Matt 18:1–10 — Discipleship In Community, Part 1: Humility

Matthew 18 begins another major block of Jesus’ teaching. Matthew’s Gospel contains five such sections, each followed by a statement resembling, “When Jesus had finished these sayings.” The first is the Sermon on the Mount in chapters 5–7. The second, in chapter 10, concerns the mission to Israel while also anticipating the worldwide apostolic mission. The third is the collection of kingdom parables in chapter 13. Matthew 18 is the fourth.

The main point of this section is that discipleship takes place not only individually but also in community, within our relationships with fellow members of Christ’s body. In Matthew 16:24, after his first passion prediction, Jesus says, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” The command addresses each person individually: each disciple must take up his or her cross. Yet disciples do not follow Christ in isolation.

Our common union with Christ joins us to one another. Matthew 18 therefore directs us in our relationships with fellow members of Christ’s kingdom. Jesus is already looking ahead to the period after his ascension, when he will no longer be physically present. Later in the chapter he explains how the church must respond when a brother sins and promises, “Where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them” (Matt. 18:20). That promise anticipates the Great Commission: “I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matt. 28:20). Jesus is instructing his church, including us.

Who Is Greatest in the Kingdom?

The disciples approach Jesus and ask, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” The words “at that time” connect their question with the preceding discussion of the temple tax. Jesus had distinguished between the king’s sons, who are free, and “others,” who pay tribute. The disciples apparently wonder whether only an elite group occupies the status of royal sons and begin debating who among them is greatest.

They miss the point. All Christ’s disciples are sons of the King; this dignity is not reserved for his closest friends. Jesus responds by calling a little child, placing the child among them, and saying:

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.

In what sense must disciples become like children? Some suggest innocence, trustfulness, or a child’s low position in the hierarchy of authority. Jesus’ own explanation emphasizes humility: “Whoever humbles himself like this child.”

The Greek term indicates a young child, probably under seven. In the ancient world, children did not possess the social importance often assigned to them today. They knew they were not in charge. Jesus does not idealize every aspect of childhood; he points to the child’s lowly status. His disciples must stop seeking prominence, relinquish self-importance, and become content to be among the least members of Christ’s kingdom—“one of these little ones who believe in me.”

The disciples ask who is greatest. Jesus answers that greatness belongs to the one who humbles himself. Indeed, no one even enters the kingdom without this humility.

Conversion and Lifelong Turning

Jesus says, “Unless you turn and become like children.” The word translated “turn” supplies the idea behind the word conversion. To be converted is to turn from sin to Christ in faith and repentance.

Conversion has an initial and a continuing aspect. Every person must be converted to enter the kingdom. Some believers, like the apostle Paul on the Damascus road, can identify the moment clearly. Others, especially those raised in the church, may not know a precise date. Nevertheless, the fruit of conversion must appear in a growing life of faith, repentance, and grateful obedience.

The Heidelberg Catechism, question 88, asks, “What is involved in genuine repentance or conversion?” It answers that conversion consists in the dying away of the old self and the rising to life of the new. Jesus is concerned not only with the beginning of the Christian life but with the continual, lifelong turning from sin to Christ.

There is therefore no place for a competition over who is greatest. All believers enter in the same way: humbling themselves, confessing their sin, and receiving grace. We are equally sinful and equally dependent upon Christ’s forgiveness. The ground at the foot of the cross is level. Everyone who enters by childlike faith is great because everyone is united to Christ.

Receiving Christ’s Little Ones

Jesus applies this humility to relationships within his community:

Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me.

The “child” now represents the humble disciple, one of the little ones who believes in Jesus. We receive such believers because we, too, are sinners saved by grace. They have entered the kingdom in the same way we have: by admitting their sin and receiving God’s forgiveness.

Christ identifies himself so closely with his disciples that receiving them in his name is receiving him. This does not eliminate church discipline, which Jesus addresses later in Matthew 18. The church must exercise discernment and, when necessary, judgment. Yet its ordinary posture must be to receive, accept, and embrace everyone whom Christ receives, accepts, and embraces.

This is difficult because we naturally view others according to the flesh. We notice their weaknesses, personalities, backgrounds, and differences rather than their union with Christ. Yet the truth we believe about ourselves also applies to our brothers and sisters: they belong to Christ. How we treat them reflects how we treat him.

Stumbling Blocks in the Community

Jesus continues:

Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea. Woe to the world for temptations to sin! For it is necessary that temptations come, but woe to the one by whom the temptation comes!

Some English Bibles insert a new heading at verse 6 or 7, as though Jesus begins a different subject. That division is misleading. Verses 5–10 form a continuous argument about Christ’s little ones. Verse 5 commands us to receive them; verse 10 warns us not to despise them. The teaching about stumbling belongs within those boundaries.

The ESV renders the underlying term as “temptations to sin” and “causes … to sin.” That is possible but somewhat narrow. It may bring to mind Paul’s warning in 1 Corinthians 8 about using freedom in a way that leads a weaker believer to violate his conscience over food offered to idols.

The broader alternative rendering is “stumbling blocks” or “causes … to stumble.” It encompasses anything that damages the faith of a fellow disciple. At the extreme, a person’s actions might contribute, humanly speaking, to someone abandoning the faith. From the standpoint of election and perseverance, those who finally fall away reveal that they were never truly saved. Yet from the human standpoint of life in the church, it remains possible to inflict terrible spiritual harm.

A stumbling block may also take less extreme forms. Unfair criticism, contempt, or harsh judgment can discourage and wound a believer. Later Jesus summarizes the breadth of the problem with the words, “If your brother sins against you.” The possible offenses are innumerable and vary greatly in severity.

