Humility and Greatness - Matthew 18:1-14

We have reached the 4th out of 6 major teaching sections in the book of Matthew.

The first, of course, was the great Sermon on the Mount, where we learned who are the blessed ones, and what it looks like to exhibit true righteousness.

The next was Jesus’ teaching to the disciples as he commissioned them to go out on their own preaching and healing mission. We learned that we should expect persecution, and that we should continually fear God over men. We also learned, for the first time, that in order to follow Jesus truly, it involves death to self, a carrying of the cross - the death march that leads to true.

The third was the section of Jesus’ Kingdom Parables, where we learned how the Kingdom grows and spreads. We learned about different kinds of hearts, the hard, the stubborn, the shallow, and the good heart, and we learned that while the Kingdom of God may start with small beginnings, it grows miraculously like the little pinch of yeast in a lump of dough.

Here in Matthew 18, Jesus is yet again speaking about what it looks like to be a citizen of His Kingdom, and the themes are relatively basic.

Humility + Forgiveness.

Now, there are other points of teaching, but between those two, that is the major emphasis.

And we really see both of those themes in two ways

We see a need for humility on our part, as well as the stooping down, so to speak, in humility of the Lord Himself.

And in terms of forgiveness, we see a great need for us to exhibit forgiveness, as well as seeing the Master exhibit and supreme example of the Lord’s forgiveness of his own children.

We will look at verses 14 this morning, and focus in on humility.

In the rubric of Christ’s Kingdom, humility is the true measure of greatness. May we humble ourselves before our Lord, and like our Lord.

1. Humility before the Face of the Lord - Vs. 1-6

Matthew 18:1–4 (ESV)

At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them and 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.

We see the disciples coming to ask Jesus a question, and their question has to do with the operation of Jesus’ Kingdom.

All along, the disciples have been hearing Jesus say peculiar things about His Kingdom. Things that nobody expected, and things that nobody anticipated. Jesus was altering the viewpoint of many, like his own disciples, but becoming a stumbling stone for many at the same time - whether those national zealots, who focused their attention on the Kingdom as a radical overthrow of other political powers like Rome, or those Pharisees and Scribes, who were fearful for their positions of power if too many people caught wind and followed the teachings of this Jesus.

And even though the disciples were learning and starting to pick up on things, we see right up until the end of the Gospels that they still didn’t have a full grasp on the Kingdom that Jesus was inaugurating.

Acts 1:6 ESV

So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?”

There, right before Jesus’ ascension to the right hand of the Father, they were still wondering about the true nature of the Kingdom.

“Now/At this time” - they were hoping for a physical manifestation right there and then

“restore” - they were hoping for a movement, and overtake, a visible change

“to Israel” - they were hoping for a national/political experience of Kingdom and Kingship.

So even when Jesus left, the disciples were still being “discipled.” That is, they were still learning.

And here, they are learning as well - and even if their question revealed their ignorance, it is still i helpful question because the teaching that sprung from it is critical to our own Kingdom living.

“Who is the greatest?”

At this point, there is no doubt in their mind that Jesus is the Messiah, that He is the promised one to come, that He is the one to bring the Kingdom that he speaks of. They had that right, but they were still fuzzy on the mechanics of the whole thing.

They asked “who is greater in the Kingdom?” That is the literal translation - but there are clues that tell us that they were really looking for a name of a person who would be right up there - like the second in command.

“Who” - they were looking for a person

“is” - right now. They were interested in knowing a name, maybe even one of their own names - who was the standout individual among them. It was clear that Jesus would in some way and somehow reign in His Kingdom, and seeing as they were clearly chosen by Him to follow and help Him, they thought it should be clear that one of them might be his right hand man!

Would it be Peter, the outspoken leader and spokesperson of the group? Would it be John, the more quiet but beloved disciple? Would it be Nathanael, the one who Jesus saw and said “behold, an Israelite in whom there is no guile!”? Would it be Matthew, the tax collector with some idea of how the financial element of a Kingdom works?

Whatever they were thinking, we should have some element of sympathy for them - how could you not be wondering this in some regard? They were with the greatest individual who ever walked upon the face of the earth! They were chosen by him specifically, by name, out of multitudes of people they were called to walk with Him and learn from him.

They were in the aura of greatness. Three of them had just seen the transcendent glory of the Divine nature shine through Him in the Transfiguration.

Yet, none of them were great. They were from lowly origin. Commoners. Fishermen. A despised Tax collector.

None of them were powerful. 9 of them had just failed to cast out a demon.

