About that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who is greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven?” Jesus called a little child to him and put the child among them. 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. So anyone who becomes as humble as this little child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven. “And anyone who welcomes a little child like this on my behalf is welcoming me. But if you cause one of these little ones who trusts in me to fall into sin, it would be better for you to have a large millstone tied around your neck and be drowned in the depths of the sea. [Matthew 18.1-6]
It is a universal fact: children are not self-sufficient.
Jesus chose a child to depict the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven because a child has no notion that he or she exists without help. In that way, a child is humble. In that way a child is also vulnerable.
There are two things Jesus taught through His illustration with a child:
- Living in self-sufficiency is a sin: unless you turn from your sins and become like little children...
- Teaching self-sufficiency is a sin: if you cause one of these little ones who trusts in me to fall into sin...
This goes hand-in-hand with what Jesus said at another time and place:
If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. [Matthew 16.24]
To "give up our own way" is to give up our idea of self-sufficiency. It is to abandon any thought that we can sustain ourselves.
To "take up our cross" is to demonstrate to others that we have no dependency upon ourselves because the cross we carry renders us incapable of doing so (a person "nailed to a cross" cannot "hold onto" anything else).
This furthermore goes hand-in-hand with the first three Commandments:
Commandments 1 & 2: “I am the LORD your God, who rescued you from the land of Egypt, the place of your slavery. “You must not have any other god but me. “You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind or an image of anything in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea. You must not bow down to them or worship them, for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods. I lay the sins of the parents upon their children; the entire family is affected—even children in the third and fourth generations of those who reject me. But I lavish unfailing love for a thousand generations on those who love me and obey my commands. [Exodus 20.2-6]
Commandment 3: “You must not misuse the name of the LORD your God. The LORD will not let you go unpunished if you misuse his name. [Exodus 20.7]
The 1st & 2nd Commandments warn us that living in self-sufficiency is sin: it must be given up.
The 3rd Commandment warns us that to speak God's name in blasphemy is sin. It is a misuse of (blasphemy against) God's name (Who is all-sufficient) to declare that sufficiency is found in, or even alongside, any other name (idol). To "speak" any other name (the name of an idol) is to inadvertently teach it - demonstrate it - to others. To "take up our cross" renders us incapable of demonstrating any other name but the name of Jesus (God With Us - Immanuel).
It is pure child-like humility to trust God alone. Such trust, from an adult perspective, is vulnerable. To take advantage of that vulnerability, teaching "the believing child" to trust in anyone or anything other than or in addition to God secures severe consequences: it would be better for you to have a large millstone tied around your neck and be drowned in the depths of the sea.
In Jesus' own words, this is deep!
Father in heaven, as we "dive in" to Your Word, may our eyes be opened to the consistent truth of Jesus that flows uninterrupted between what we call the Old Testament and the New Testament. May we see that singularly trusting in You - through Jesus - is indeed, child-like. Help us to see that it is indeed adult-like to surround ourselves with idols... May we be found, in child-like faith giving up our own way, and, in intentional demonstration of that child-like faith taking up our cross, and following Jesus. So be it.
