Matthew 18.1-5 Mark 9.33-37 Luke 9.46-48

Matthew 18:1-5
1 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;
Mark 9:33-37
33 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.” 36 Taking a child, He set him before them, and taking him in His arms, He said to them, 37 “Whoever receives one child like this in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me does not receive Me, but Him who sent Me.”
Luke 9:46-48
46 An argument started among them as to which of them might be the greatest. 47 But Jesus, knowing what they were thinking in their heart, took a child and stood him by His side, 48 and said to them, “Whoever receives this child in My name receives Me, and whoever receives Me receives Him who sent Me; for the one who is least among all of you, this is the one who is great.”
There are many things about the Christian life that take us by surprise as they are just the opposite of what our fallen nature believes.  The disciples learn a vital truth about how God looks at life and how God measures greatness.  It is a vital lesson for all of us to learn because all of us have the exact same tendencies that the disciples exhibited in today’s text.  Any time we see an attitude or action that is just a natural part of how we live and respond, it is important for us to depend on the supernatural power of God to save us from this way of thinking.

THE PROBLEM OF PRIDE: Pride is one of the root causes of all the sins in our lives.  The disciples once again demonstrate that they are on a completely different page than Jesus.  While Jesus has been trying to tell them about His impending suffering and death; they are still focused on the kingdom and arguing about who will be the greatest in the kingdom.  They are all comparing one another and competing with one another to try to earn the highest honors for themselves in the kingdom.  This fixation on the kingdom and desire for greatness reveals exactly where their hearts are.  Unfortunately, we all must admit that our hearts are in a very similar place.  We are selfish by our very nature and will go to great lengths to promote ourselves and become very offended if someone does something to tear us down.  Our pride causes rifts in our relationships with one another and puts us in direct opposition to God.  We were created to promote God’s glory, not our own.  When we become motivated by our own pride, we disqualify ourselves from the ministry God has called us to fulfill and are distracted from the primary purpose for which we were created.

THE HOPE OF HUMILITY: Jesus knows the hearts of His disciples and that they have been fighting with one another about which of them was the first to be called and which of them were going to have the highest places of recognition in the kingdom they are so anxious for Jesus to inaugurate.  Jesus responds by taking a child and teaching them that the kingdom of heaven is made up of people who are humble like a child.  God wants us to be satisfied, content and simply enjoy our relationship with Him.  Children can be very selfish and have a tendency to fight one another for toys and attention just like the disciples have been doing.  Jesus is clearly not teaching that we are to become like foolish and selfish children in order to please Him.  The point that Jesus is making is that in order to enter the kingdom we must recognize the sinfulness of our own hearts and humbly see ourselves as children instead of imagining ourselves to be great.  God is pleased when we enjoy our relationship with Him as a child who trusts, honors and simply enjoys a relationship with Him.


APPLICATION: Beware of the way that pride permeates our thoughts actions and motives.  Evaluate our broken relationships and determine how pride has brought us to that place of conflict.  Repent of our pride and trust God to forgive us, renew us and help us to walk before Him in all humility.  Be motivated by the eternal kingdom and not positions of power and status on earth. 

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