They were not wealthy. They often did not have enough food, and they seemingly didn’t have enough even to pay the two-drachma temple tax.

They were not eloquent. They had no course in communication or public speech. They did not sit at the feet of the great rabbis and lecturers of that day.

They were not great - yet something in them sought greatness.

And to this, Jesus gives them this lesson.

Matthew 18:2 (ESV)

And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them

Now, if ever there was an object lesson, it was this one.

Jesus, in his candor and wisdom, calls a little child - typically a word for a child up to 7 years old - out of the crowds or bypassers, and places him squarely in the middle of his group of disciples - of grown men.

If you imagine a circle of men with a little boy in the middle, the comparative nature of that child would be known immediately.

To the disciples, the little boy must have looked weak and insignificant. Perhaps a bit confused and even a little frightened. He might have looked naive and timid.

And that was exactly the point.

In seeing the insignificance and characteristic smallness of that little child, the disciples received their answer - who is the greatest in the Kingdom? The greatest are those like this little one. Insignificant and small.

Of course, the object lesson was not given in silence, but Jesus spoke and expounded on what he has just shown them.

Matthew 18:3–4 (ESV)

and 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.

Jesus then gives a great lesson in humility, and the first element of genuine humility involves what we might call repentance, or even conversion.

“Unless you turn… you will never enter the Kigndom.”

The need for genuine conversion, real repentance granted by God and coupled with faith, cannot be understated.

Have you ever asked a person, “how long have you been a Christian?” And heard the response, “I have always been a Christian.”?

Now, there may be a sense in which you’ve never experienced a radical transformation from wickedness and immorality and debauchery to righteousness, but dear one, just because you’ve never decided against Christ does not mean that you have turned and become like one of these little children.

In fact, in resting upon your good record or having a background in a Christian upbringing, you may be exhibiting the very pride that needs this sort of conversion - this sort of repentance.

Jesus is speaking, of course, metaphorically, of becoming like a child.

He is not saying that only little children will be in heaven, and he is not even saying that all children are automatically in the kingdom. He is comparing the humility and weakness of the child to the relative pride of the disciples’ question, and we can compare that to the relative pride that is naturally present in all of our hearts.

Proverbs 16:5 (ESV)

Everyone who is arrogant in heart is an abomination to the Lord;

be assured, he will not go unpunished.

Proverbs 18:12 ESV

Before destruction a man’s heart is haughty, but humility comes before honor.

Jesus is not teaching anything new here, but he is teaching something critical.

The first question is, have you ever become like a little child before the Lord, turning from your self-reliance, self-righteousness, and moral-good-standing to become to bow before Him? I hope you have - and you may not remember a time and place, a date and occasion, but you know in your heart - you know between you and the Lord whether it is Him you are trusting in or yourself. I urge you to make that clear.

But still, for those who have come to this point, this element of pride and humility is still a constant battle.

What does it mean to humble ourselves like a little child?

Admittance of weakness.

Admittance of limitation.

Readiness to believe what our Father tells us.

Real understanding and appreciation of consequences.

This is one of many seemingly paradoxical statements in the Bible, but it is so beautiful.

Only those like little children will be the greatest.

Only those who humble themselves will be raised up.

James 4:10 (ESV)

Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.

2 Corinthians 12:10 (ESV)

For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Christ’s Kingdom is counter-culture, it is counter-expectation as well. In order to be great in Christ’s Kingdom, ours is not to build our reputation and resume and list of accolades, but rather to humble ourselves, to admit our weakness, our limitations, to be ready to believe, to obey, and to follow.

Is our confidence that of a little child who is trusting in His father, or is our confidence in ourselves?

Do we boast in our ability or do we quickly recognize our weaknesses?

1 Corinthians 1:26–31 ESV

For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”

Do you see Jesus’ teaching coming through in Paul’s words here?

Not wise - not mighty - not noble or important

but

foolish - weak - low and despised.

Why? So that nobody would be able to boast. And whatever boasting we do have, it is only in the Lord.

In God’s Kingdom, the weak shame the strong, and the foolish shame the wise, but we do not do so by becoming like the strong and wise of the world. We do not play their game by getting on their level. No, rather, we are taught, that the Lord’s chosen ones are on a different set of rules - a different rubric.

Dear one, is this kind of humility evidenced in your life?

Are we quick to build ourselves up and defend ourselves, or are we more interested in humility?

I can think of no more heinous examples of godless pride, than the times in my life where in seeking to prove myself right, I have proven myself to be acting in pride and arrogance.

