Be the GOAT

Matthew 18:1-6

Jesus holds a child up as the model of greatness in the Kingdom. In our child-worshipping culture, it is difficult to imagine how surprising this would be. Children are unproven, ephemeral, unproductive drains on society. Their entire worldly purpose is to become contributing and productive adults as quickly as possible. We are human beings, not human doings. Our value to God is intrinsic, because He loves me, and we can rest and play (and sometimes work) like His child.

Child Leaderboard

People say they don’t have favorite children. That’s crazy. Of course they do.

And I heard “clarity is kind”… so I thought it would be kind to post the rankings, updated daily, of my favorite children. Best to worst.

With rank come privileges. Better phones, maybe better rooms, more screen time, etc… Best of all, more love and attention from me.

You want to move up the rankings? Get those chores done, maybe do extra chores.

Compliments work well. Bribes work even better.

Who is the greatest of my children?

We could do that here at church too. Who is the greatest church member? Church leader? Attender?

Who’s the best disciple of Jesus?

Essentially, who is God’s favorite child? Who is the Greatest in the Kingdom of God?

And this is the question the disciples of Jesus argued about. Multiple times, it turns out.

Who is the GOAT?

Matthew 18:1 ESV

1 At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”

In Mark’s telling, the disciples have been arguing about this among themselves for awhile:

Mark 9:33–34 ESV

33 And they came to Capernaum. And when he was in the house he asked them, “What were you discussing on the way?” 34 But they kept silent, for on the way they had argued with one another about who was the greatest.

And the subject will come up again in the Upper Room after the Last Supper.

Comparative Ranking in the Kingdom

Now, this isn’t totally crazy. Jesus has said things about comparative ranking in the Kingdom of Heaven.

Remember back with John the Baptist.

Matthew 11:11 ESV

11 Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has arisen no one greater than John the Baptist. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.

If there is a “least” there must be a “greatest”, right?

Back to the sermon on the mount:

Matthew 5:19 ESV

19 Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

If there’s a “great” can there be a “greatest”?

The word is “Megas” where we get “Mega”. Means great, sometimes loud, important, large… or even “grown up.”

And Jesus doesn’t say there is no “greatest.”

Disciple Leaderboard

Peter “the Rock” Simon- Bold and brash. Loud. One of the three who got to see the Transfiguration. Just had a special moment with Jesus and the fish to pay the taxes.

Andrew - he knew Jesus before Peter, he introduced the two.

Matthew - writing the book, keeping the notes. He gave up the most to follow Jesus, that we know of. He was rich and getting richer.

John - the “Beloved”, also in the inner circle of three.

Ali - I’ve wrestled with alligators,  I’ve tussled with a whale. I done handcuffed lightning and thrown thunder in jail.

We don’t hear as much from some of the others, but they appear to have reasons why they are the greatest. Or maybe some are arguing for someone else. Backing up their brother, or their friend.

“I’ve been with him the longest!”

“Oh, but he is the tallest!”

“Yeah, but I have cast out the MOST demons!”

“Okay, sure, but I healed the worst injuries.”

“I preached the most sermons.” “I preached the best sermons.”

“It’s all about memorization, and I remember the most Scripture, the most of Jesus’ words.”

Maybe they are even incorporating some of Jesus’ teachings so far.

“I judge the least!” “I give the most secretly” (irony).

Little James - “I pray so secret y’all don’t even know about it!”

I don’t know if it’s ALL of them, but it’s enough of them that it’s an argument.

Jesus doesn’t say there won’t be a greatest.

Jesus says their measurements, their point system, is WAY, WAY off.

And Jesus responds.

Matthew 18:2–3 ESV

2 And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them 3 and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

Not just “not be the greatest”. Not even enter.

That’s a pretty harsh word to folks who have been following him faithfully for a couple years. These have cast out demons, preached sermons, miraculously healed folks.

There would seem to merit in all their arguments for why they are the GOAT, the Greatest Of All Time, the Greatest of the Twelve, the Chosen.

Jesus is saying if they can’t figure this out… they can’t even enter the kingdom of heaven.

So… we better figure this out!

Matthew 18:4 ESV

4 Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

Be like the child. Who is this kid?

