Episode Transcript
CONSECRATE
Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.
Jesus, I belong to you.
I lift up my heart to you.
I set my mind on you.
I fix my eyes on you.
I offer my body to you as a living sacrifice.
Jesus, we belong to you.
Praying in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, amen.
HEAR
Matthew 18:1–5 ESV
At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
“Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, . . .”
CONSIDER
"Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?"
I saw an advertisement recently with a young boy holding a baseball and a bat. He exuberantly exclaimed, "I'm the greatest hitter of all time!" Then he threw the ball into the air, grabbed the bat, and swung for the fence—and missed. He repeated his claim, "I'm the greatest hitter of all time!" He threw the ball in the air again and again—swing and a miss. And again, he said louder, "I'm the greatest hitter of all time!" And strike three. He grimaced as he looked down at his feet, and without missing a beat, he shouted, "I'm the greatest pitcher of all time!"
Something in all of us, no matter how far-fetched it may seem, wants to be the G.O.A.T. at something. The greatest of all time. It's why the disciples ask one of the most oxy-moronic questions of all time in today's text.
"Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?"
Who is the greatest? It evokes the very essence of ego. I heard an apt acronym the other day for E.G.O.—Edging God Out. "Greatest" language activates the cancerous plague of all human cultures (especially internet culture): comparison. It creates a universe of competition where there can be only one winner and an infinity of losers.
Jesus blows up the question and destroys the category.
And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven."
In lifting up the child as the example, Jesus is not driving at child-like whimsy with rainbows and unicorns. He's exalting extreme humility. He's crushing status barriers, destroying prestige markers, and otherwise eviscerating any shred of human qualification anyone might bring to the table. And let's be clear, he's not handing out participation trophies to mediocre people. He's passing out divine commendations, and they are in endless supply. With a mere thirty-four words he reinterprets the way to greatness from measuring up to measuring down.
Step 1: To enter the kingdom of heaven—make yourself nothing—like a child. Step 2: To become the greatest in the kingdom—humble yourself—like a child.
Humility is not self-abnegation; it is God-exaltation.
Humility is not thinking less of yourself; it is thinking of yourself less.
Humility is not lowering yourself; it is lifting up others.
True humility is becoming so enraptured with Jesus you've taken on his likeness. His mindset has become your mentality. And isn't that what we mean when every morning we enter into consecration and say, "I set my mind on you." We are saying,
I have the same mind in me that was in Christ Jesus,
who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God a thing to be grasped,
but made himself nothing;
and taking on the nature of a slave,
being made in human likeness,
and found in the appearance of a man,
He humbled himself and became obedient to death,
even death on a cross.
Therefore God highly exalted him
and gave him the name that is above every name;
that at the name of Jesus
every knee should bow, in heaven, and on earth, and under the earth,
and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father. (see Philippians 2)
Step 1: Make yourself nothing.
Step 2: Humble yourself.
"Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?"
It very well could be you.
PRAY
Lord Jesus, I no longer want to be great. I want to be humble. This is a miraculous transformation of ambition. It feels so freeing to let go of all I have tried to make of myself and to realize it is all nothing compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing you and being found in your gifted approval. Until your humility is my holiness, Jesus. Amen.
