Sermon Tone Analysis

Way back in the beginning of Matthew 18, Jesus told us that Kingdom Citizens look like little children, they come in their humility, in their relative insignificance, with their lack of resources or abilities to offer, yet they are blessed.

As we start off in our passage today, that theme is reinforced, only this time the emphasis is on actual children that are brought to Jesus, and again, Jesus says “the kingdom of heaven belongs to such.”

As we’ve walked through Matthew, we have seen Matthew group his writing into themes, often putting story upon story or teaching upon teaching to emphasize a point.

To some, this might be frustrating - we wish that Matthew would have written just as things happened - in the exact order or sequence.

But the way Matthew is writing is true to His experience, and it is helpful, because Matthew is telling us what He learned, as a disciple of Jesus Christ, and how he learned it.

And seemingly, in this section, there is somewhat of a theme of relationships.

In the middle of Matthew 18, for instance, we learned what to do if our brother sins against us.

We learned about our relationships in terms of forgiveness.

Well, in the beginning of Matthew 19, we read about the marriage relationship, and how we view that covenant and bond that was made before God.

And, it is no wonder that Matthew writes about that relationship right after forgiveness, for perhaps the one relationship that requires the most often forgiveness is the relationship of man and wife.

Next, as we see today, Matthew speaks of two other kinds of relationships.

First, he goes again to children - and we will see why that was important in a moment.

Finally, we see one other kind of relationship - and that is our relationship with our possessions, with our wealth.

All of these things, truly, go back to where we started in the beginning of 18, because all of these relationships reflect on our heart.

Whether it is with forgiveness, or our marriage, or our children, or our wealth, all of those things require a righteous mindset and righteous attitudes, especially humility.

Pride is a great enemy of following Jesus.

If we refuse to forgive, or refuse to love, or refuse to stoop down for those below us, or cling tightly to our earnings and possessions, we do not reflect our Savior.

Some of us have very few possessions, but we may have pride, and we might be prone to cling to that like its our dying resource.

Even in that situation, these lessons are applicable.

Entrance into the Kingdom is granted to those who truly follow Jesus, but that does not come without a cost.

1.

The Last - Vs. 13-15

There is a purposeful “between the lines” comparison in this text between these little children and the rich man that we read about afterward.

These children were brought to Jesus, for a blessing.

This wouldn’t have been uncommon, people would often request that a great Rabbi or religious leader would bless their children, pray for them.

It was often done at age 13, when parents would seek a blessing for their children to sort of “graduate” from childhood into becoming responsible for the commandments.

But the word here generally refers to “very young children,” maybe up to 6 or 7 years old.

And the point of this little story is not so much about the blessing they were seeking, but the disciples’ response and Jesus’ teaching.

The disciples “rebuked the people.”

The people who were bringing these children, presumably parents.

They denounced them.

They heaped shame on them.

Why would they do that?

Well, a little cultural research shows that people didn’t exactly have the same view of children as we do at that time.

In our culture, we might go a bit to the other extreme, and sort of idolize our children, making all things about their happiness and contentment.

But in this day, especially these young children were often seen as an annoyance.

And even if they weren’t “annoying,” they were certainly the least and lowest of society.

Now, we should note that this view of children did not come from a righteous, scriptural mindset.

In fact, the scriptures taught quite the opposite.

The proverbs also speak of children and grandchildren as the glory of their family.

So this annoyance and despising that was taking place here was not in keeping with God’s viewpoint of children, and Jesus shows us that.

The lesson is simple - Jesus included the children.

The Kingdom of heaven is not just for mature adults.

It is very possible for young children to come to him, with childlike humility and faith, and gain entrance into the Kingdom.

We should have Jesus’ view of the children.

Can they be frustrating at times?

Can they cause trouble?

Of course, but truly, they are the next generation of our world, they are the next generation of our church, they are the next generation of the Kingdom here on earth.

And it is to “such” that the kingdom belongs.

That is, those like the children.

Jesus is again making a comparison - it will be those child-like disciples who are greatest in the Kingdom, just as we saw in the beginning of 18.

The children were brought, in their humility, in their weakness, to Jesus.

And they exemplified the Kigndom.

The disciples, here, showed a bit of the opposite - they revealed the leftover pride in their hearts as they rebuked the people and tried to send them away.

Jesus, again, brings them down a few notches by lifting up the least of these.

These children, the least and last in society, the lowest and sometimes despised, were the first - the owners of the Kingdom.

Now, of course, the Kingdom truly is “owned” by the king, but the Kingdom is “theirs” in that these little ones, and the kingdom citizens like them, are the true benefactors of the Kingdom.

Do we reflect Jesus’ view of the children?

That they are the next generation of the Kingdom, the next generation of our church, and the next generation of our world?

That we should not despise them for their lowliness, but embrace that lowliness for ourselves before our Savior?

2. The First - Vs. 16-20

Well, Matthew then gives us a masterful comparison - for after the little children are brought to Jesus in their humility and insignificance, the entire opposite happens.

We read about this man in all three of the synoptic Gospels, Matthew, Mark, and Luke.

We learn a few different things about Him.

Matthew tells us first that he is just a man, but eventually we learn that he is young an rich.

Mark adds that he is a “ruler.”

Possibly a pharisee, possibly a Temple official.

Regardless, his social standing and wealth are important in this passage, because compared with the little children, he is not the low and despised of the world, but the esteemed.

He comes looking for a spiritual achievement, a spiritual secret.

The way he asks his question gives an idea of his mindset.

He had obviously accomplished much at his young age, and attained much.

He thought, surely there is something greater I can do to unlock eternal life.

Jesus’ response tells us a few things.

One, it tells us that Jesus is already onto him.

Jesus perceives something in the young man, something in his voice, in his question, that we cannot see yet.

Jesus perceives that, though he seems honest and prudent and earnest about going deeper in a spiritual sense, that there will be something to hinder him.

There is more than meets the eye.

“why do you as me about what is good?

There is but one who is good.”

Even with that, Jesus knocks him down a notch, reminding him that nothing he can do is truly “good.”

Only God is good.

He then gives him a very simple, yet impossible, response.

“If you would enter life, keep the commandments.”

Now, right there should have been an admittance of honesty.

“Well, i try to keep them, but I fall short.”

There would have been humility, there would have been a childlike demeanor.

But instead, the young man digs himself into a deeper hole.

Jesus reminds the young man about God’s law, and gives him some examples from the commandments.

The noteworthy thing about these, is that they are all the external commands.

He gives the five commandments that can clearly be observed.

And they are the 5 commandments that have to do with how we treat others.

He also sums them up with “love your neighbor as yourself.”

At this point, the young man was probably diappointed in Jesus’ answer.

For in his mind, these were all so simple.

He had kept these!

No problem.

Again, this reveals his mindset.

He honestly believed he was blameless in these categories.

He honestly believed he was beyond these simple commandments - he wanted something deeper, something more.

Some spiritual adventure, something noteworthy.

These simple things, though, are not as simple as they seem - and as we will see, had he truly been keeping these, the next thing that Jesus says would not have been as difficult or surprising.