Padawan - Paidion - Child

παιδίον

Who is this?

This is used of babies up through pre-adolescence.

So how old is this boy? Not sure. Old enough to hear Jesus and respond. At least 2 or 3. Certainly less than 13, Bar-Mitzvah, becoming a “man” and all that. I’m picturing Luke or Aiden, here.

So, this boy. 7 or 8 years old. Weak. Mostly uneducated, just a bit of Torah school. Maybe valued if he is an oldest or heir, but otherwise, just a backup.

And let’s look at his list of accomplishments:

Child’s Resume

Oh. None.

I’m going to guess he’s cast out 0 demons, healed 0 people, maybe can barely read the Bible, has memorized a sad few verses, probably can’t quote Jesus much at all.

He didn’t see the transfiguration, he’s not even an apostle.

Seriously lacking credentials.

What has the child done?

Well, the child did come when Jesus called. That’s pretty great.

But the child is “in the midst of them.”

8 years old? 10 years old? Don’t know. Dwarfed by the surrounding men. 13 of them, that’s enough to feel like a crowd. And they’ve been arguing, and maybe that still shows on their face. Maybe these dudes were all shouting at each other seconds ago.

Likely terrifying.

Mark does say he then “took him in his arms.”

The child hasn’t really done anything.

Especially as compared to all their boasts.

Child - Slave

This is hard for us to get our head around. Our culture borderline worships children. We protect children, we as parents spend a significant chunk of our lives shuttling kids around to all their activities. They get school 5 days a week, education for 18 or more years of their lives.

That’s… not so much how children were treated.

Loved, yes. A gift from the Lord, absolutely.

But it is the “elder” who is honored. Parents are to be honored, grandfathers, forefathers.

Children have no rights. They are put to work. 30% of children would die before 1 year old, 50% would die before reaching physical maturity. That’s why you hear about life expectancy being 30… if you made it past 10 years old you had a very good chance of living to 60.

Paidion and Pais - Slave / servant. Same root.

The Hebrew Na’ar is the same. Could mean “Boy.” Could mean “Servant.”

And, until very recently, this was true in English. People used “boy” to refer to staff and slaves… which is why it’s so offensive. It’s literally a “diminutive”, calling someone “small.”

And if someone is being immature today, we might say that. “You’re a child!”

This child is unaccomplished, weak… fully dependent on the parents for life and safety, to learn how life works, all the things.

And Jesus says:

Matthew 18:4 ESV

4 Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

Humble Yourself

Just that phrase is crazy.

Humble others, yes! Bring others low. Bring your enemies to their knees. Show by your own height, your own greatness, your own accomplishments, that you are higher and they are lower. This is the way of our world since we left the garden.

This was the way of Cain. God didn’t make that a competition, an either or, Cain did. He brought his brother all the way low in order that he would be higher.

But Jesus says “get low.” Humble yourself, that’s what it literally means. Make yourself lowly, less than, little, insignificant, weak, poor, like this child.

Turn around. Not the word for “repent”, it isn’t a Metanoeo, like a metamorphosis, just a turn. You’re arguing, striving for who’s the “greatest” when you should be striving to get low. To serve.

That diminutive focus is no accident. Jesus makes that connection explicit other places.

In the Upper Room, this argument breaks out again among the disciples:

Luke 22:24–27 ESV

24 A dispute also arose among them, as to which of them was to be regarded as the greatest. 25 And he said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and those in authority over them are called benefactors. 26 But not so with you. Rather, let the greatest among you become as the youngest, and the leader as one who serves. 27 For who is the greater, one who reclines at table or one who serves? Is it not the one who reclines at table? But I am among you as the one who serves.

Jesus knows how the world works.

In the world, humility, real humility, is not your friend. It is not to your advantage. You have to self-advocate, you have to subtly make sure everyone know that you’re great.

That’s how you get raises and promotions. You have to do it well, gracefully, but the skillfully proud and even arrogant are those who truly get ahead.

In the Kingdom of God, it is all backwards. Sometimes we call it the upside down pyramid.

In the Kingdom of God, it is the humble, the child, the servant who is greatest.

In the Kingdom of God, the humble child is the Greatest.

