“At the same time came the disciples unto Jesus, saying, Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them,” Matthew 18:1-2.
This little boy suddenly found himself the centre of attention. He became a picture by which the Lord Jesus answers an important question!
1. Please notice first the wee lad’s obedience.
“And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them.” Is it not obvious that the lad ‘obeyed’ the Lord when He called him? He didn’t run away and hide from the Saviour but he came to Him and the Lord Jesus set him up for all to see. The first use of the Greek word translated ‘set’ appears in Matthew 2:9.“When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was.” Just as the star ‘stood’ over the place where the Saviour was to show the wise men the way, so this lad is ‘set’ in the midst of the disciples to show them the answer to their question. Boys and girls, by obeying the Lord YOU can become INSTRUCTORS of others!
2. This wee lad was used by the Lord to illustrate how a sinner is converted. “And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven,” Matthew 18:3-4. The actions of the little boy in response to the Saviour’s call teach us about conversion.
A. We must be converted to enter heaven. The word simply means ‘turn right round’. Conversion is the work of God, Who moves in our hearts so that we turn right round on the path of sin that we have been travelling on and GO BACK IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION! I see you change direction as you play during the lunch break. How quickly you can do it! Well, that is what a Christian is — someone the Lord has ‘turned right round’ and caused to go in the opposite direction!
B. Before that turning around takes place there must be a ‘humble’ obeying the voice of the Saviour. That is what that lad did. When the Saviour called he didn’t say, ‘No, I don’t want to come to you. I want to go off with my friends and play’! No, he set aside what he might want to do and did what the Saviour wanted him to do! Remember what the Lord Jesus said on another occasion? “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me,” John 10:27. Please learn this, girls and boys! It is the WORD of Christ which turns us! Just like Paul on the rod to Damascus, Acts 9:4.
C. So, boys and girls, if you act like that little boy, YOU can be a helper of the Saviour in teaching adults how they may be saved and go to heaven. The story starts with this little boy:
HEARING the call of Christ, verse 2.
SUBMITTING to the call of Christ, verse 2. He did not run away or hide!
OBEYING the call of Christ, verse 2.
BELIEVING the call of Christ, verse 6.
This verse tells us that the little boy was one of those who ‘believed’ in the Lord Jesus. That is, he trusted the Saviour and therefore obeyed Him, not fearing to come to Him and be lifted up for all to see. Boys and girls, we don’t know the name of this wee lad. BUT, if you act as he did and obey the Lord Jesus and come to Him and allow Him to do with you that which He wishes, YOU will meet this wee boy in heaven.