greatest
26 - 02/25 /11:16
“Unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”
— Matthew chapter 18
Jesus repeatedly told His apostles that He was going to Jerusalem to die, then rise from the dead. This plan seemed beyond the apostles’ comprehension. They followed Jesus believing He was Messiah. Peter identified Jesus as Messiah. Jesus confirmed Peter’s claim.
A suffering Messiah was incomprehensible for 1st century Jews. They expected Messiah would be a warrior and their champion, a priest and their king. Messiah was supposed to be a “winner” who would expel the Roman occupation and purge the political priesthood.
So, it was logical for the apostles to think seriously about the Messianic government they anticipated. James and John officially applied to be at Jesus’ right and left in His glory. Perhaps every apostle was jockeying for position, which raised a logical question.
All twelve came to Jesus to ask, “Who, then, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”
Jesus called a little child to Him. Positioning the child in their midst, He said: “I assure you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever welcomes one such child in my Name welcomes me.”
Larry Sanger, co-founder of Wikipedia, this month wrote: “It is finally time for me to confess, fully and publicly, that I am a Christian. Followers of this blog have probably guessed this, but it is past time to share my testimony properly.” Mr Sanger, PhD in philosophy, is a sometime lecturer at Ohio State, and is quite the celebrity in the tech-world.
Larry Sanger is warmly welcome in the kingdom of heaven. But Jesus alerts him, “You must change and become like a little child.”
Rosalind Picard is a professor, MIT MediaLab. Ms Picard grew up in a family that never went to church. She thought people who were religious had thrown their brains out. Still she thought she ought to read the bestselling book of all time. “I read the Proverbs, one a day for a month. I saw all this wisdom. Not wacky gobbledygook, but stuff I could learn. I was humbled, then I read the whole Bible. That changed me.”
Prof Picard is warmly welcome in the kingdom of heaven. But Jesus informs her, “You must change and become like a little child.”
Ming Wang was raised an atheist in China. He was accepted into Harvard medical school, studying ophthalmology. After earning an MD, Mr Wang got into MIT where studied laser physics, becoming a premier eye surgeon. The amazing structure of the human eye convince Dr Ming that there had to be a Designer, a Creator. Ming Wang became a Christian.
Dr Wang is warmly welcome in the kingdom of heaven. But Jesus warns him, “You must change and become like a little child.”
Blessings,
Dan Nygaard