. How worldly is our view upon many things in life! How earthly minded we are about our possessions, our job and our place in society. Do we see these things as God given gifts over which we are merely stewards? Everything in this life has been given us on loan, so that we might seek God’s glory and honor with them. Is that what you also do, congregation? Is the glory and honor of God your chief desire and delight of your heart? Be honest! Of ourselves, we are a self-serving people. Yes, even after we have experienced tokens of God’s grace and sinner’s love, left to ourselves, “I” and “me” are number one. Who is the greatest, lives in every one of our hearts. May the Holy Spirit discover this inclination in all of our hearts! May we be engaged in the struggle against this by the Spirit’s grace that the Lord Jesus and His Kingdom may receive the number one priority in your and my life. For He is so worthy of it. In Him we live and move and have our being! Which brings us to our second thought, The Need to Become as a Child.
The answer the Lord Jesus gives to His followers is a very surprising one. First of all the Lord calls a child to Himself and places him in the midst of His followers verse 2 tells us. Yes but, what does a child have to do with the Kingdom of heaven and their question? Well, congregation, by placing a child right in their midst, in a most wonderful way the Lord would illustrate in a very pointed manner the words which He is about to speak. With a child right there in their midst the Lord sought to deeply impress His disciples with the instruction He was about to give to them. Yes, this action was designed to capture His follower’s attention so that the lesson He was about to give them might not soon be forgotten. And, they have just shown their need of this lesson. For they had been arguing amongst themselves who of them would be the greatest. But now they are suddenly perplexed and astonished by these actions of the Lord. What’s the meaning of this? What has a child to do with His Kingdom?
Well congregation, by this very deed the Lord would prepare the hearts of His disciples to receive His amazing word revelation concerning His Kingdom. In this way He has gained their full attention so that His teaching would not just go by along side them. And then the Savior declares, Verily, I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. There you have it again. The Lord Jesus starts His instruction with the word, Verily, I say unto you. This teaching is of utmost importance. If the disciples fail to understand what the Lord is about to say, they will have no place in His Kingdom. Just imagine the astonishment with which the disciples hear these amazing words, Except you be converted and become as little children. What? Must they become as little children? This was precisely against their way of thinking. Their thoughts of God’s Kingdom were precisely the opposite. They would show this a little later on when they tried to send some children with their mothers away from the Lord. Children don’t belong with their master; only mature adults interest Him. Little children are too insignificant and immature to receive a place in the Kingdom their Master had come to establish. They must first come to maturity before they may have a part in it.
But now, just listen again to how the Lord Jesus responds to their original question, Except, ye be converted and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the Kingdom of Heaven. These words of the Lord must have fell like a bombshell upon the disciple’s ears. For if they took this teaching seriously, then the question who is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven has no significance at all. You see, congregation, the disciples had to be taught a far more weightier question than who would be the greatest in God’s Kingdom. Of much more importance is, How shall anyone gain an entrance into that Kingdom? It is superfluous to speak about positions of honor and authority in a kingdom except a person is sure that he is going to have a place within it. And so the first question is, Shall I be given an entrance into God’s Kingdom? And then perhaps one might ask, What shall my place be there? You see, if the disciples of the Lord remained as they were, they would not even have a place there. No, first they must experience a real change in their life or else they will remain outside. They must become as children, congregation.
In this instruction the Lord is basically teaching His disciples what He taught Nicodemus near the beginning of His ministry. To this Pharisee the Lord said, Except a man be born again, he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God. And now the Savior must repeat this lesson to His own followers in a way that suits their particular need, breaking down all their misconceptions concerning the Kingdom He had come to usher in. Stop that squabbling about who will be the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven for except, except ye become as a little child ye shall not enter into the Kingdom of Heaven. In the original the Lord uses very strong language here, employing a double negative. In other words, this is of utmost importance! Without it, you will not even receive a place in God’s Kingdom.
But what does the Lord actually mean by saying, Except ye be converted and become as little children? What does this entail? The word used here in the original means to turn away from, to go in a completely different direction. In today’s terms we would say that the disciples needed to be turned from their selfish, worldly ambition. And instead of being high minded and concerned about positions of prestige and honor, they needed to become like children. Why? Because in their present condition the disciples are much too self centered and concerned about their own honor rather than thinking about the honor and glory of God!
And therefore they must become like that little child the Lord has placed in their midst. But, what is so desirable in a child? What is the Lord trying to say concerning a child? Well, one of the most attractive characteristics of young children is their dependency upon their guardians. Without questioning everything, they simply trust in their God ordained care givers. Moreover, they are willing to leave everything in their capable hands. Their simple trust and unpretentious humility are most desirable characteristics. And the fact that they are weak and limited in strength and knowledge endears children to us. But especially, the humility and humble trustfulness of a child are characteristics God’s people need to learn by looking unto Him. And this was something the disciples had not yet fully learned. You see, congregation, salvation, no matter at what stage, whether it is initially given or experienced by renewal, must always be seen as an undeserved, forfeited gift of God.
Well now, have you already learned this secret concerning the Lord’s Kingdom by the Spirit’s grace. Oh yes, honor, prestige seem so attractive to our ego. But these things can only let you down in the end. There is nothing in this world that can compare to finding refuge as a little child under the shadow of the Lord’s wings. Oh how blessed are those times when the Lord speaks reassuring words, Do not fear, for I Thy Savior am near. That alone can give peace and rest in the soul. That only can provide a real perspective for the future. For when you would enter the unknown future without God, my friends, then you lack direction and an anchor for your soul. Then you lack everything. But let us now thirdly look at The Need to Live Like a Child.
A child, congregation, acts like a child and lives like a child. A child’s ways are natural to its life. A little child does not live its life with presuppositions or with any malice. But it lives its life in the only way it knows how, naturally, as a child in dependence upon its parents. In 1 Corinthians 13:11 we read the well-known verse, When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child. Well now, that is the way it is with a true child of God. A true disciple of the Lord Jesus, a true citizen of His Kingdom is one who has become like a child. What do you mean, someone asks? In what way does this become apparent in one’s life? Well, when that becomes true in one’s life, beloved, then all pretences fall away, then all intentional and deliberate deceit is far removed from an individual. A true Christian does not act like a child; he does not try to give appearances but lives like a child because he is one.