15th Sunday after Pentecost - Sermon Text
Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost
Romans 13:1-10
Matthew 18:1-20
O Lord, let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, my rock and my redeemer. Amen.
I would like to know the age of the child that Jesus called to himself. In my mind’s eye I see a little boy of about 5 or 6. He must have been a child filled with curiosity fueled by a bit of innocent courage to be hanging around the men. Perhaps, he wanted to see Jesus up close? Jesus gave him the opportunity of a lifetime when he called the boy to himself.
Last week I finished Mac Barnett’s little book called Make Believe: On Telling Stories to Children. Mr. Barnett is a children’s book writer. He is the 2025-2026 appointed Library of Congress and Every Child a Reader, National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature. In his book Mr. Barnett describes some of the challenges that come with telling stories to children in a way that children will connect with them. In the course of his argument, he briefly explains our cognitive development when we were young. By the time a child is five or six, children appreciate images as well as the sound and rhythm of words. They see the world as grand, marvelous, and mysterious. Their imagination has no bounds. They see details, nearly hidden details, that adults often gloss over. Mr. Barnett reminds his readers how we experienced the world when were young.
Jesus uses the child as a visual lesson as he responds to the question, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” The disciples’ question does not arise from nowhere. It arises out of jealousy. In the verses before their question, the disciples witnessed Jesus instruct Peter to go to the Sea of Galilee, catch a fish, open its mouth, and take out the shekel that is in its mouth, and then use it to pay the required tax for Jesus and Peter that the tax collectors asked Peter about. Why does Peter get a free pass on the taxes along with Jesus? Money is tight. They all left their jobs to follow Jesus. Shouldn’t there have been 11 more fish to be caught with money in their mouths? They are feeling left out of the miracle and its benefits. So, the question arises, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” Surely it cannot be Peter? The one who sinks, speaks before he thinks, and when he manages to say the correct words, he clearly does not understand what the words mean.
When Jesus calls that child into his midst, he visually states that they have missed the point of His lessons about the Kingdom of God. Children are valued in Israel as gifts from God. Israel sees children as hope for the future. We know that Jesus knows that children are everything that Mr. Barnett describes. Yet, when Israel and most of the ancient world look upon children, they see two things: Dependence and neediness. Children are dependent upon adults to provide for them. Children need adults to protect and care for them until they get older and can fend for themselves.
Jesus has once again flipped the common assumptions about who and what is valuable in the kingdom of God. The first time he did that was in the opening lines of the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus declared, “Blessed are the poor in spirit...; blessed are those that mourn...; blessed are the meek...; blessed are the persecuted... .” In the world’s eyes, these are not blessed states of being, but Jesus sees it that way. Now, Jesus lifts the child up as a role model. No one saw that coming. The greatest in the kingdom of God is the one who is the neediest, the most dependent. For they can make no claim upon their role in God’s kingdom. God elects you into His kingdom solely based on His grace and mercy. Your skills, talents, good looks, charming personality, and family connections play no role in our Lord’s selection of you. What God offers to you; He offers to everyone. Jesus became incarnate for the whole world. He died on the cross and rose again for you so that everyone can receive the forgiveness of their sins. God’s salvation through Christ is for all.
Truth be told, Jesus is the greatest in the kingdom of God. He has humbled himself to be with us in ways that we cannot begin to fathom. His sacrificial death for the sake of the world is of a greater consequence than we can ever begin to imagine.
When Jesus placed the child before him and told them, “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.” He was urging his disciples to repent of their pride and jealousy and to abandon their worldly thoughts about kingdoms, greatness, power, and their delusions of self-sufficiency and worthiness. Jesus blesses the child and the poor in spirit because they have nothing of significance to offer God than their faith, their trust, and their hope. They are completely dependent upon God and others for their protect and welfare. They need everything, they can give only their trust and love.
In the Divine Service, we are blessed beyond measure to receive Christ in the Sacrament of the Altar. Christ’ body and blood are given to you so that your faith is strengthened by His presence and His forgiveness. We respond to His grace with the innocence and faith of a child behold the Savior and with the imagination that embraces His promise that His love for us continues forever.
The peace of God which passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.
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