Text:

About that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who is greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven? Jesus called a little child to him and put the child among them. Then he said, “I tell you the truth, unless you turn from your sins and become like little children, you will never get into the Kingdom of Heaven. So anyone who becomes as humble as this little child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven. And anyone who welcomes a little child like this on my behalf is welcoming me. But if you cause one of these little ones who trusts in me to fall into sin, it would be better for you to have a large millstone tied around your neck and be drowned in the depths of the sea. What sorrow awaits the world, because it tempts people to sin. Temptations are inevitable, but what sorrow awaits the person who does the tempting. So if your hand or foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It’s better to enter eternal life with only one hand or one foot than to be thrown into eternal fire with both of your hands and feet. And if your eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It’s better to enter eternal life with only one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell. Beware that you don’t look down on any of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels are always in the presence of my heavenly Father.”

The Kingdom of God is at its best with its COMMUNITY IS FIGHTING FOR UNITY.

Overall Commentary: 🌎

Jesus begins His fourth discourse speaking on the need for the Christian community to stand together. The best and first topic is to define what Greatness is. In our upside world, greatness has to do with rising to the top and getting ahead of everyone else. In the Kingdom of God, it has to do with lowering ourself under the Mighty Hand of God and serving others.

The Church unifies in the pursuit of greatness as God's Dear Children.

In this passage, Jesus speaks about what true humility looks like. In today's world, the idea of humility seems to have been lost in a maze of seeking shame or (oddly enough) pride. How do we avoid the ditch of shame and pride in seeking true Biblical humility? Below is a book resource to help us walk through this discussion together.

Commentary

Verse 1-4: As Real as it gets.

Who Started this Argument?: I'm so curious as to who started this argument. I wonder if it could have been Peter, James, or John. They had just come down from seeing Jesus transformed. Did this make them think they were slightly better than everyone else? Was it Judas? He was in charge of the money. Either way, it paints an important picture we all need to remember. The disciples were human. Only Jesus is Divine. They needed to learn, grow, and be challenged just like us.
An odd example of greatness: During that time, it was common for rabbis to teach about what made someone great. However, they would usually use a famous person from history or a war hero. Jesus does the exact opposite and would have stunned the disciples.
The Upside Down World? In our world, greatness is compared to who stands the tallest and who is the most independent. In the Kingdom of God, itis who can kneel the lowest and depend the most of God.
Humility: CS Lewis once said, "Humility is not thinking less of yourself. It is thinking of yourself less often."

Verse 5-7: The Warning.

Is Jesus still talking about Children? Many use this passage to focus on our need to train the next generation. This is something that we absolutely need to do. However, this passage does not speak only about physical children. Since Jesus is using children to speak of Christians, the metaphor speaks of not leading other Christ-followers astray.
What is Milestone?: A milestone is a heavy stone farmers use to press out grain. It would have been very heavy.
Drown in the sea: The Israelite nation was not a sea-faring nation. Therefore, the idea of drowning at sea would have been extra terrifying.

Verse 8-9: The Challenge.

Jesus is NOT being literal: This is such an important point. Jesus is using a standard speaking method called "hyperbole." This is where you exaggerate the point to show its importance. He said the same thing in reverse order in an earlier part of Matthew. He is saying it is really important to take your eternal destination seriously and not let anything get you sidetracked.
Christianity is not for the weak-willed: Jesus is also making a point that Christianity is not like a day spa where you show up and they do the rest. It is a spiritual battle against the world, the flesh, and the devil.

Verse 10: The Beautiful Picture.

Do we have guardian angels?: This verse has been used by many to say all Christians (especially children) have a specific guardian angel. This is not the point of this text. The point is that God uses angels to watch over His children. This does not mean we are limited to one angel or that one is specifically assigned to us for all of life. You may have various angels working on your behalf throughout life.
Seeing the face of God: It was thought by Jewish teachers that the most powerful angels were the ones permitted into the very presence and throneroom of God. Therefore, Jesus is saying that He watches over His children with the best.
To study more on Guarding angels, check the links at the bottom of this post.