The disciples came to Jesus and asked: "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of Heaven?" (Mat 18:1, Mark 9:33–34, Luk 9:46). Their understanding of greatness at that time was derived from the world based on earthly criteria. Jesus answered:
- "Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant
of all." (Mark 9:35 (NIV)). - "For it is the one who is least among you all who is the greatest."
(Luk 9:48b (NIV)).
This means that we must voluntary choose to be the least in the minds of men,
even when we think we should be the first, if we want to be great in the eyes of God.
This doesn't come naturally. We shouldn't exalt leaders (1 Cor 3:5–7).
Jesus then visualized this by calling to him a child and placing him in their midst
(Mat 18:2, Mark 9:36, Luk 9:47). A child at that time had no rights under the law from a legal point of view. In society, children were considered insignificant and unimportant. A child's social status was very low (Job 32:4–6).
Jesus said to his disciples:
- "Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of Heaven." (Mat 18:3). It speaks of repentance and that their thinking shouldn't be self-centered, see
1) Blessed are the poor in spirit in The Sermon on the Mount.
Entering the kingdom of Heaven is about who Jesus is and what he did,
see Salvation. - "Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of Heaven." (Mat 18:4). We should humble ourselves before
Lord, and he will lift us up (James 4:10), see 3) Blessed are the meek
in The Sermon on the Mount. If we humble ourselves, we are great in God's eyes. - "Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me,
and whoever receives me, receives not me but him who sent me."
(Mark 9:37, Luk 9:48a, Mat 18:5). When we receive someone who belongs to Jesus, it's as if we receive Jesus Christ himself, even if that person is insignificant in the eyes of the world. It's even as if we receive God the Father in Heaven. See The Sheep and the Goats.
In the world a person needs to be something in himself to represent a person of importance, but it's not so in the kingdom of Heaven.
It also means that if a person causes a Christian follower to stumble
(to sin), it's as if that person did it to Jesus himself, see the church Pergamum in The Seven Churches in the Book of Revelation.
Jesus even said that it would be better for such a person to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths
of the sea (Mark 9:42, Mat 18:6–7, 10, Luk 17:1–2).
Jesus later said: "Let the children come to me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it."
(Luk 18:15–17, Mat 19:13–15, Mark 10:13–16).
People who choose God's Heaven are like little children:
- A child hasn't lost the sense of awe and wonder
(Mat 21:15–16, Psalm 8:2–3 (3–4 in some translations), 33:8–9). - A child's life is characterized by dependence (Col 1:17, Acts 17:28).
- A child has an amazing ability to forgive, see
The Parable of the Unforgiving Servant. - A child readily admits his inability (2 Cor 12:9).
- A child's life is based on believing. They trust in their parents.
Jesus used a child as an image and symbol on greatness in the kingdom of Heaven. He talks about how a child is seen in society. A child doesn't exemplify what the world think is important, such as Possession, Power, and Popularity (Phil 3:7).
A child is an image of meekness, humility, and trust. We should put our faith (trust) in God in a childlike way (but not in a childish way).
There is a difference between childlike and childish, see the short video
Are You Childlike or Childish?: Ultimately with R.C. Sproul.
- Childlike: Innocent and trusting like a child. It's a positive characteristic.
- Childish: Silly and immature. It's a negative trait.
We should have a childlike (not childish) faith to believe God's word without a problem, and read the Bible as it says (Proverbs 3:5, Mat 11:25–26). A childish faith is something else. It believes even when there is absolutely no evidence of a case to support it. For example that there are other planets in our galaxy that have life, see The Fermi Paradox.
Jesus also set aside his own rights. Jesus is the best example of humility and greatness in the kingdom of Heaven. Instead of using a child as an example,
he could have told them to just look at him and follow his example of obedience
(Phil 2:4–8). He came as a servant (Mat 12:16–18a).
This conversation about who is the greatest was still going on between the disciples at the Last Supper, just hours before Jesus was crucified (Luk 22:24).
The more people you are over, the greater you are in the world (Luk 22:25). The higher you are in the pecking order, the higher is your social status (Luk 22:27).
However, Jesus spoke of a different kind of leadership for his people.
Jesus reveals our motives.
Jesus answered them:
- "But not so with you. Rather, let the greatest among you become as the youngest, and the leader as one who serves." (Luk 22:26).
- "But I am among you as one who serves." (Luk 22:27b, Mark 10:45).
Jesus said that, even though he is the one who really deserves to be served. It's a different way of thinking compared to how it's in the world. We should act like we aren't qualified even when we think we know better than the others. If we want to be a leader, we should let other people speak, and when we speak, we should do so in humility. The motive behind it, is to maintain the humility to be able to serve and sometimes hold my tongue (stop myself from speaking). But it shouldn't be done because of Fear of Man. Sometimes I need to speak up like Jesus did.
"You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." (Mark 10:42–45).
Jesus washed the disciples' feet one by one at the Last Supper (John 13:4–11). Jesus then said:
- "You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you." (John 13:12–15).
- "A servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them." (John 13:16–17).
Jesus used this incident as a picture of how we should act toward one another. It was the lowest ones of a household's servants at that culture who washed the feet (1 Sam 25:41). Jesus exemplified the attitude of humility that is willing to go to the lowest place and there humbly serve. People may not even notice if you do it, but God sees it. This is where greatness is defined in the kingdom of Heaven. It's all about motive and what's in our hearts. However, this isn't easy to do in our own strength. The flesh doesn't like to limit itself. It's also an image
that we must accept the humble service of Jesus to cleanse us (John 13:8). It's only through the work of the Holy Spirit within us that we can make progress in this, see Sanctification. The disciples would eventually understand this. They faced persecution, trials and hardships, but through it all they continued to follow Jesus. Jesus saw who the disciples would become before it even happened
(Luk 22:28–30), see The Predestination Theory.
See also Some stories in the gospels at the bottom of The Four Gospels.
