Mat 18:1 | KingComments | STEP | The Lord speaks in this chapter about two topics that we also find in Matthew 16: the kingdom and the church. This chapter is therefore in line with Matthew 16. Here we learn the practical meaning of the kingdom and of the church. The Lord has just declared that His disciples are sons of the kingdom ( ). Apparently that is still keeping their minds busy, because they ask Him a question about it. While they are concerned about who is the greatest, the Lord makes it clear that in the kingdom only the small count. The first characteristic that fits the kingdom is that of a child. Children are weak and incapable of upholding their rights in the face of a world that overlooks them, for whom they do not count. In children we see the spirit of dependence and humility. The Lord calls a child to Himself. The child comes to Him without any fear, and to the men who are with Him. He sees only the Lord. He places the child in the middle of the men. He wants them all to see this child well. When the child stands there in their midst and they look at him, they hear the voice of their Master Who says they must be converted and become like the children. If they are not converted and become like the children, it is certain that they will not enter the kingdom of heaven. In the absence of their rejected Lord, the spirit that characterizes children is the spirit that fits His followers. Becoming like a child has, according to the Lord’s judgment, consequences for the position in the kingdom. The great example of humiliation is He Himself. We read about Him that He humbled Himself ( ). He is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. With the child’s example in mind, He tells His disciples that they must all do their best to be the greatest. There can only be one who is the greatest. It’s like what Paul says about winning a prize in a competition. The prize can only be received by one participant in the competition: the winner. What Paul is trying to do when using that comparison, we hear in his exhortation. He says that everyone must run in such a way that he obtains the prize ( ). There is more to becoming a child than just a position in the kingdom. The Lord says that whoever receives such a child in His Name receives Him. This means that He identifies Himself with followers who reveal the mind of a child, for that is His mind. He does not stand up for His rights and is not in count. He is dependent and humble.

‏ Matthew 18:1

Become Like a Child

The Lord speaks in this chapter about two topics that we also find in Matthew 16: the kingdom and the church. This chapter is therefore in line with Matthew 16. Here we learn the practical meaning of the kingdom and of the church.

The Lord has just declared that His disciples are sons of the kingdom (Mt 17:26-27). Apparently that is still keeping their minds busy, because they ask Him a question about it. While they are concerned about who is the greatest, the Lord makes it clear that in the kingdom only the small count.

The first characteristic that fits the kingdom is that of a child. Children are weak and incapable of upholding their rights in the face of a world that overlooks them, for whom they do not count. In children we see the spirit of dependence and humility. The Lord calls a child to Himself. The child comes to Him without any fear, and to the men who are with Him. He sees only the Lord. He places the child in the middle of the men. He wants them all to see this child well.

When the child stands there in their midst and they look at him, they hear the voice of their Master Who says they must be converted and become like the children. If they are not converted and become like the children, it is certain that they will not enter the kingdom of heaven. In the absence of their rejected Lord, the spirit that characterizes children is the spirit that fits His followers.

Becoming like a child has, according to the Lord’s judgment, consequences for the position in the kingdom. The great example of humiliation is He Himself. We read about Him that He humbled Himself (Phil 2:8). He is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. With the child’s example in mind, He tells His disciples that they must all do their best to be the greatest. There can only be one who is the greatest.

It’s like what Paul says about winning a prize in a competition. The prize can only be received by one participant in the competition: the winner. What Paul is trying to do when using that comparison, we hear in his exhortation. He says that everyone must run in such a way that he obtains the prize (1Cor 9:24).

There is more to becoming a child than just a position in the kingdom. The Lord says that whoever receives such a child in His Name receives Him. This means that He identifies Himself with followers who reveal the mind of a child, for that is His mind. He does not stand up for His rights and is not in count. He is dependent and humble.