Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? Matthew 18:1-14
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Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? Matthew 18:1-14
Intro: [Why do we ask questions? (Do we have a hidden agenda?) What about when God does? He knows, so why ask? Is it for us to realize what he knows?] Since Jesus did the sermon on the mount, Jesus have been living out his teaching, and will invite his disciples to join, and we get the same invitation. In today’s passage Jesus will strongly warn, and invite, us to humble our self and seek God, and don’t live a life that leads others in to sin. But will we respond?
Let’s Read.
What is motivating the disciples to ask this question? Are asking if they are great, if they will the rule with Jesus? Are seeking power are they full of pride? How and what do we pray for? (They still have their old understanding that he will rule as king soon).
(Jesus asks them to humble them self and to turn/repent so and become like the child that Jesus put in the mist of them. Jesus gives the warning: If you stay like you are now, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. (heart motives the disciples have for asking or wanting to be great seems to be wrong, pride may be in them).
The point is not that Jesus is asking the disciples not to be great, [no, and some people say heaven is like a communist place and all are the same. No, the bible teaches about rewards and stewardship, about faithfulness.] It is good to want to be great but it looks different, than pride and looking to one’s own interest. Jesus will later in Matthew expand on it, Matthew 20:26-28 and 23:11-12 PPT, it looks like:
PPT quote Carson Jesus ilistrates what it looks like: Like a child! (But not childish, egocentric, throwing fits, pride). Lowest rank,
Skip this:[Tell a story about God to a child and they will believe if they trust you. (Why would they not believe?) Great faith in God and his promises. Without skepticism. Yes, God is Lord of all, creator, (That all will help and love me, everyone will want to spend time with me,) Trust my father’s ability to do all things. (When did you realize that you father could not?) No, other motives of gain, status, power, but seeks love. Depend on others for everything, food, shelter, safety, Believing is easy,]
Who is the greatest in the kingdom?
Verse 4 is Jesus talking about himself? The one that humbled himself the most suffered and served the most the one that won over death Satan and sin. The son Jesus, the king. Jesus is the example to follow.
Verse 5 We can receive Jesus! If we receive children/ people in his name, what does that mean?
Jesus refers to what he said in chapter 10:40+42 PPT also
We will get to it later in chapter 25 but may be what Jesus’ address to the people in chapter: we did not see you hungry, in jail, ect. Then people we even if we don’t see Jesus, we can welcome him and receive him as we receive children and people in his name, - do we do that? with and to the people we meet in our daily life, how do we receive them? Young and old? Are we aware that we can receive Jesus in that way? Welcome him as we welcome the people that are on our path.
Jesus gives a great warning (in contrast), if we make the little ones who believe in Jesus to sin, it would be better to suffer what sounds like a way a mob killing, with a big stone around your neck and be drowned in the deep sea.
Do we take the sin and causing others to stumble seriously? in the way we life, did the disciples?
In culture, if we can make people distrust, for money, power fame, or my point, most don’t really care if other people sin, that is their own problem.
Well Jesus disagrees here, we can live in a way where we can be a blessing or a course, both have conserveness, that is why Jesus paint the picture he does.
This is a strong waring, to be humble, trusting God, living a life that don’t lead people to sin, in all life’s arenas, not just in churches, but also in workplaces, sports, educations, homes, all places, - we are called to be light and salt not, lead people to sin and be stumbling blocks stones for people. (This is not just in word or deed or in sin, but the attitude of life explains altitude of life, - what do people see when they look at our life? Are we constantly negative? Like Jesus is still dead? Only pointing to the wrong things in culture and the world, cutting people with our words and attitude). Will that cause people to stumble? Are we fake positive? Lie, - being real about troubles in this life do we live as if Jesus is alive and have won! Are we marked by great joy and hope? That the holy Spirt dose live in us?
Jesus continues to address and warn about sin, and about making people sin, woe to the world, - if we just take a few moments, we can all think about how the world is set up to sin, trust in yourself, have pride in yourself, you are worth it, follow your heart, over sexualizing of most things, in film art, overconsumption, greed fear sells and gets most clicks, there is people companies that encourages sin, but woe, said Jesus. The people tempting and getting people to sin… Romans 1. Jesus gives the same graphic warning that he gave in the sermon on the mount, chapter 5. To cut off parts that make us sin, because it is better to enter life cribbed that be thrown in to eternal fire with all of our members. Tear is out cut it off. That you may life and not be thrown in to hell of fire. (A strong call to put sin to death, not excuse it, hide it put it to death). Boom Jesus preaching hell fire, to the proud and arrogant self-sufficient people that causes others to sin. What can Jesus do that? Is Jesus not someone that loves everyone and lets us do what ever we what to do? NO… People might preach a Jesus like that, but that is not Jesus the Christ from the bible, and it is clear from this passage, it is better to mutate your self that to sin and to cause others to sin. Then Jesus take sin and causing people to fall very seriously. He even doubles down, and say the same thing again. Pull out you eye, if it causes you to sin, it is better to enter life with one eye that with both to be thrown in to hell of fire. Gehenna, a burring dump. (Turn, all of it is in the brain – turning of the mind and heart). Oh, Jesus he is so nice and cutely, - well here he is confronting the disciples that are full of them self, and think they are worthy of power and rule, - instead to them and us, a great waring, an invitation to life, death to self, and to true life in Him. MORE explain. (Don’t cut off you members, that will not fix the sin problems, only a heart that turns to Jesus can be changed, He is confronting the disciples and us, why are you so full of yourself? How about serving? Because you love God.) (Instead of thinking about what everyone thinks about you, what status you have, if people like you, if you have enough, what people think about your children, your job, your grades, about how good you are?) All the opposite of a trusting child, - what does it look like for us to be like that instead? Untangle us from what we have learned in the world.
Then God is evil and wants to send mee to hell and burn… Well not really, as Jesus keeps explaining,
Value does not come with age or size, Jesus commands: Don’t look down on children and other people, the ones watching over them are right in the presents of God. Why do you think you know better that God? Value comes from who created them. People made in the image of God, has value because of that, and in the coming verses we see what God is like.
In verse 12 Jesus uses another story, another picture that was easy for the disciples to understand. One of 100, of a man’s sheep has gone astray, - but it seems like Jesus indicates that all knows that the man will go after the lost one and leave the 99, and search for the lost one. It that good business? I don’t know… It would seem better to keep the 99, and write the 1 of as lost. That is what can happen, you win and you loose some. But that is not the primes of the story, the 99 can keep them self safe. as the Sheppard searches and finds the lost one. And he rejoices over it more that over the 99 that never went astray. What? God seems not to be good at math, - is the 99 not of more value that the one? This is not a math problem to be solved, this is Jesus showing the will of this father, that for the 2 time in this passage is God in heaven. God is seeking after people to not perish, but then why the great warning before about hell, exactly why, God does not wish people do perish, but people and us choses a path that leads to destruction, a worship of self (rebellion leading others to sin and fall) will lead to destruction, Jesus is warning his disciples not to take that path, the waring is for us all. Don’t live that way. And don’t make others stumble by the way you live.
We see the kindness and severity of God.
The good Sheppard, 14, God is wanting people not to die. The Joy of God.
Ending verse 4. Jesus God the perfect example. (That is how serious Jesus takes sin, goes to die for us to be set free from it.) – Jesus shows the way, and the disciples walked it, after Pentecost in the power of the Holy Spirt.