In the Kingdom of God, the servant is the Greatest.

The top 100 Greatest in the Kingdom of God are likely going to be people we’ve never heard of. People who quite successfully humbled themselves. Quietly and beautifully served with no spotlight, no attention on them, all glory to God.

But what if we did this. Like, for real, as a people. As a community, we took on this attitude of childlike humility.

Children are weak and vulnerable. Isn’t that what we would become? There’s a beautiful strength, a spiritual strength, for sure… but we would absolutely be vulnerable.

Perhaps this is why Jesus takes this from the other direction as well.

Humble yourself like a child, and receive and protect such children.

Matthew 18:5–6 ESV

5 “Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, 6 but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.

If everyone is humbling themselves like this child, then you have a host of humble children running around, in communion together.

Could someone take advantage of that? Yes. Absolutely.

And Jesus speaks words of protection over children.

Literal children, for sure. But also, I think, those who have take Jesus up on his command, his call, to humble yourself like the child.

If… when people take advantage of your humble child-likeness… “it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck.”

Or, Jesus says, he will sleep with the fishes.

There will absolutely be justice.

You don’t have to worry about that. Jesus is and will surely take care of that part. For your part, you are to be a humble child. And you are to be a safe place for humble children. A safe place for the weak and vulnerable. A safe place for the trusting, for those full of faith, maybe even for those who are bit naive.

For there is another beautiful thing that children know and adults forget.

You Belong

We are human beings - not human doings.

A child, a child who has been rightly loved and cared for, they never question if they are welcome at home. They know it. In their bones. They have a place.

And they never question if there will be food for tomorrow. Of course they will be fed and taken care of. Dad will take care of it.

They trust for tomorrow, because it doesn’t occur to them that they shouldn’t.

Eventually the child learns different.

Trauma teaches otherwise. Human failure teaches otherwise. Disappointment, greed, lack teaches a different story.

The world teaches him that his worth is measured in accomplishments. Measured in wages and salaries. Measured in progress.

It’s a lie.

We are human beings - not human doings.

We work, we do, we accomplish out of our being. It never defines us. That is never what makes us worthy… or makes us loved. We get that so backwards.

And here is what is so dangerous about that. It stirs in us pride and arrogance. We feel that we “earned” it, we “deserve it.

And I tell you this. The day will come when you meet God face to face. Those who come armed with all their accomplishments, all their “just desserts”, their impressive resume.

They say “Lord, Lord, didn’t we cast out demons and do miracles in your name?” And he says? “I never knew you.”

It never has been and never will be about what you’ve done, but what He has done for you. To rescue and redeem you.

Father’s Day is coming tomorrow. I am going to love anything, everything my kids do for me. Cards, gifts, all of that, it’s awesome.

The best is the time I get to spend with my kids. Time playing games, maybe watching a great movie together, time talking about their life and questions and futures and all of it.

I love them… because they are my children.

It isn’t that it doesn’t matter what they do. I do. I care. I celebrate when they win, I hurt when they hurt. I care…

But I love them because of who they are. Intrinsically. Forever. No matter what.

And wherever I am, my kids have a home.

I know to this day, if I show up on my parent’s doorstep, needing a place to stay for whatever reason, I’d be welcome.

“Home is where they have to let you in.”

On that day, Judgment Day, you show up as a humble child. A sinner saved by grace. The prayer is “Lord, have mercy on me, a sinner.”

If God had to choose, would He rather have my worship or my progress?

If God could have my presence or my progress, what would He choose?

If God could have time in the garden with me OR my work for Him, what would He choose?

If I had to choose, would I rather have all the stuff my kids made for me in Preschool and I taped to the fridge… or another day with them?

What did He do? He created the garden, and met Adam and Eve in it daily.

You are valuable because you are a Child of God. A child of the Father.

You are worthy because He calls you worthy. It is intrinsic, it is in you, as He created you, as His Child, simply because He loves you, saved you, redeemed you, chose you.

Not for anything you have or ever will accomplish in this life.

Jesus loves you, this I know, for the Bible tells you so.

Let us humble ourselves and come as Children of the Father. Loved by Dad, simply because we are His.