Matthew 18:1-20 (Pentecost 15)
St. John, Galveston 9/6/26
Rev. Alan Taylor

+ In Nomie Jesu +

Grace and peace to you, from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

    “The disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” It’s a question full of assumption, but it’s not a unique question among the disciples. James and John, the two sons of Zebedee, once asked Jesus, “Lord, grant that one of us sit on your right and the other on your left when you come in your Kingdom.” Perhaps worse than the question itself, is the context in which it was asked. Jesus had just told His disciples that He was going to suffer and die. When James and John asked for the two seats of honor in the Kingdom, Jesus said, “that’s not Mine to give, but My Father who is in heaven.”

    At another time, people were going out into the wilderness to see John the Baptist. Jesus asked them, “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? What then did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing?”…“What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet, (for) among those born of women none is greater than John. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.”

    What Jesus taught His disciples regarding greatness in the Kingdom of heaven seemed like a riddle. Greatness in God’s Kingdom is in being last, not in being first, it’s in humility and servanthood. John is the greatest, Jesus said, presumably because of his role in preparing the way for Jesus. And yet, the one who is least in the Kingdom is greater than he. Ultimately, Jesus is both the least and the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven, because He was and is  the servant of servants, the One who gave His life as a ransom for many. As Jesus Himself said, “I did not come to be served, but to serve and to give My life as ransom for many.”

    This morning, the question of greatness in the Kingdom of heaven comes up again. “The disciples came to Jesus, saying, Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” Most likely, they anxiously waited for Jesus’ response to their question. It’s pure speculation, of course, but Peter may of thought, surely I’m the greatest. After all, I am the one who is mentioned first in all of the list’s of the apostles. On the other hand, James and John may have thought one of them was the greatest. After all, Jesus took both of them with Him atop the mountain where He was transfigured before their very eyes.

    The disciples stood around and waited anxiously for Jesus to answer their question. “Who is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven?” It was a tense moment. Perhaps each of the disciples gazed over at one another to size each other up. I picture the moment as somewhat like the end of a Miss America Pageant, but without the evening gown and swimsuit competitions. “Who is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven?”

    Jesus called a child to Himself and set the child in their midst. Now, we know the disciples didn’t have a high regard for children, because a little later in this same Gospel, were told that “People were bringing little children to Jesus that he might lay his hands on them and pray. The disciples rebuked the people, but Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.” With the disciples attitude towards children in mind, one could only wonder what sort of object lesson Jesus had in mind when He set this child before Him.

    In this case, Jesus didn’t give the disciples a chance to object to the presence of a child in their midst. Rather, He said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”

    The question is, what does it mean to become like children to enter the Kingdom of heaven? Are children less sinful than adults? Is that it? Are they less assuming of other people than adults? Are they more trusting than adults? Are they more caring and loving toward other people than are adults? Are they innocent, in less need of forgiveness than adults? What exactly does it mean to become like children?

    Well, first of all, children, even if they are some of the things just mentioned, aren’t always those things. Children aren’t less sinful than adults. This one is an absolute, because, as the Scriptures say, all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.” They aren’t always more unassuming than adults. They aren’t necessarily more loving and caring of others than are adults. So, Jesus call for people to become like little children to enter the kingdom of heaven doesn’t have anything to do with these things.

    There is one thing though that all children have in common. What is it? It’s dependence. Children, particularly from a very young age, are absolutely dependent on someone, generally their parents, for absolutely everything. And, while dependence is generally considered a negative quality in adults, it isn’t in children. Dependence is also not a negative quality when it comes to the Kingdom of heaven and our entering into it. In fact, without becoming like “little children,” that is, dependent, we cannot enter the Kingdom of heaven.  

    As God’s dear children, baptized into the death and resurrection of Jesus, He and His righteousness are what we depend on to enter the Kingdom of Heaven.

    At another time, Jesus told a parable about a man who had been beaten, and robbed, and left for dead on the side of the road. He was is in such a condition that he was dependent on whoever would come by and  help him. He could do nothing for himself. A number of people passed him by and did nothing to help him. In their refusal to help, some, I suppose, feared for their own lives. Others were afraid that they might break a religious law by touching someone who was already dead. Whatever their reasons were, they passed him by.

    A Samaritan came along and helped the man. Can you imagine? It was a Samaritan, one of the most hated and despised groups of people, that helped the man. The man literally had nothing to give. He was helpless in every sense of the word. And yet, the Samaritan bound up his wounds and he took him to an inn and left him there so that he could recover from his wounds. As He departed, the Samaritan paid the innkeeper and told him, “whatever is charged to him, charge it to Me.”  
That’s an important statement in the parable. “Whatever is charged to him, charge it to Me.” Ultimately, the parable isn’t calling you and me to be like the Good Samaritan, although it’s good that we strive to serve others, when and where we can. Rather, the parable is about our relationship to God under the Gospel of grace. You and I are man beaten and left for dead on the side of the road. We have nothing to offer and nothing to give that anyone might care for us. We are, in every way, dependent on the mercy of others. Jesus is the Good Samaritan who comes to us and tends to our wounds and who binds us up with forgiveness and mercy. He’s the One who says His Father, “whatever is charged to you, charge it to Me.”

“Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” It’s a call to depend on Jesus, and Him alone, that you might receive the fullness of God’s grace and mercy in Him.
           
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

The peace of God that passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus unto life everlasting. Amen.

+ Soli Deo Gloria +