Entering The Kingdom
Matthew 18:1‑4
Take your Bible now and let's turn together to the eighteenth chapter of Matthew...Matthew, chapter 18. We embark upon a new chapter and a new adventure in the wonderful gospel of Matthew as we come to this great eighteenth chapter.
And as a setting for our message this morning, I want you to follow in your Bible as I read the first four verses, beginning in Matthew 18 at verse 1:
At the same time came the disciples unto Jesus saying, Who is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven? And Jesus called a little child unto Him and set him in the midst of them and said, Verily I say unto you, except ye be converted and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the Kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven.
Now, as we look at that passage, we basically are struck by the fact that Jesus picks up a little child in verse 2. And that child becomes the object lesson. The people of God are called by many names in the Bible, many beautiful names, many expressive names, many that describe various and sundry elements of belonging to God. But the most common name by which we are ever called is that of children. Beyond anything else, we are the children of God, the children of the Lord, the children of promise, the children of the day, the children of light, beloved children, dear children. Over and over again hundreds of times in the Old Testament and the New Testament, the people of God are called children.
And we rejoice in that reality. I think, however, for the most part we...we tend to see that as a term which links us to God. And when we hear that we are children, we celebrate the idea that that means we belong to God who is our Father, and surely that is true. And we have every reason to rejoice in that.
But the richness of the concept of being a child of God is not limited to the fact that that means we belong to God and we are His children and we are in His family. Inherent in the concept of children is the fact that we are children and we are well described as children. It not only means we belong to God, but it means like children we are imperfect, like children we are weak, like children we are dependent, as children we are simple and submissive and unskilled and ignorant and sometimes stubborn and very vulnerable. So that we see in the concept of children, not only that which implies a relationship to God, but that which describes us as marked out as children, with all of the foibles and failings and weaknesses that children have. John tells us in 1 John 2:12 that we are children. And so he says, "I write unto you, little children, because your sins are forgiven."
So, as we look at the concept of the believer, we see him as a child. Now the whole of the eighteenth chapter of Matthew describes the child likeness of the believer, the child likeness of the believer. Somewhere in your Bible at the heading of Matthew 18, you need to write that down. This chapter is all about the child likeness of the believer. We're not the high and the mighty. We're not the noble. We're not the lofty. We're not the mature and the adult and the profound. We are children with all that that conveys, lowly children at best.
And I believe that this chapter ranks as one of the great discourse chapters of the Scripture. There are certain chapters, for example, even in the book of Matthew, that stand out as great chapters of thematic teaching. For example, the great discourse in chapters 5 to 7 we know as the Sermon on the Mount in which Jesus teaches elements related to His Kingdom. And then there is the tenth chapter of Matthew where there's a great discourse on discipleship. And then there is the thirteenth chapter with the great thematic teaching on the Kingdom of heaven. And then there's the twenty‑third chapter, the discourse on the Pharisees. And then there's 24 and 25, the great Olivet discourse on the events surrounding the return of Jesus Christ. And, I guess, lost somewhere in most people's thinking is this eighteenth chapter which is equally a great and profound discourse. And its title is "the child likeness of the believer." It's a marvelous passage.
It fits into a section that began in chapter 17, verse 14 and runs all the way to the end of chapter 20. And that whole section is a section where Jesus teaches the Twelve. He's getting them ready for His death. He's getting them ready for His departure. He's getting them ready for their ministry. And so He's teaching them very important truths. The emphasis of these months before His cross is not on the crowds, though there were times when He met the crowds, the emphasis is on His own, His disciples. This is their time. They are the object of His teaching.
And so, as we come to chapter 18, He is teaching them. And we find that indicated in verse 1, as the disciples collect around Him and He teaches them regarding their own child likeness.
Now the whole discussion of chapter 18 is triggered by verse 1, look at it for a moment. "At the same time came the disciples unto Jesus saying, Who is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven?" Notice that the verse begins with a simple little phrase, "at the same time." Same time as what? Oh, the same time as the preceding event. What was the proceeding event? Do you remember in our study of Matthew 17:24 to 27 how that the tax collectors came to Peter after they had returned from many months of being gone from Capernaum. And when they saw Peter, they went up to him and said, "Does your Master plan to pay His tax?" And what they had in mind was the half‑shekel temple tax that was due from every Jewish male every year. And Peter said, "Of course He pays His taxes." And went to Jesus and said what about that? And the Lord said, "I plan on paying that and I have provide...I have provided for both you and me, all you have to do is go down to the sea and throw in a hook and pull out a fish and the tax money will be in his mouth."
