At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who, then, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” He called a little child to him and placed the child among them. And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” – Matthew 18:1–4 (NIV)
To be great in life and in one’s field of endeavor is the ambition of any visionary individual. Even society accepts and recognises men who command and carry a level of greatness. Because life should not just be lived, but be lived with a sense of purpose towards greatness and being out of the ordinary, many take steps to do the needful in achieving this.
I believe it is out of this notion that the disciples of Jesus in the verses quoted above in chapter 18 of the Gospel according to Matthew inquired from Jesus who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Maybe they had read about or heard lectures on how to achieve greatness from the world’s perspective and what it recognises as great, but they wanted to know from the perspective and lens of the kingdom of heaven.
The Greek word meizōn, translated as “greatest” in English, is compared to or similar to another word, megas, which carries meanings relevant to our discussion, such as:
- to be full of mass and weight
- to be esteemed highly for your importance and excellence
The Greek translation of this verse indicates this as the notion with which the disciples asked the question of greatness in the kingdom. They wanted to know who or which class of people will be recognised as weightier and will be highly esteemed by heaven for their relevance and excellence.
In answering this question, Jesus seized the opportunity to unveil a very important principle in the kingdom: the principle of humility and lowliness. He taught them that in the kingdom, the way to the top is down and not up. He posited that how the kingdom recognises and attributes greatness is different from how the world does it. The world attaches greatness to the flamboyant, flashy, and even sometimes the loud and the known. However, greatness in the kingdom is attributed or attached to the lowly and humble, simple and elemental.
To further explain this principle, He brought before them a little child and said, “Unless you change and become like a little child, you cannot enter the kingdom of God. Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom.”
Jesus explained that to be great, change and take the lowly position of a child. The key thing here is “change and take.” To change from one state to another connotes intentionality. It means you should be intentional about becoming lowly and humble. You must intentionally decide to descend from your high-ranking status and start from scratch like a child. The natural man (one who’s not gone through the experience of regeneration) originally has a little trace of ego and pomposity in him, but when it comes to greatness in the kingdom, you must intentionally let go of these because you cannot walk the pathway of greatness with them. For it is after you’ve changed and taken the lowly position that you can qualify to be weighty and be highly esteemed in the kingdom.
What is it about the child that Jesus made him a reference point, and being childlike the pathway to greatness? This will be discussed with the three S’s which portray peculiar traits of the child which, if any man possesses, will qualify him for greatness in the kingdom.
1. SERVICE
The first of these traits is service. From my observation in working with children, I have seen that they are mostly serviceable. They are readily available to be used for anything you will call upon them to do. It is obvious that the menial jobs in homes are largely done by children.
He that becomes childlike is no different from a servant. Childlikeness equates one to a servant or servanthood, which is a sure path to greatness.
To serve or to render service is to do works that benefit others. In serving, you don’t do things for yourself; you do what you do to the benefit of others. So Marianne Williamson, the American author, speaker, and political activist, said:
“Nothing liberates our greatness like the desire to help, the desire to serve.”
Serving and doing things not for yourself but for the benefit of others has a way of liberating and bringing the greatness locked up in you.
Jesus, who is the model of greatness, demonstrated this trait and endorsed it as a necessary requirement for greatness.
[25] Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. [26] Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, [27] and whoever wants to be first must be your slave— [28] just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” – Matthew 20:25–28 (NIV)
Jesus, in all His splendor as God and King, changed and took up servanthood. He came to this earth not to be served but to serve sinful man, and for this, He was exalted to greatness and was given a name which is above (weightier, superior, esteemed, and highly excellent) every other name (Philippians 2:9).
He taught the disciples from these verses that understanding, grasping, and walking in this simple truth is enough for greatness — and you can only serve when you take the lowly position of a child.
2. SUBORDINATION
The second “S,” which is another great trait in a child, is subordination. Subordination is the quality of obedient submission. I will carefully explain this quality as letting go of your will in order to comply with the demands and requests of one in authority.
Just as children are by default subordinates in society and are automatically under authority — and so live by the dictates and demands of parents and people who are high and above them — so he who wants to walk the path of greatness must change and take up the lowly position of a subordinate. One of the things to note under subordination is that you have no will. You’ve traded your will and personal ambitions and have now taken that of another to live with and by it. What he tells you is what you do.
He that has not mastered the art of being under authority cannot be in authority. You would have to learn to be under authority to be great.
Your subordination should therefore be to God and then to those in authority in the flesh (James 4:7a; Romans 13:1).
3. SIMPLE TRUST
This is another key trait that makes being childlike a pathway to greatness from the perspective of the kingdom of heaven.
To trust is to have confidence or faith in someone or in something. The word simple means easy and not complicated. Therefore, I choose to define simple trust as easily putting confidence and faith in someone or something.
Children have this quality. If you’ve worked with children, you will realise that convincing them to believe or trust you on anything is not stressful. They don’t normally need to see evidence and proof before they trust or believe.
When Jesus was asking the disciples to be childlike to be great, He was telling them to put their confidence in God as the only one who can make them great — and to believe Him and His words, which have promised greatness, with everything in them regardless of the circumstances surrounding the promise or word. If He’s said it, just trust, believe, and hold on to it.
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” – Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)
The God we serve has promised us a great and better future. All that is needed to birth this greatness is a simple trust in Him and His word. Believe God and His word as a child, and heaven will recognise you highly and as weightier.
I consider that these are the great truths Jesus wanted to communicate to the disciples when He put the child among them in answering their question.
In conclusion, it is important to understand that how the world treats and defines greatness is extremely different from how the kingdom of heaven defines it. The world defines greatness in flamboyance, loudness, fame, wealth, and riches, but the kingdom of heaven sees greatness in being childlike. To be great in the kingdom, you should change and take up the lowly position of a child. Walking the path of childlikeness is a pathway we all should endeavor to tread.
Written by Overseer Lord Nkrumah Amponsah (Nkyenekyene District)
