Who Is Greatest?
Scripture: Matthew 18:1-6 (Click link for scripture in Bible Gateway)
1 About that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who is greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven?” 2 Jesus called a little child to him and put the child among them. 3 Then he said, “I tell you the truth, unless you turn from your sins and become like little children, you will never get into the Kingdom of Heaven. 4 So anyone who becomes as humble as this little child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven. 5 And anyone who welcomes a little child like this on my behalf is welcoming me.” (Matthew 18:1–5 NLT)
Jesus’ disciples asked him, “Who is greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven?” Is this a legitimate question? Apparently so, because Jesus answered it by saying, “Anyone who becomes as humble as a little child is the greatest!” Let’s revise our mental picture of the social environment Jesus created around himself. Jesus called a little child to him and put the child in the center of the circle. Little children were present. He called one of the children playing nearby to stand in their circle (perhaps five-year-old Simeon or Peter’s youngest, four-year-old Mary) and said, “If you want to be great in Heaven’s Kingdom, your goal is to become like this child!”
And then Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, anyone who welcomes a little child on my behalf is welcoming me.” Jesus was talking about my mother, Alice Stephens! Mom welcomed the little children on Jesus’ behalf. All my growing up years, the number of kids at the dinner table varied because we were a foster home. If you were a kid or had kids in a Southern Baptist Church or a church that used David C. Cook or Gospel Light children’s material in the 60’s and 70’s, you learned from lessons and stories my mother wrote. The final years of her life, after Dad died, her little apartment in a low-income housing project in Richland, WA, was always full of children, messy, noisy children. Her apartment in heaven is probably no different!
To my mom, Alice Stephens, and to school teachers, caring parents, foster parents, adoptive parents, children’s ministry workers, to anyone who welcomes little children on Jesus’ behalf: you’re the greatest!
Prayer:
Father, Thanks for Mom, a child-welcomer! And thanks for all who welcome little children on Jesus’ behalf! Please fill their cups of blessing to overflowing, because they’re always pouring a cup of cold water for a thirsty child! What I’ve written here is intended to honor, to encourage, and to inspire. May it be so, for the children’s sake!