# Be like a child - MATTHEW 18:1-11 - 2024-08-19 Today's Gospel reading comes from the book of Matthew. Jesus is sitting and visiting with the people when his disciples approach with a question, "who is the greatest?" As we see in many cases the disciples are still thinking about this world and not the world which is to come. Let's look: *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, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me; 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 round his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea. Woe to the world for temptations to sin! For it is necessary that temptations come, but woe to the man 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 maimed or lame than with two hands or two feet to be thrown into the eternal fire. And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck 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 Gehenna of fire. See that you do not despise one of these little ones; for I tell you that in heaven their angels always behold the face of my Father who is in heaven. For the Son of man came to save the lost. - MATTHEW 18:1-11* We'll focus today on Jesus's response to the disciples misguided question. Jesus doesn't explain to them how to become the greatest, rather He points out that too much focus on the greatness may cost them everything. He says that if they don't become as little children they won't even enter into the kingdom, let alone be great within it. What does it mean to be like a child? Children have always been dependent upon someone else, no matter the cultural situation. That's humanity, a child needs someone to guide them and train them into the culture of the moment, but also into Christ. Christ's expectation that the disciples, and others listening, become "like children" can be seen as His way of saying "become dependent" on Him, on His Church. We can look at the times and what was going on in Israel while Jesus was ministering to the people. We can see that the Pharisees were demanding that people be perfect in order that the Messiah would come. We can see that the pagans were working their magic to make their gods do what they asked. All of this was "independence" in the sense that there was an expectation made to "do it yourself." This may be one thing that Jesus was denouncing here, the attitude that "I can do it on my own." Jesus knows that we, the faithful followers, cannot do it ourselves. We have to become dependent upon Him to do it for us. We have to simply come and sit at His feet and listen to Him teach as the Great Teacher. He told His followers earlier in this same Gospel to not worry about tomorrow, "God feeds the birds and how much greater are you?" Christ doesn't demand dependence, He hasn't made us robots who can only do what He says, no He has given us the choice. And as I've been telling my kids lately, "good choices get good things." Faithfully following Christ, without the Kingdom of Heaven in mind, is a good thing in and of itself. We see every day how He saves us, guides us, protects us, and teaches us. We're not just looking forward to death, we're getting the good things from our good choices today. Choose today whom you will serve, and become like that little child who needs His guiding hand every day.