Serving the High Plains
Serving the High Plains
The 12 disciples of Jesus were men obsessed with power, at least initially. This is no insult, but merely a summary of the available data. The Gospels show them arguing repeatedly over which of them would be the greatest in Christ’s kingdom. Do you think the Lord ever rolled his eyes?
It’s OK to cut these guys some slack, though, as they were products of that time and culture. The most glory went to the one who proved strong enough to dominate everybody and impose his own will. That man was called Caesar.
So now, the promised king, God’s world-changing Messiah, was on the scene. There was a new sheriff in town, and everything would shortly be a-changin’. And, they reasoned, the king’s closest buddies stood to gain a lot in that new order.
In Matthew 18:1-4, we have this on display:
“At that time the disciples came to Jesus and said, ‘Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?’ And He called a child to Himself and set him before them, and said, ‘Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever then humbles himself as this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.’”
If you’ve spent any time in churches, you’ve had this passage preached to you as if it has something to do with developing a “childlike faith.” Becoming like the child means something like putting away your adult cynicism and learning to simply trust what your father in heaven tells you.
This explanation of the passage does us no favors. Sure, it’s super important we trust God and not doubt his word to us. But that is not what the disciples were asking about. That has nothing to do with the issue at hand, which Jesus addressed by calling the child.
They were asking about how to be big shots in Christ’s kingdom. The term in the original Greek is “mega.” They wanted to know who would be the most mega, the biggest, most powerful, most important, etc. Who would wield the political dominance now owned by Caesar?
Jesus directs their eyes to a child. Unlike Caesar, the boy has zero ability to force anyone to do anything. The child can’t dominate anyone! How can this be greatness, Jesus?
Their thinking was in need of a 180-degree turn (which is the “conversion” he mentioned) away from the world’s understanding of greatness. The “humbling” they needed was not so they would believe the word of God, but so they would esteem themselves no more highly than the world esteemed that child.
Didn’t Jesus teach the same lesson on the same topic at their last Passover meal, when he humbled himself, did the job of a slave and washed the disciples’ feet? In that place, he said the one desiring kingdom “greatness” must become the servant of all.
The path to genuine greatness has a steep, downward slope. The disciples were slow to learn this, as we also are.
Gordan Runyan is the pastor of Immanuel Baptist Church in Tucumcari. Contact him at: