Sermon Tone Analysis

Jesus and Greatness - Children and the Kingdom of Heaven.

Matthew 18:1-9; 19:13-15

Matthew 19:13–15 (ESV)

Then children were brought to him that he might lay his hands on them and pray.

The disciples rebuked the people, but Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.”

And he laid his hands on them and went away.

There is something very attractive about the honesty and simplicity of children.

Listen to some leters from pastors from children:

Dear Pastor:

Please say in your sermon Peter Peterson has been a good boy all week.

I am Peter Peterson.

Sincerely, Pete, age 9

Are there any devils on earth?

I think there may be one in my class.—Carla,

age 10

I know God loves everybody but He never met my sister.

Yours Sincerely, Arnold, age 8

I’m sorry I can’t leave more money in the plate, but my father didn’t give me a raise in my allowance.

Could you have a sermon about a raise in my allowance?

Love Patty, age 10

My mother is very religious.

She goes to lay bingo at church every week even if she has a cold.

Your truly, Annette, age 9

My father says I should learn the Ten Commandments.

But I don’t think I want to because we have enough rules already in my house.—Joshua,

age 10

I would like to go to Heaven someday because I know my brother won’t be there.—Stephen,

age 8

I think a lot more people would come to your church if you moved it to Disneyland.—Loreen, age 9

How does God know the good people from the bad people?

Do you tell Him or does He read about it in the newspapers?

Sincerely, Marie, age 9

My father should be a minister.

Every day he gives us a sermon about something.—Robert,

age 11

I liked your sermon on Sunday.

Especially when it was finished.—Ralph,

age 11

Matthew 18 has a lot to say about children and indirectly about adults to and there different attitudes and actions that tell you a lot about where they are spiritually.

The chapter, presents the fourth of Matthew’s five major discourse sections (cf.

Matt 5–7; 10; 13; 18; 24–25).

This collection of sayings is built around the theme of the relationship of disciples to one another within the church.

Some key lessons here is thay proud ambition is rejected in favour of humble service.

Likewise, acceptance of Christ’s people, even “the least”, however small and insignificant is a basic test of discipleship.

Also, to cause another to stumble, whether through bad example or the failure to rescue the one’s who go astray; or through failing to repent of known sin or refusing to forgive the penitent sinner, occupy the themes of this chapter.

is ti f proud ambition, indifference, or otherwise, is a deadly sin.

Humility, acceptance and reconciliation is the business of the church.

Forgiveness is bound up inseparably with forgivableness and is to know no limits for we pray do we not, “forgive us our tresspasses as we forgive those who tresspass against us.”(Matt

6:12).

I. Children & True Greatness (Matt 18:1–5)

Muhammad Ali’s favourite catchphrase was, “I am the Greatest”!

The claim was highly disputed among experts in the boxing world all such claims would be equally disputed if you tried to identify the greatest politician; the greatest war time General; the greatest football team or the greatest parent or sibling in a household!

It was no different in Jesus day and His dsciples has a right old row about “who was the greatest” disciple among them!

see Mark 9:33–34

This gave rise to Jesus’ teaching on true greatness.

Mark 9:33–37 tells us that the disciples had been discussing the question of who was the greatest.

After entering a house in Capernaum, possibly Peter’s, Jesus asked them what they had been discussing, “but they kept silent, for on the way they had argued with one another about who was the greatest.”

Their silence betrayed their embarrassment and the realisation that their desire to be great would not impress Jesus.

In Matthew the issue is presented as a more ‘academic’ question, but the principle is drawn out more explicitly.

The disciples’ question begins in the Greek with a particle meaning ‘so’.

Jesus’ words in Matthew 17:25–26 have opened up a new discussion - if Jesus claims a special relation with the God of heaven, how do the authority structures of this new kingdom of heaven relate to those servants of the Son of God who make up His Kingdom?

Who is the next in line of Jesus?

Who is His pecial envoy or representative?

Now, such a question is very important in human society!

