When Little Kids Teach Kingdom Adults How to Lead
What’s Matthew 18 about?
This is Jesus’ masterclass on what true greatness looks like in God’s kingdom – and it starts with becoming like a child. He addresses everything from humility and forgiveness to how we handle conflict in community, painting a picture of leadership that turns worldly power structures completely upside down.
The Full Context
Matthew 18 emerges at a crucial moment in Jesus’ ministry when the disciples are wrestling with hierarchy and status. They’ve just witnessed the Transfiguration, heard predictions of Jesus’ death, and watched him pay the temple tax – all events that raised questions about authority and position in God’s kingdom. The disciples’ question about greatness in Matthew 18:1 reveals their ongoing preoccupation with rank and recognition, typical of first-century Jewish expectations about the Messiah’s political kingdom.
This discourse forms one of Matthew’s five major teaching blocks, specifically addressing community life among Jesus’ followers. It comes at the midpoint of Matthew’s Gospel, as Jesus transitions from public ministry to focused preparation of his disciples for his death and the church they’ll lead. The passage tackles the fundamental tension between human nature’s drive for status and God’s upside-down kingdom values, providing practical wisdom for conflict resolution, church discipline, and unlimited forgiveness that would prove essential for the early Christian communities.
What the Ancient Words Tell Us
When Jesus calls that little child over in Matthew 18:2, he uses the Greek word paidion – not just any child, but specifically a small child, maybe 3-5 years old. Picture this scene: grown men debating who’s the greatest, and Jesus sets a toddler in their midst. The visual is almost comical, but the lesson cuts deep.
The word Jesus uses for “become” (straphete) is fascinating – it’s the same root used for conversion throughout the New Testament. He’s not talking about acting childish; he’s talking about a fundamental transformation of perspective. Children in the ancient world had zero social status. They owned nothing, controlled nothing, demanded nothing. Yet Jesus says this is exactly the mindset required for kingdom greatness.
Grammar Geeks
The phrase “unless you turn” uses an emphatic double negative in Greek (ean me straphete), essentially meaning “absolutely not, never, no way will you enter.” Jesus isn’t suggesting childhood qualities might be helpful – he’s making them non-negotiable for kingdom citizenship.
When Jesus talks about “causing one of these little ones to stumble” in Matthew 18:6, the word skandalizo originally referred to the trigger stick in a trap that would snap shut on an animal. It’s not just about being a bad example – it’s about actively setting traps that destroy faith. The millstone (mylos onikos) he mentions was the massive upper stone of a grain mill, turned by a donkey. We’re talking about a stone weighing hundreds of pounds – Jesus is using intentionally shocking imagery to show how seriously God takes spiritual harm to vulnerable believers.
What Would the Original Audience Have Heard?
First-century Jewish society was intensely hierarchical. Rabbis had carefully defined pecking orders, the Temple system operated on strict levels of access, and Roman occupation reinforced power structures everywhere. When the disciples asked about greatness, they weren’t being petty – they were asking a legitimate cultural question about status in Jesus’ movement.
But Jesus’ answer would have been revolutionary. Children in the ancient world were seen but not heard, had no legal rights, and were considered incomplete humans until adulthood. For Jesus to say “become like children” was like telling ambitious first-century men to become like slaves or foreigners – people with zero social capital.
Did You Know?
In ancient Jewish culture, touching or blessing children was typically women’s work. When Jesus puts his hands on the child in this scene, he’s not just making a point – he’s crossing gender and social boundaries that would have made his male disciples deeply uncomfortable.
The parable of the unforgiving servant in Matthew 18:23-35 would have hit Jesus’ audience like a lightning bolt. Ten thousand talents wasn’t just a large debt – it was incomprehensibly massive. To put this in perspective, the entire annual tax revenue for Judea, Samaria, and Idumea combined was only 600 talents. This servant owed roughly 17 times the annual tax revenue of three provinces. Jesus is using hyperbole to make a point: our debt to God is so vast it might as well be infinite.
Wrestling with the Text
Here’s something that puzzles me about Matthew 18:15-17: Jesus gives this careful, step-by-step process for addressing sin in community, but then immediately follows it with talk about binding and loosing, and concludes with a promise about answered prayer. Are these connected thoughts, or three separate teachings?
Looking at the Greek, they flow together as one coherent instruction about community authority and restoration. The “binding and loosing” language Jesus uses was familiar rabbinic terminology for making judicial decisions – declaring what was forbidden or permitted. But here’s the revolutionary part: Jesus gives this authority not just to leaders, but to the community itself.
Wait, That’s Strange…
Why does Jesus say “tell it to the church” in verse 17 when the church as we know it doesn’t exist yet? The Greek word ekklesia simply means “assembly” or “gathering” – Jesus is talking about the community of his followers, not an institutional church building. This tells us something important about how early Christians understood church structure.
The connection to prayer in Matthew 18:19-20 isn’t random – it’s about the spiritual authority that comes from genuine community agreement. When believers work through conflict with humility and seek restoration rather than punishment, they create space for God’s presence and power.
How This Changes Everything
This chapter demolishes every natural instinct we have about leadership and power. The path to greatness runs through smallness. The way to lead is to serve. The response to being wronged is unlimited forgiveness.
But Jesus isn’t just giving moral platitudes – he’s describing how God’s kingdom actually operates. In Matthew 18:10, he tells us these “little ones” have angels who see God’s face. That’s the language of royal court access – these humble, vulnerable people have direct connection to heaven’s throne room.
The shepherd’s heart in Matthew 18:12-14 reveals something beautiful about God’s mathematics. In human logic, you don’t risk 99 sheep for one. But divine love operates by different equations. Every individual matters infinitely because each one is made in God’s image.
“True greatness isn’t about building platforms – it’s about building people, especially the ones society overlooks.”
Peter’s question about forgiving seven times in Matthew 18:21 sounds generous until Jesus responds with “seventy-seven times” (or “seventy times seven”). He’s not giving a literal count to track – he’s describing a heart posture that has moved beyond scorekeeping entirely.
Key Takeaway
Kingdom greatness isn’t about climbing ladders – it’s about washing feet. When we embrace the humility of a child and extend the grace we’ve received, we discover that serving others is the only path to true significance.
Further Reading
Internal Links:
- Matthew 18:3 – Becoming like children
- Matthew 18:15 – Church discipline and restoration
- Matthew 18:21-22 – Unlimited forgiveness
External Scholarly Resources:
