The disciples asked Jesus, “Who is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven?” (Matthew 18:1). Jesus responds by pointing to a helpless, innocent child—a person who held one of the lowest places in society.
Jesus 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” (Matthew 18:3–4).
The world tells us that greatness is something that we have to struggle and compete to achieve. To achieve greatness, we have to spend time with those who elevate our own social standing. There is no room for humility on the path to worldly greatness. But Jesus says that the path to greatness is not rejecting the lowly—it’s welcoming them. With his own life, Jesus modeled this seemingly inverted path to greatness.
The greatest is the one who becomes the lowest. Jesus Christ was tried and executed as a human criminal, though he was equal with God (Phil. 2:6). He’s the greatest in the Kingdom.
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