At that time the disciples approached Jesus and said, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” 2 He called a child over, placed it in their midst, 3 and said, “Amen, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 5 And whoever receives one child such as this in my name receives me. 6 Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea. 7 Woe to the world because of things that cause sin! Such things must come, but woe to the one through whom they come! 8 If your hand or foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter into life maimed or crippled than with two hands or two feet to be thrown into eternal fire. 9 And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter into life with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into fiery Gehenna.
Jesus had previously made Peter the head of the apostles (Mt. 16:18-19). The kingdom of heaven is in its early stages. The disciples did not yet fully understand what Jesus was trying to teach them and they asked him which of them was the greatest. Jesus uses a child as a human parable to point out that humility is the key to greatness. Being spiritually childlike means having a simple faith in our Lord Jesus Christ who will in response come and be with such disciples (Jn. 15:4). You cannot enter the kingdom of heaven unless you humble yourself like a child. Humility allows you to be dependent on God as children are dependent on their parents. You must exhibit self-restraint so that you do not tend toward arrogance. It is a lack of humility that leads to rebellion against God. True greatness derives from humility.
It would be better for spiritual leaders who are focused on their positions of authority and neglect the needs of the community to be put out of the way so they can do no harm to the community (v. 6). Evil and scandal exist in the world but woe to those who initiate such evil. We have been given moral freedom by God and that freedom should not be used to commit sin or to cause others to sin. We must not enter into a life of sin with the full assent of our will. We have the spiritual capacity to resist sin, even though we may suffer through trials in the process.
Almighty God, we ask that our words, attitudes, and actions never lead anyone to do what is sinful. Help us to accept the discipline of your yoke as you teach us to be humble and to never use any position of authority given to us as an occasion for sin. This we pray through Christ our Lord. Amen!
Chiu, José Enrique Aguilar, et al. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. Paulist Press, 2018.
Brown, Raymond Edward, et al. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Upper Saddle River, NJ, United States, Prentice Hall, 1990.
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