And we looked at that story and we concluded from that that there is much teaching there from our Lord relative to the believer's responsibility in the world...the believer's responsibility in the world.
But on that same occasion, at that same time in that same place, chapter 18 is also taught. And this is not the believer's relationship in the world, but the believer's relationship in the family. And so, on the same day they get a tremendous insight into how they are to operate as citizens of the world and how they are to operate as children of God. It's at the same that that happens.
You remember what happened. The Lord said to Peter, "Now you go down there and you just throw your hook in and you pull out a fish and take the first fish you get. Open his mouth, you'll find our tax money there." Peter's gone fishing then between chapter 17 and 18. And as chapter 18 opens up, the other eleven disciples arrive. At that same time, when Peter's been dismissed to fish, came the disciples to Jesus. The rest of them have been walking on their journey. They've been walking around and they've been discussing some things and now they arrive. And so, the Lord teaches them this profound passage relative to their behavior as children in the family of God. It's in Capernaum, it's in the house in Capernaum...very likely, Peter's house, a familiar place.
Notice it says, "Then came the disciples unto Jesus." Now just to give you a little bit of a background, look with me at Mark 9 and let me show you what they were talking about on their trip to the house. Mark parallels the account with his insights under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. And in verse 33 of Mark 9 he says, "And they came to Capernaum and being in the house," now they've arrived, "He asked them‑‑that is our Lord‑‑what was it that ye quarreled about among yourselves on the road?" What have you guys been arguing about?
You see, you couldn't hide anything from Him, could you? Even though He wasn't there, He knew exactly what the discussion was. He knew exactly what they'd been talking about. And He gives them an opportunity to admit it. "What have you been arguing about?"
Verse 34, "But they held their peace." Is there any wonder why? They were embarrassed. They were ashamed. They didn't want to admit what they were arguing about. "For on the way they had argued among themselves who would be the greatest." I mean, they were really into that. They fought. They were proud, self‑seeking and they wanted to be in the greatest places in the Kingdom. I mean, they were going to go for the whole shot. And so, when they're discovered‑‑you can go back now to Matthew 18‑‑when Jesus has unmasked them as to their debate and they really can't hide it anymore, and He asked them and they say nothing, finally they put it in the form of a question that isn't really an admission of anything, they just say, "Who is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven?" I mean, in effect they're saying You can just settle this whole thing, Lord, if You just tell us. Would You just tell us who it is?
Their arguing indicates where their hearts were. They really sought superiority. And they say "who is the greatest," actually meizon in the Greek, who is the greater? Of all the great in the Kingdom, who is the greater than the great? Who stands out? Who is greater than all the rest? And Luke indicates to us that they really wanted to know who had the highest ranking. Who is going to be the chief one?
Now this is absolutely amazing. I mean, it just...the Lord has to deal with this with all of us, this...this inability to see things though they've been stated over and over again. And they are stuck on the same issue. How many times has the Lord told them that the Kingdom is not yet going to come in its earthly fullness? I mean, all of the parables of Matthew 13 should have given them some insight. And the Lord has also confessed to them that He must suffer, that He must suffer at the hands of the scribes and the Pharisees, that He is going to die and He's given them all of that data and they still can't compute it. They're still saying, in effect, we know the Kingdom is coming and we know You're going to set it up and who is going to be the greatest in it? And they're looking at the Kingdom in its earthly definition. They were seeking self‑glory, prestige, prominence and Jesus had just been teaching them, chapter 16, verse 24, that if any man will come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me, let him lose his life if he wants to find it. And He's been talking about self‑denial and humility all along. And they still are self‑seeking, grasping, desiring prominence. They are bent on self‑ glory. They are bent on sitting in the chief seats.
And, by the way, this debate rages on. If you were to go over to the twentieth chap