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Sons of the Kingdom, Angels, and the Father's ‘Little Ones’
Jesus had been trying to teach his disciples about the Father's kingdom. This family kingdom is about reproducing the Father's character, for it is about a new Time and a new relationship with the Father. As adult sons and daughters of the kingdom, we should no longer be concerned with who is 'in' and who is 'out', nor about who is 'greater', but how we approach it and imitate our Father’s concern for his 'little ones'. Who are these ‘little ones’ whom the disciples might unwittingly despise or cause to sin? To illustrate the Father’s perspective, Jesus calls a young child to come stand in front of his group of adult disciples. This child, who probably did not belong to the discipleship group nor even understand the purpose of Jesus' directive, simply trusted Jesus and did his will. A 'little one' is anyone who responds to Jesus or God like this. – Mirela Andras (Romania)
Meditation Text
'Father' texts: Matthew 18:10
Scripture passage: Mat.17:24-27; 18:1-10 Mark 8:33-47; Luke 9:46-49
Introduction Video Time: 00:54
SCRIPTURE PASSAGE
LUKE (9:46-47a GH[i])
A discussion then started among them about which of them might be greatest, ·yet Jesus perceived their underlying thoughts.
MATTHEW (17:24-27)
Now on their arrival in Capernaum, those who collected the half-shekel approached Peter and said, ‘Does YOUR teacher not pay the half-shekel?’ ·‘Yes,’ he said, but when he entered the house Jesus spoke before he could. ‘Simon, …from whom do the kings of the earth collect custom duties or tribute: from their own sons or from the foreigners?’ ·When he said ‘From the foreigners,’ Jesus concurred with him: ‘So then, the sons are exempt, ·Yet in order that we not be a snare to those men, go to the sea, cast in a hook and take the first fish you catch. Then, opening up its mouth you will find a shekel. Take that and pay them for both me and you.’
MARK (9:33-35a)
Then, there in the house he inquired of them, ‘What were YOU discussing among yourselves on the road? ·But they kept silent because on the road they had been arguing with each other over which one was greater. ·So he sat down and called the Twelve.
MATTHEW (18:1)
Approaching Jesus the disciples said, ‘So then, who is greater in the kingdom of heaven?
MARK (9:35b)
‘If anyone wants to be first,’ he said to them, ‘that one must be last of all and servant of all.’
MATTHEW (18:2-4)
Jesus then called a little child to come stand in the middle of them. ·And he said…, ‘Unless YOU change and become like these little children, YOU may not ever enter the kingdom of heaven. ·Accordingly, whoever humbles himself like this little child, that one is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
MARK (9:36-37)
Then embracing the child he said to them, ·‘Whoever receives one of these children in my name receives me, and whoever receives me, receives not me but the One who sent me.
LUKE (9:48b-49)
For the one among YOU all who becomes least, that one shall be great.’ ·John responded, ‘Master, we saw someone casting out demons in your name and we stopped him because he is not following us.
MARK (9:39-41)
But Jesus said, ‘YOU must not stop him, for no one who does a powerful work in my name will also suddenly be empowered to speak evil of me. ·Anyone not against us is for us, ·and… whoever serves YOU a cup of water in my name because YOU bear the Messiah’s name shall not lose his reward.
MATTHEW (18:6-8)
'Yet anyone who ensnares one of these little ones who believe in me, it would be better for him that a heavy millstone should be hanged about his neck while he is being plunged into the deepest sea. ·Woe to the world because of these snares! When snares come it is indeed a distress, but woe to the person through whom the snare comes! ·So if your hand or your foot ensnares you, cut them off and throw them away from you. It is better for you to enter into life maimed or crippled than to be thrown with two hands or two feet into eternal fire.
MARK (9:47)
And if your eye ensnares you, remove it and throw it away from you. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to be thrown with two eyes into the fiery Gehenna.
MATTHEW (18:10)
Pay attention that YOU do not despise one of these little ones, for I tell YOU that their angels in heaven, through everything, are observing the face of my Father, the One in heaven.
MEDITATION
The disciples still have an earthly kingdom in mind. So they are concerned about issues of status: who is 'in', and who is 'greater' among those who are 'in'. With their first evangelism trip also fresh in their minds, maybe they are now comparing their 'outreach' results. Or perhaps the three Jesus took up the mountain now feel that they must be ‘greater’, because they have been given such an amazing supernatural experience. All along Jesus has been trying to teach them about the Father's kingdom (Med.#17 & #15)—a family kingdom that is about reproducing the Father's character, not about the gradations of power and positions found in earthly kingdoms. The disciples, however, are having a difficult time 'getting' it.
The kingdom of heaven is about a new Time and a new relationship with the Father. For in this kingdom there will no longer be ‘servants’ or ‘foreigners’, only sons and daughters. Thus hierarchical systems, including the Temple, are no longer relevant. Yet Jesus still sends Peter to catch a fish and pay the temple-tax. And both the payment and the means of finding it relate to the argument Jesus has overheard on the road to Capernaum. The Father's kingdom is not about who is 'in' and who is 'greater', but about how we approach it and how we imitate our Father's concern for 'little ones'. Even disciples of the kingdom can end up outside it if they—or any part of their body—become a snare that brings down one of the Father's 'little ones'.
God is a Father to these 'little ones' by assigning an angel in his presence to each one. Who are these vulnerable ones that the disciples might unwittingly despise or ensnare? As a living parable, Jesus calls a young child to come to him. The child trustingly obeys Jesus' summons and stands in front of this group of adults. So a 'little one' is anyone who exercises the simplest trust (belief) in Jesus or God and acts in obedience to the truth he or she has seen.
Yet by putting his arms around the child, Jesus shows first of all that the Father's ‘little ones’ include all children. He then goes on to include: an ‘outsider’—not part of the discipleship group—who trusts Jesus enough to try to cast out demons in his name; and the one who offers the simplest hospitality to one of his disciples. The humility demonstrated by the trust and obedience of these 'little ones' is the essential characteristic of anyone who wishes to enter the kingdom of heaven. It is also the essential characteristic of 'greatness' for anyone in the Father's kingdom. So in Jesus' second live parable, Peter must ignore the honor of being singled out as the representative of the group to talk to Jesus about the temple-tax, and instead exercise such humble trust and obedience to carry out Jesus' method for paying it. In order for this family kingdom to work, we must all choose to act towards one another with the humility of 'little ones', and become like our Father, who doesn't want anyone to be ensnared or lost.
In the Father's kingdom, neither 'insider' nor 'outsider' status, nor hierarchical levels of 'greatness' are the main issues. All 'little ones' who are on the way to the kingdom are equally important to their Father, even if they are not yet 'in' it—like Cornelius—the Roman centurion who hadn't even met Jesus yet. Maybe the angel who appeared to him (Act.10:1-6) was the one who had already been standing in the Father's presence on his behalf. You have such an angel (Heb.1:14)! Perhaps these are the same angels Jacob saw ‘ascending’ to the Father's presence ‘and then descending’ to serve the little ones who had been assigned to them (Gen.28:10).
When Jesus embraces the child in his second live parable, his body language expresses how the Father feels about each of his ‘little ones’, about each of us! He is also demonstrating how our 'eyes' and 'hands' (and 'feet') should welcome them, whether they are confessing members of our churches or not. Yet it is so easy to trip up a 'little one'. We may not say anything unwelcoming to them; but if we harbor attitudes of exclusiveness or too much concern for social status, these will still be clearly visible in a rejecting glance, a ‘cold shoulder’ or a patronizing gesture.
If we would wish to remain part of the solution brought by the Father's kingdom and not become just another part of the problem—a world full of obstacles to faith—then we must learn to recognize the Father's ‘little ones’ and welcome them wherever we meet them. We are called to be sources of encouragement that make them want to trust God more and obey him more, instead of traps that ensnare them in their acts of simple faith and obedience to him. We are also called to be adult sons and daughters who are content to be ‘little ones’ ourselves—in the way we listen to Jesus' voice, trust him and obey him in front of other people, even when his instructions seem embarrassing. And we must not allow ourselves to get ensnared by the forms of exclusion and hierarchy that characterize the kingdoms of this world.
What do your eyes and gestures say about your attitude towards people seeking to obey God or Jesus, especially those who do not call themselves ‘Christians’, and those who are not members of your church?
PRAYING THE WORD
We praise you Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. You have given us authority to overcome all the power of the enemy, However we will not rejoice in such power and greatness, but only that our names are written in heaven. (Luke 10:19-21)
NOTE
[i] The whole Scripture Passage is taken from J.K. Mellis, The Good News of the Messiah by the Four Witnesses, pp.123-125.
