I drove from Boston to Kansas City in the last 27 hours. It was beautiful. Whatever else you want to think about these United States - and there is much to think about, for better or for worse - the interstate system is amazing.
Today I passed a town on I-70, I think in Illinois, that boasted signs calling drives to come and see five or six of The World’s Biggest ____!. I did not see all of them, but I did see that they boast of having the world’s biggest golf tee.
The World’s Biggest Golf Tee.
Who’da thunk it? I know I certainly wasn’t thinking of it. But I admit that I was curious to go and see it (I didn’t).
We love superlatives. And the disciples wanted to know who the greatest in the kingdom of heaven was.
I’m not sure Jesus’ answer is exact. What I mean to say is that I don’t actually think that children are the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. “Greatest” centers things and people. That’s the spectacle.
Jesus isn’t making the child a spectacle, but demonstrating that in the kingdom of heaven, superlatives are not what they are in the human heart and mind. What is a child but pure and honest and desiring of the goodness of creation?
Matthew 18:1-14
At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”
Then he called a little child over to sit among the disciples, and said, “I assure you that if you don’t turn your lives around and become like this little child, you will definitely not enter the kingdom of heaven. Those who humble themselves like this little child will be the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.
“As for whoever causes these little ones who believe in me to trip and fall into sin, it would be better for them to have a huge stone hung around their necks and be drowned in the bottom of the lake. How terrible it is for the world because of the things that cause people to trip and fall into sin! Such things have to happen, but how terrible it is for the person who causes those things to happen! If your hand or your foot causes you to fall into sin, chop it off and throw it away. It’s better to enter into life crippled or lame than to be thrown into the eternal fire with two hands or two feet. If your eye causes you to fall into sin, tear it out and throw it away. It’s better to enter into life with one eye than to be cast into a burning hell with two eyes.
“Be careful that you don’t look down on one of these little ones. I say to you that their angels in heaven are always looking into the face of my Father who is in heaven. What do you think? If someone had one hundred sheep and one of them wandered off, wouldn’t he leave the ninety-nine on the hillsides and go in search for the one that wandered off? If he finds it, I assure you that he is happier about having that one sheep than about the ninety-nine who didn’t wander off. In the same way, my Father who is in heaven doesn’t want to lose one of these little ones.
Prayer
God,
Why are we so enamored with greatest and smallest? Did you make us this way? I tend to doubt that it’s something you favor in us. We wanted to build the biggest tower, one that might stretch all the way to the heavens. And you foiled the plans.
You got rather upset when David started counting his armies and people. You came to Elijah - showed up in his presence - not in the big storms or spectacles, but in the silence of the moment.
You set a child before us to demonstrate kingdom greatness.
Lord, give me a heart for such greatness, which is nothing great at all, except that it’s of your heart. Make my like the center of your heart - loving, not greatness, but all that’s good.
By your spirit & in Christ,
Amen.