Jesus knows stumbling blocks will arise in the world and even within the visible church. Their inevitability does not excuse those who create them. “Woe to the one by whom the stumbling block comes!” Christ’s little ones are precious to him. To injure them spiritually is so serious that the offender would be better off drowned with a great millstone around his neck.

This warning reveals how seriously Jesus takes the command to love one another. He loves his sheep and will not treat harm done to them as trivial. Persistent, unrepentant contempt for other believers may indicate that the offender is not a genuine disciple at all.

Taking Sin Seriously

Jesus then uses alarming language:

If your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life crippled or lame than with two hands or two feet to be thrown into the eternal fire. And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away.

This is hyperbole, a vivid manner of speaking Jesus uses elsewhere. In Luke 14:26, for example, he says a disciple must “hate” father and mother. He does not command literal hatred but insists that loyalty to him must surpass every family attachment.

Likewise, Jesus does not command bodily mutilation. Acts gives no examples of disciples cutting off hands or removing eyes. Moreover, Jesus speaks of entering eternal life maimed, whereas the resurrection will restore every bodily frailty. His point is that we must take sin seriously and use every necessary measure to avoid it.

The immediate context particularly concerns sins that harm fellow disciples. Jesus is saying: Do not exalt yourself in the kingdom. Do not become self-righteous or treat others as spiritually inferior. Do not create stumbling blocks that injure their faith. Humble yourself, recognize your continuing sinful nature, and fight against it in dependence upon Christ.

The Lifelong Struggle Against Sin

Heidelberg Catechism question 56 asks what Christians believe concerning the forgiveness of sins. Its answer begins with the comforting declaration that, because of Christ’s satisfaction, God will no longer remember any of our sins. It then adds that God will not remember “my sinful nature which I need to struggle against all my life.”

Even as forgiven Christians, we retain a sinful nature and must strive against it throughout our lives. Jesus’ language about removing a hand, foot, or eye warns against complacency. We must not reason that because we are forgiven and assured of heaven, our remaining sin no longer matters. We must put the flesh to death.

This struggle does not provide the basis of our justification. We are accepted by God through faith alone, solely because of Christ’s work. Our standing does not depend upon how successfully we mortify sin. Nevertheless, genuine faith produces a sincere struggle against the flesh. Repentance and the pursuit of holiness are necessary fruits and evidences of trusting Christ.

Paul makes the same point in Galatians 6:8: “The one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption.” Romans 8:13–14 says:

If you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.

Taken out of context, these warnings might sound as though salvation is earned by fighting sin. Jesus and Paul teach the opposite. We enter the kingdom through childlike trust in Christ, receiving salvation by grace through faith alone. Yet faith does not remain fruitless. If a person gives himself over to the flesh without remorse, repentance, or desire for holiness, that persistent course indicates that he was never truly saved.

To be led by the Spirit means that the Spirit produces his fruit within us and enables us to put sinful deeds to death. It does not primarily refer to receiving private directions about where to go or what decision to make. Those led by the Spirit walk by the Spirit in a lifelong pattern of repentance and obedience.

Jesus embeds this warning within teaching about community. The call to mortify sin applies broadly to Christian sanctification, but here it shows the grave importance of brotherly love. How we treat one another in the church is a matter of life and death. Contempt for Christ’s little ones exposes a heart unaware of its own sinfulness and need of grace.

Do Not Despise One of These Little Ones

Verse 10 summarizes the passage: “See that you do not despise one of these little ones.” Jesus may also be indirectly criticizing the Pharisees. They are self-righteous and treat others with contempt. They question why Jesus’ disciples do not fast, wash according to tradition, or observe the elders’ rules. Confident in their own standing, they look down upon those who do not meet their standards.

By contrast, those who truly receive grace come to Jesus humbly, as did the Canaanite woman pleading for her daughter and the Roman centurion pleading for his servant. The Pharisees lack this sense of need. Jesus warns his disciples not to imitate their spiritual pride.

Christ’s little ones matter to him. He loves them, died for them, and cares for them. We must therefore regard them as precious rather than treating them as second-class members of the kingdom.

Jesus adds, “In heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven.” This probably does not teach that every believer has an individually assigned guardian angel. Scripture more generally describes angels as ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation (Heb. 1:14). To see God’s face is to possess access to the infinitely holy God. Believers who appear insignificant and are easily despised on earth enjoy the highest privilege of access to the Father.

Humility in Christian Community

Jesus gives both a positive and a negative command. Positively, “Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me.” We must receive all whom Christ receives, recognizing their union with him.

Negatively, “See that you do not despise one of these little ones.” We must not treat fellow Christians with contempt, judge them as inferior, exclude them, or place spiritual obstacles in their path. Such conduct can cause far more than superficial offense or hurt feelings. It can discourage believers deeply and damage their faith.

What right do we have to reject those whom Christ has received? They are the little ones who believe in Jesus. Christ is for them. Persistent judgment and contempt arise from spiritual pride—from forgetting our own weakness and need.

Humility is therefore the key. Discipleship begins with conversion: humbling ourselves like children, admitting our sin, and recognizing our desperate need of God’s grace. When we understand our own need, we can receive fellow disciples with patience and love.

This humility must continue throughout the Christian life. We repeatedly turn from the fleshly desire to exalt ourselves, judge others, and claim superiority. Humility is not merely the entrance into Christ’s community; it is the necessary posture for a life together that pleases the Lord.