10-Jun-2024 – Who is great in heaven?
And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them. -Matthew 18:2
The disciples asked Jesus who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Then Jesus gave His answer with reference to a little child. Today we will meditate on the aspects of the little child and hear from God what He actually meant.
Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven. -Matthew 18:4
If you consider a little child, they always depend on their parents. The kind of things they depend on their parents for are very naive. For example, even if they want chocolate, they will ask their dad to buy one. If they want to have their favorite dish, they will ask their mom. If the parents say no, they will be disappointed, but if they are given a small encouragement or a promise for the future, they will trust and return to normalcy.
I remember a time when I was a child and asked my parents for a toy. They couldn’t afford it at that moment, but they promised to get it for my birthday. I held onto that promise with unwavering trust. This simple faith is what the Lord expects from us.
The Lord expects us to have that kind of trust and intimacy with Him. We, being His children, should depend on Him for every small thing. Because the adversary is wandering out to make use of small things in our life to snatch us away from God.
And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me. -Matthew 18:5
In general, little children are not always entertained in an adult group because the level of maturity in discussions, fun, and activities is different compared to little children.
Consider a scenario where the parents of a little child are going out and want the neighbors to take care of this child for some time. The neighbors may have little trouble in general because, as the child is small, many things they will depend on the elderly people for. The child will not have the maturity to understand whether it is their house or someone else’s house. So, one requires more patience and willingness to accept the child’s responsibility, even if it is temporary.
Our Lord expects us to take care of newly born-again believers like this. These believers need help in every small spiritual aspect. If we could help them without getting irritated, that actually means we are serving the Lord Himself.
So today, the Lord wants us to hear about two aspects which make us great in heaven. The first one is being like a little child: to depend on Him, trust Him, and interact with Him innocently and shamelessly, just like a small child interacts with their parents.
Secondly, the Lord wants us to entertain the little children, like newly born-again believers. The questions they ask, like small children, should be handled with love and patience. They may have some fears, which seem foolish, but without discarding them, our Lord wants us to educate with love and compassion.
May the Lord help us to cultivate this kind of behavior to glorify the name of our Lord and edify each other.
Prayer:
Dear loving heavenly Father, thank you for your love and grace. Thank you for teaching us today about being like a little child and also receiving little children-like believers. Help us to understand this and cultivate this nature in our lives. I pray in the name of my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, Amen!
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