Lent 2025 Day 40: Sat 19 Apr
Matthew 18:1-9
18 At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, ‘Who, then, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?’
2 He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. 3 And he said: ‘Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 5 And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.
Causing to stumble
6 ‘If anyone causes one of these little ones – those who believe in me – to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung round their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea. 7 Woe to the world because of the things that cause people to stumble! Such things must come, but woe to the person through whom they come! 8 If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life maimed or crippled than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into eternal fire. 9 And if your eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell.
Some people really like to be in charge, and usually the smallest their personal kingdom, the worse they tend to be as rulers. It is an unfortunate trait in many humans, and one that is well known, so well-known in fact, that the Church has long held to the idea nobody should be made a bishop who says they’d like to be one. At least as far back as Antony Trollope it was such a well-known trope that quite a few paragraphs were dedicated to the concept in Barchester Towers, mostly highlighting the absurdity of a situation where even the most ambitious of people had to pretend to be humble to be considered.
Perhaps these unnamed disciples had a similar weakness, and were asking who the greatest in the kingdom would be in order to pad their resume with some insider knowledge, and give themselves a chance at being Jesus’ “prime minister” (as some people say). But maybe that is uncharitable to assume this is what their question was about, after all that point can be better made later on in Matthew (20:20-23), either way there is something we can learn from Jesus’ answer.
By giving the example of a child, Jesus is speaking in a parable of sorts, so we would do well not to hold any explanation too tightly. Nonetheless, we can make some educated guesses at what might be expected of us: to be joyfully carefree, to trust in the Lord with all our hearts, to recognise when we need help due to our limitations, etc… I would perhaps add a more controversial items to the list: letting go of our calculated efforts to tick all the boxes, and let God’s love flow spontaneously through us for its own sake, not in the hope of some great reward in Heaven.
Father, your wisdom is not of this world. Grant that we might be wise not according to our own hearts, but according to the ways of Your Children.
Paul adds:
2:38:45 Wir setzen uns mit Tränen nieder (Chor)
68. Chorus I & II
We sit down with tears
and call to you in the grave:
rest gently, gently rest!
Rest, you exhausted limbs!
– Rest gently, rest well. –
Your grave and headstone
shall, for the anxious conscience,
be a comfortable pillow
and the resting place for the soul.
– rest gently, gently rest! –
Highly contented,
there the eyes fall asleep.
Gott Sei Dank!
Translation ©Pamela Dellal
From <https://www.emmanuelmusic.org/bach-translations-1/bwv-244-st-matthew-passion>
Paul