If you can’t get to the person in charge; who is second in command?

Who has the authority to get things done?

What is the rank order of command?

Jesus answers this question by means of an acted parable taking a child (Grk: Paidion = a very young child, sometimes even an infant or a toddler) into the midst of them and saying: “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”(Matt

18:3-4).

This lies at the heart of the disciples dispute and Jesus’ answer is typically radical, amounting to a total reversal of human value scales, in the ancient world.

A child was a person of no importance in Jewish society, subject to the authority of his elders, not taken seriously except as a responsibility, one to be looked after, not one to be looked up to.

Boys faired better than girls in Jewish and Graeco-Roman societies.

In Jewish scoiety, a girl was property to be given another in a contract of marriage.

In Graeco-Roman societies however, infants commonly suffered abandonment and even infanticide.

Girls were often exposed to death as exemplified in a first-century papyrus fragment with a letter of Hilarion to his wife Alis, instructing her about their expected child, “if a boy to keep it, if a girl to let it die.”

This is what makes Jesus statement in Matthew 19 so radical, when “children were brought to him that he might lay his hands on them and pray.

The disciples rebuked the people, but Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.”

And he laid his hands on them and went away.”(Matt 19:13-15).

The disciples’ objection is based on the udnerstandable notion that their Master has more important concerns than to be bothered by children.

However, Jesus reverses conventional values, and accepts as important those whom society, and even his own followers were in danger of neglecting or even despising.

Jesus says of them, to such “belongs the kingdom of heaven.”

He laid his hands on them and prayed as an act of identification and acceptance, not to mention a naturally affectionate response to children.

(Note: It was a Jewish custom to bring a child to the elders on the evening of the Day of Atonement ‘to bless him and pray for him’ (Mishnah Sopherim 18:5).

It is right that children, little children should be brought to Jesus for His blessing - bringing them into a knowledge of Him, through His word.

Bring them into His presence in prayer; bringing them among His people to worship where “two or three join together in His name”.

We cannot save them by doing so but we can bring them into the environment by which they can be saved!

The ‘child’ of Matthew 18:2-4 then is also representative of all ‘little ones’ (insignificant believers) of Matthew 18:6-7.

While it is the children themselves whom Jesus welcomes for their own sake, such also points beyond them to all those of whatever age whose acceptance of a childlike status makes them great in Jesus’ new value-scale, where the insignificant and rejected—the sick, outcast, Gentiles, women, children—achieve a new acceptance and importance.

It is, then, the status of the child that is the point, not the claimed “natural” characteristics of children, such as humility, innocence, receptiveness or trustfulness - not all children have such supposed “latent” characteristics after all!

The child stands for the overlooked; the marginalised and the neglected.

The ‘little people’ of society who have been neglected or exploited in every age.

There were millions of slaves in Jesus’ time, and even the Jewish leaders despised the ʿam haʾ arez, “the people of the land” or as John 7:49) puts it, “this crowd that does not know the law is accursed.”

To Jesus there were no unimportant people.

The ‘greatness’ of such ‘children’ lies in their relationship to Jesus.

This is why receiving little children and those who are not important; insigificant, etc is to be rewarded by Jesus as the equivalent of receiving Him! (Cf.

Matt 25:31–46).

Now it is also important to emphasize that this invitation to enter “the Kingdom of Heaven” does not come automatically by virtue of being children or despised outcasts!

All of us, whether children or adults need to “turn and become” (Grk: strephomai) like children!

It involves a turning from one’s own way to God! Peter in his message at Pentecost, called upon his hearers to “repent therefore and return, that your sins may be wiped away” and declared in Jesus, “God raised up His Servant, and sent Him to bless you by turning every one of you from your wicked ways” (Acts 3:19, 26).

Likewise, Paul when speaking of the Thessalonian believers, said they had turned “to God from idols to serve a living and true God” (1 Thess.

1:9).

Turning leads to conversion! Conversion is the other half of repentance.