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Matthew 18:1-5, 19:13-15 (Lessons from children)

INTRODUCTION: Today we begin a new message series from the Gospel of Matthew called “Jesus, The Master Teacher.” Jesus was many things. He was a prophet, a healer, a miracle worker and the Son of God. But he was also a teacher. In fact, he was the very best teacher who ever walked this planet. He was the Master Teacher, teaching spiritual truths about God and God’s kingdom with astonishing simplicity, clarity and authority.

We already looked at a major block of Jesus’ teachings back in Matthew chapters 5-7 when we studied Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. This new block of teaching here in chapters 18-20 corresponds with that earlier block in the overall structure of Matthew’s gospel.

In fact, when you look at the structure of Matthew’s gospel, you find a mirror effect between the opening chapters of the gospel and the closing chapters.

1-2 > Jesus’ birth
  3-4 > Jesus in Galilee
    5-7 > Sermon on the Mount
      8-12 > Miracles and Conflict
        13 > Parables of the Kingdom
      14-17 > Miracles and Controversy
    18-20 > Jesus, the Master Teacher
  21-25 > Jesus in Jerusalem
26-28 > Jesus’ death and resurrection

The first two chapters deal with Jesus’ birth, while the final chapters deal with Jesus’ death and resurrection. Taking one step forward from the beginning of the gospel and one step back from the end, chapters 3-4 deal with Jesus’ ministry in Galilee, while chapters 21-25 deal with Jesus’ ministry in Jerusalem. Then in chapters 5-7 we have the Sermon on the Mount which corresponds with this new block of teaching here in chapters 18-20. Chapters 8-12 deal with miracles and conflict, while chapters 14-17 deal with miracles and controversy. And then you have Jesus’ parables of the kingdom right at the center of the gospel in chapter 13.

This type of structure is called a chiasm. A chiasm is simply a way of ordering one’s material so that the structure flows forward to a central point and then reverses itself after the central point, so that all the various points mirror each other. Chiasms like this are very common in Scripture.

Today’s passage is a familiar passage that deals with Jesus and children. We will be looking at Matthew 18:1-5 today as well as Matthew 19:13-15, but we will just read Matthew 18:1-5 as we get started. (Read Matthew 18:1-5 and pray.)

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Today’s verses are such a beautiful set of passages. The main idea in these verses is a simple one: Jesus loves the little children, and so should we. These verses teach us the importance of children, God’s great love for children, Jesus’ love for children, the example that children can set for us and then also our own responsibility for the children God has placed in our lives. These verses have been the inspiration for many songs, poems and paintings over the years, such as Jesus Loves the Little Children, Jesus Loves Me, along with others.

Our passage begins when Jesus’ disciples ask him about who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Jesus responds to their question by calling a little child and having him stand among them. Using this little child, Jesus teaches them a series of lessons, all having to do with children. (There is an outline in your worship guide if you would like to take it out at this time which highlights the four lessons we will be looking at today.)

I. You must change (18:1-3)

The first lesson is an essential one. You must change. Look at verses 1-3:

At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” 2 He called a little child and had him stand among them. 3 And he said: “I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 18:1-3)

The disciples are jockeying for position here. Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? I’m sure they thought it was one of them! This topic of discussion among the disciples comes up a number of times in the gospels. Perhaps the question was prompted by Jesus taking only three of the disciples up the Mount of Transfiguration with him. Perhaps they were jealous of Peter walking on the water. Who knows?

The problem is they are thinking about God’s kingdom in earthly terms rather than in heavenly terms. And the very fact that they ask the question shows that they have no idea what the kingdom of heaven is all about. (from William Barclay, The Gospel of Matthew, Vol. II, p. 192) The disciples’ problem here is pride, thinking they were more important than others. And so, they ask Jesus, “Who is the greatest?”

   A. You must change and become like little children
      – John 3:5-7

How does Jesus respond? He calls a little child and has him stand among them. Can you imagine this little child standing there in the center of the room surrounded by these big, burly grown men all arguing with each other about who is the greatest? Jesus puts this child right in the middle of them and tells them: “I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”

Do you want to enter the kingdom of heaven? Jesus says you must change. You might wonder, “What’s wrong with the way I am?” Jesus says you cannot remain the way you are if you want to enter the kingdom of heaven. You need to do an about face. You need to turn away from your sins. You need to turn from self to God.

Not only that, but there must be a supernatural change in your life. Jesus says in John 3: “I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. 6 Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. 7 You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’” (John 3:5-7)

There it is again. Do you want to enter the kingdom of God? You must be born again. You must be born of God’s Spirit. You must change.

