This passage starts with the disciples arguing about who among them is the greatest. They believed that Jesus was going to be the new “earthly” king of jerusalem and the whole world. And with all that that includes, they were wrapped up in their own thoughts and expectations about what the Lord would do when He returned, and the part that they would play in that new kingdom.
The jews believed that when the Lord returned that He would do 4 things. Gather the tribes of Isreal, rebuild the temple, rule as king of the kingdom of David, and bring justice to all of their enemies. The idea of Jesus would die at the hands of those same enemies did not factor into their expectations in any way. They were like kids being asked to take our the trash but pretending not to hear their mother’s request, and go on as if that request did not happen.
In their defense though, from their perspective the question of the greatest is not necessarily a matter of vanity, it had significant social importance. If the prophesied messiah had really come, and if He was going to bring justice to the world and setup a new kingdom, these disciples would ultimately be His courtiers. Position at table was always an important part of Jewish custom, and placement at table was not only an honor to the person sitting close to the king, but it also was a reflection on the king himself, and with whom He decide to take council. Obviously this kind of thing does not matter to Jesus, but for the disciples, this conversation had great importance because they did not want to embarass the king or themselves.
In another gospel Jesus asks them what they were discussing along the way. They respond as I think most humans would in this moment, they remained silent. I think that this was because Jesus’ question pulled them out of their moment of worldly concern. If Jesus was the messiah that was going to do all of the things that they expected Him to do, then their arguments would be logical and necessary at that time. But Jesus is not the messiah they expected, and His mission is very different than what they had in mind. He has now told them twice the plain truth about his forthcoming death and ressurection, and they did not hear it. They are instead arguing about their own expectations. With this simple question, Jesus pulls them out of the moment. Jesus Christ “The WORD,” Himself, is trying to tell them that He will suffer and die. But even more importantly He is telling them that they will be called to suffer, sacrifice and die as well, if they really wish to be His disciple.
And to further cement this point He brings a child into their midst and tells them “unless you turn and become like children, you will not enter the Kingdom of heaven.” In the jewish world at this time, children were not considered to have any stature or importance at all. It is not like today where children are esteemed so highly. Back then a child was never be heard, and never to be seen. So for Jesus to bring a child into the apostle’s midst, and tell them that they must recieve a child in the same way they recieve Jesus Himself…, is not a small thing. Jesus basically takes the lowest member of their society, bring them into their ranks, and tells His diciples that they will have to consider and serve ones, such as these, in the same way that they would Jesus Himself, King of the universe. This is a total paradigm shift for them and I imagine would have been very difficult for them to fully understand.
I think that there is another reason that Jesus used a child here. He could have just as easily used a widow to make the same point. But a child speaks to the nature of God himself. God is very childlike, I believe that he delights in the good, true and beautiful things of this world. A child trusts completely, and loves without condition. I believe that God wants the same for us. But adult hood and our worldly concerns steal this innocence from us and hardens us to the glory all around us. G.K. Chesterton wrote it best “For grown-up people are not strong enough to exult in monotony.” Meaning that when we see a field of flowers, we do not exult in the glory and beauty of God’s creation, each of the magnificent petals, and the glorious beauty of every individual flower…, but God does, and children do! Chesterton then continues “…He has the eternal appetite of infancy; for we have sinned and grown old, and our Father is younger than we.” I sincerely think that Jesus is telling his disciples here, that they need to be like a child, love and trust God above all things, and to exult in the glory of gods creation…, from the flowers in the field to the children (and widows) that you have been ignoring.
How often do we do this? Sitting in church, missing all of the mass because we are concerned with our worldly thoughts. With the dress of the other parishoners, the crying baby, or the one person that is taking communion that you know is a grave sinner. Jesus here, is reminding us all, that to be a disciple of God…, that we too must first consider the needs of all, not just those that we hold in high esteem. Second that we must not dwell on how we can be served, but of how we can be of service to all regardless of their stature in society. And finally, to be childlike, exulting in the goodness truth and beauty all around us, trusting that God has our best interest at heart in all things and is watching over us at all times. This is our call. Jesus is asking you to follow Him in all things, to exult in God’s creation, and to serve your fellow man, in any way we can.