Ever had an argument with a loved one or a spouse? Ever had a disagreement where you were just so sure that you were right, that you would stop at almost no lengths to prove it?

Well, it is embarrassing to have that argument and then to be proven wrong. We all have to, proverbially, eat crow at times.

But can I say, there is something worse?

Some of the most humiliating and obviously sinful experiences I can think of are times when I have gone to great lengths in argument and giving examples and exasperating myself to prove to Lizzy that I am right about something.

And then when I am finally proven right, the flesh in me comes out and says, “See! I was right! See how foolish you were? Why didn’t you just listen to me!!!”

And in that moment, while I may have been technically right on some detail, I could not have been more wrong in terms of what Jesus is teaching here.

Pride erases any merit in your rightness.

It is better to be humble and proven wrong, than to be right and be proven proud.

Think of it this way. If you are right about something, and you fail to convince someone else that you are right, you haven’t really lost anything. If you truly are right, and someone neglects to hear you, then the onus is on them.

However, if you make yourself a prideful and arrogant fool in proving your point, you have now sinned in your attempt to be right, and you have still gained nothing.

Interpersonally, the other person (spouse, friend, child) may know that you were “right,” but they also now know that you are unkind, uncharitable, over-zealous, and rude.

Spiritually, you have neglected Jesus’ standard of righteousness and greatness - which is not “rightness” but humility.

James 4:10 ESV

Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.

The desire to exalt ourselves is sinful pride. The desire to boast in our rightness is sinful pride. the desire to lift ourselves up above others is sinful pride. The desire to vindicate ourselves at any cost is sinful pride.

James 4:6 ESV

But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

Dear one, I believe that those who are in Christ, who are saved, are eternally secure in Him. I don’t believe that a true believer who has been converted and brought to spiritual life can fall away from that life.

But this verse should strike a holy fear in your heart. God actively opposes the proud.

But he gives grace to the Humble.

The Lord’s eye is to the humble, the weak, the lowly and the despised.

Matthew 5:3–6 ESV

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

Do you see it there? Poor, mourning, meek, and hungry.

Clearly without. Clearly bereaved. Clearly low. Clearly needy.

That is where we ought to be before the Lord. That is what it is like to be as a little child. That is what constitutes greatness in Christ’s Kingdom.

Matthew 18:5 (ESV)

“Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me,

Jesus then goes on to speak about receiving “one such child...”

The question here becomes, is he talking about literal little children, or is he talking about those who become like little children?

Well, there is no reason to think he is excluding the little children, but it seems obvious that he is using the term “little children” to speak of those who have humbled themselves before Him, and come like a little child.

There is a sense in which Jesus is telling the disciples to change their focus! They want to know who is the greatest, the flashy and beautiful in the Kingdom, but Jesus is telling them to look, rather, to the humble.

That does, certainly include the little children. There is no doubt that Jesus had a place in his mind and certainly in his Kingdom for those little children who follow Him. As he also has a place for the others in his day who were humble and despised.

Illustration of a crowd looking for the next important person.

Whoever receives them, receives no less than me.

James 2:1–5 (ESV)

My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory. For if a man wearing a gold ring and fine clothing comes into your assembly, and a poor man in shabby clothing also comes in, and if you pay attention to the one who wears the fine clothing and say, “You sit here in a good place,” while you say to the poor man, “You stand over there,” or, “Sit down at my feet,” have you not then made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts? Listen, my beloved brothers, has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which he has promised to those who love him?

Dear one, as soon as we make distinctions in our body, in our church, in our social gatherings, in our homes, in our thinking, that Christ does not make - then we have taken the place of the judge. We have become a respecter of persons, a slave to partiality, and have yet again exhibited pride in a whole new way.

Jesus receives the lowly, the despised, the humble, and we ought to receive them too.

Matthew 11:28–29 ESV

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

Take the yoke of humility and lowliness. Take the yoke of Jesus, who is the ultimate receiving of the weak and downtrodden.

Turn to Him.

Receive others in His name.

2. Humility in the face of Temptation - Vs. 7-9

Matthew 18:7–9 ESV

“Woe to the world for temptations to sin! For it is necessary that temptations come, but woe to the one by whom the temptation comes! And if your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life crippled or lame than with two hands or two feet to be thrown into the eternal fire. And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into the hell of fire.

3. Humility in the face of Mercy - Vs. 10-14

Matthew 18:10–14 ESV

“See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven. What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray? And if he finds it, truly, I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray. So it is not the will of my Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.