Who Is The Greatest In The Kingdom Of Heaven?

When the disciples asked Jesus “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”, they probably weren’t expecting the answer He gave!

Stephanie is a freelance writer and a contributor to our Christian internet radio station, HopeStreamRadio. Contact us if you are a truth seeker and need some answers.

The Greatest In The Kingdom Of Heaven

Matthew 18:1-4 says, “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 themand 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.’”

Not long before, Jesus had told His disciples that He was going to be put to death. He also instructed them to take up their cross. And yet, they were still thinking in human terms. “Who is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” they wanted to know.

God’s Kingdom Is Not Earthly

Are you shaking your head like I am? I seem to be doing that a lot lately as I look at these passages not as standalone scenarios but in chronological order.

The disciples, like every other Hebrew, were looking for a conquering hero, a deliverer who would overthrow their oppressors, a king. They didn’t understand that God’s kingdom is infinitely different than any earthly government or regime.

They also didn’t understand what it meant to be great in the kingdom of heaven. Did they expect Jesus to say the one who was the smartest would be greatest? Or the one who was strongest? Even the one who most diligently kept the commandments?

Whatever they were thinking, I’m 100 percent convinced that His answer surprised the disciples. Can you imagine the whispering that was going on in that room?

“What did He just say?”

“I couldn’t have heard Him correctly.”

“He can’t be serious.”

“I’m sure He isn’t talking about real children—as in boys and girls.”

“Maybe He misunderstood the question.”

Of course I wasn’t there and I don’t know what the disciples said or thought, but it wouldn’t surprise me if they were collectively shaking their heads.

What Did Jesus Mean?

I’ve often spoken about the outcasts in 1^st century society. Women and children may not have been considered outcasts exactly, but they were certainly not held in high esteem. For Jesus to say His followers had to become like children, almost certainly confused them.

While I don’t know the full extent of what the Lord was implying, let’s think about what He may have meant. And let’s consider what He may have meant in light of what He knew lay ahead.

Why Children?

Children are dependent. Although they insist they can do certain tasks on their own, in many cases, they will ask for help when they realize whatever it is has proven too difficult to accomplish without help. We must realize how desperately we need the Lord’s enabling to accomplish anything of value.

Children are often quick to let go of an offense. How many times have you heard a child say, “I’m never going to play with her again,” only to hear them say, of the same child, just a short time later, “She’s my best friend”? We can’t hold onto hurt and unforgiveness and expect to achieve greatness in the sight of the Lord.

Children are subject to authority. The same is true of believers in Jesus Christ. We must submit ourselves to the authority of the Bible, the Word of God. Children cannot get along without clear guidelines—and neither can we. Thankfully, God chose to make the Scriptures available to us.

Jesus knew He would soon be leaving His disciples. Like children, they would be sad and frightened. They wouldn’t know where to turn or what to do. But, like children, they had to trust that they wouldn’t be left alone indefinitely. In the case of Jesus’ followers, the Holy Spirit came at Pentecost to indwell and empower them.

We Must Become Like Children

Like those 1^st century believers, we are to become like children. We are to acknowledge our dependence on God. We are to submit to His authority. We are to trust that He will never leave or forsake us and that He will come again when the time is right. Until that day, He has sent His Holy Spirit to dwell within us, to lead and guide us, and to give us the desire and ability to do what He calls us to do.

Jesus said His disciples must humble themselves like little children. And we must prayerfully consider how we can do the same.

There’s a lot of talk in the world about who’s the most powerful, who’s the most successful, who’s the greatest. We must seek to become like little children if we want to become great in God’s kingdom.