Jesus called a little child unto him

One of the constant preoccupations of the Lord’s disciples was ‘Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?’ 18. 1. The mother of James and John approached the Lord on one occasion and requested, ‘Grant that these my two sons may sit, the one on thy right hand, and the other on the left, in thy kingdom’, 20. 21. All this took place, even as the shadow of the cross lay heavily across the path of the Lord Jesus.

It is noteworthy how the Lord responded to this spirit of pride. He placed a little child in their midst 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’, 18. 3. This must have been a stinging rebuke to these grasping disciples. They had to learn that prominence in the kingdom does not come to those seek it, but rather to the humble in spirit, who have no ambitions for self-glory, and who are prepared to take the lowest place in the society of men. This is why the Lord used a little child as His object lesson on this subject. Children do not vie for position or glory. They are humble in heart and accepting of the lowly place they occupy.

The Lord Himself is the greatest exponent of this humility of heart and mind. The apostle Paul writing to the Philippians reminded them that the Lord Jesus was ‘equal with God’, and yet did not think this something to be grasped after, but ‘made himself of no reputation’, Phil. 2. 2-7. He proceeded step by step to go lower and lower, until we read ‘obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.’ v. 8. The grand sequel is this, ‘Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him’, v. 9. The pride that motivated these disciples is still at work today. Many of the problems that plague local churches have nothing to do with the defence of fundamental truth, but rather, the clamour for prominence and self-glory. May the Lord give us the spirit of humility and self-abasement that characterizes the ‘little child’, and Himself. In the world of men the way to glorification is self-exaltation, but in the spiritual world the way to glorification is self-abnegation.