   B. Unless you change, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven
      – Mark 10:15

Because unless you change, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Jesus says something similar in Mark 10:15. He says, “I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” (Mark 10:15) Notice the word “never” in these verses. That’s not my word. That’s Jesus speaking. Never is a long time. There are no exceptions here. You cannot remain the way you are and enter the kingdom of heaven.

The disciples’ attitude was all wrong. They were even asking the wrong question. It doesn’t matter who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. The more important question is who will enter the kingdom of heaven. And so, Jesus answers that question first.

So, that’s our first lesson. Do you want to enter the kingdom of heaven? Then you must change. You must change and become like little children. Because, unless you change, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

II. You must humble yourself (18:4)

And then our second lesson is this: You must humble yourself. Look at verse 4:

“Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 18:4)

Now Jesus answers their original question, and it is not the answer they expected. Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? Jesus says, “Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”

   A. Humble yourself like a little child
      – Matthew 23:11-12

First, Jesus says you must humble yourself like a little child. Children have many positive characteristics we should emulate according to Scripture, such as their innocence, their simplicity, their purity, their faith. But then, children also have many negative characteristics we are told to avoid, such as their self-centeredness, their immaturity, their lack of knowledge or wisdom.

So, in what way are we to change and become like little children? The main way that Jesus emphasizes in this passage is humility. Jesus says to humble yourself like a little child, that is, to acknowledge your weakness before God and look to him as your strength. Jesus has in mind the dependency of a child on others. Just as a child is completely dependent on his parents, so we are completely dependent on God.

And so, we are not to become like children in all ways but in one particular way. We are to come to God in dependent, trusting, childlike faith. That is how you enter the kingdom of heaven. That is how you are born again. You trust in God instead of yourself. You trust in Jesus’ death on the cross to cover your sins. You come to God in an attitude of dependency and faith.

And that is also how you become great in God’s kingdom. You humble yourself like a little child. Jesus says something similar in Matthew 23. He says: “The greatest among you will be your servant. 12 For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.” (Matthew 23:11-12)

Do you want to be great? Then make yourself small! Come to Jesus in dependent, trusting childlike faith. Humble yourself like a little child.

   B. Whoever does so is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven
      – Philippians 2:8-9

Because Jesus says whoever does so is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? Whoever humbles himself is the greatest.

So, who humbled himself more than anyone else in history? Jesus. So, who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? Jesus. We read in Philippians 2: “Jesus humbled himself and became obedient to death – even death on a cross! 9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name.” (Philippians 2:8-9) Jesus is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven, not only because he is the Son of God, but also because he is the one who humbled himself the most.

Now, you will never be as great as Jesus, but the principle is the same. The greatest in the kingdom is not the person who does the most or achieves the highest status here on earth. Jesus says you must humble yourself like a little child. Whoever humbles himself like a little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

III. You must welcome (18:5)

So, we have lesson one from children: You must change. Lesson two: You must humble yourself. And now we come to lesson three: You must welcome. Look at verse 5 where Jesus says:

“And whoever welcomes a little child like this in my name welcomes me.” (Matthew 18:5)

   A. Welcome the little children in Jesus’ name
      – Matthew 10:42

It is not enough simply to humble yourself like a little child. You must also welcome the little children in Jesus’ name. We are not only to become like little children, but we are to welcome, love and protect them.

The ancient world had little patience for children. Our culture sometimes swings in the opposite direction. We can tend to make children the focus of everything. Jesus balances these two extremes out perfectly. We are to welcome the little children … in Jesus’ name. You welcome them, which means you don’t ignore them, you don’t disparage them in any way. But you welcome them in Jesus’ name, which means you do not idolize them either.

And why do you welcome the little children? Because that’s what Jesus would do. Because that’s what Jesus did. Jesus loves the little children, and so should we.

Now Jesus is talking primarily about children in this verse, but in the context of the whole passage, Jesus’ words extend beyond the little children and also to those who have become like little children. That is, Jesus is also speaking about his followers who have come to God in dependent, trusting, childlike faith. Jesus is not just talking about welcoming the little children in his name but also welcoming believers in his name. Jesus’ words apply not only to the little children here on earth but to all the children of God, whatever their age.

This will become even more clear when we look at verses 6-10 next week, but for right now we find a good example of this back in Matthew 10 where Jesus said this: “And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is my disciple, I tell you the truth, he will certainly not lose his reward.” (Matthew 10:42) Here Jesus uses the phrase “little ones” to refer to all his disciples, not just little children.

But the primary emphasis here in verse 5 is still on the little children. Don’t think of children as a burden or a curse. Jesus tells you to welcome the little children in his name.

   B. Whoever does so also welcomes Jesus
      – Luke 9:48

And then he gives us the motivation for the command. “Whoever welcomes a little child like this in my name welcomes me.” (Matthew 18:5) How beautiful that Jesus identifies himself with little children. When you welcome a little child, Jesus says you welcome him. By extension, when you ignore, despise or harm a little child, you ignore, despise or harm Jesus as well.

In the parallel passage to this in the gospel of Luke, Jesus goes even further. Jesus says in Luke 9:48: “Whoever welcomes this little child in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. For he who is least among you all – he is the greatest.” (Luke 9:48) And so, Jesus provides even additional motivation here. What you do for these children, you do for Jesus. And what you do for Jesus, you also do for God the Father who sent him.

Think of it! To welcome a little child is to welcome Jesus. How would you treat Jesus if he walked in the door today? Who here wouldn’t give Jesus a great big welcome and hug? Well, if that is how you would treat Jesus, how do you treat the children around you?

That’s our third lesson from children this morning. You must welcome the little children in Jesus’ name. Because whoever welcomes a little child in Jesus’ name also welcomes Jesus.

IV. You must bring (19:13-15)

And then finally, we come to lesson four: You must bring. For this we jump ahead to Matthew 19:13-15:

Then little children were brought to Jesus for him to place his hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples rebuked those who brought them. 14 Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” 15 When he had placed his hands on them, he went on from there. (Matthew 19:13-15)

People were bringing their little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them and pray for them. The disciples tried to stop them. They obviously thought Jesus was too busy or the children were not important enough to interrupt his schedule. But Jesus said let the little children come and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.

   A. Bring the little children to Jesus
      – Psalm 8:2

And so, this passage teaches us to bring the little children to Jesus. It was common in those days to bring your children to the rabbi to be blessed. The laying on of hands and prayer was an act of blessing, a seeking of God’s favor.

Why do we bring the little children to Jesus? The parents in our passage today brought their children to Jesus to lay his hands on them and pray. We bring children to Jesus today asking Jesus to touch them with his love and to plant the seeds that will grow up to salvation.

How do we bring the little children to Jesus today? We bring children to Jesus by teaching them about God and his love. We bring children to Jesus by demonstrating God’s love to them. We bring children to Jesus by praying for them and asking God’s blessing upon them. We bring children to Jesus by teaching them about Jesus and how he died to be their Savior.

It is much easier to lead a child to Christ than an old sin-hardened adult. So, parents, bring your children to Jesus – raise them in the church and in the Lord. Grandparents, bring your grandchildren to Jesus – pray for your grandkids and be a loving and godly example to them. Churches, bring the little children to Jesus – pray for the children in your church; pray for the children’s ministry in your church; give and volunteer where you can. Jesus rebuked his disciples for trying to stop the children from coming to him. Don’t let Jesus rebuke you.

We need to be concerned for the spiritual well-being of children. The British 19th-century pastor J. C. Ryle wrote: “Let us draw encouragement from these verses to attempt great things in the religious instruction of children. Let us begin from their very earliest years to deal with them as having souls to be lost or saved, and let us strive to bring them to Christ; let us make them acquainted with the Bible as soon as they can understand anything; let us pray with them, and pray for them, and teach them to pray for themselves. The seed sown in infancy is often found after many days.” (J.C. Ryle, Matthew, 170)

We read in Psalm 8:2 in the Old Testament: “From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise because of your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger.” (Psalm 8:2) Once again, Jesus loves the little children, and so should we.

Let’s pass our faith on to the next generation. Parents, raise your children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord (Ephesians 6:4). Bring the little children to Jesus.

   B. The kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these (those who humbly trust Jesus)
      – Matthew 5:3

And then finally, Jesus gives us one additional reason why we should bring the little children to him. Because the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these. That is, the kingdom of heaven belongs to those who have become like them. Once again Jesus is speaking of those who humbly trust him for salvation rather than trusting in their own efforts or good works.

Jesus said in Matthew 5:3: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:3) Who are the poor in spirit? They are those who recognize that they have nothing to bring to God but their sin and who gladly receive the free gift of salvation from his hand. They are those who have humbled themselves and become like little children.

Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” And then he placed his hands on them, and he went on from there.

CONCLUSION: This is such a beautiful passage, so simple to understand and so essential to apply. Children are often overlooked or viewed as a nuisance. Instead, Jesus says we should take care of these little ones who are so helpless and dependent, and we should love and welcome them as we would love and welcome Jesus himself. God loved us when we were helpless in our sin. We need to love the little children who are helpless and dependent on us. This certainly applies also to children in the womb, who are the most helpless and dependent children of all.

And then, today’s passage also teaches us that we must become like little children in order to enter the kingdom of heaven. So, let me ask you this morning. Are you a child of God? Have you humbled yourself before him? Have you acknowledged your dependence on him for all things? Have you confessed your sin and put your faith in Jesus who died on the cross to be your Savior? Jesus loves the little children. And he also loves those who become like little children by putting their trust in him.

© Ray Fowler

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