Exposition of Matthew (Matthew 18:1-4)

September 17, 2021 

(Jesus’ last days of earthly ministry)

Questions to be answered in this study

1. What two crucial things about Jesus were the disciples having trouble understanding?
2. What was Jesus’ primary reason for coming to earth?
3. Why were the disciples timing concerning who would be the greatest in the Kingdom inappropriate?
4. What did Jesus mean when He said, “The first shall be last and the last shall be first?“
5. What could be our greatest failure as believers?
6. What did Jesus mean when He said that we must become as a little child to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven?
7. What does it mean to be born again?
8. What is the key to our approach to God and having an authentic salvation experience?

Introduction

This study continues last week’s study as Jesus explains to His disciples the near future concerning His suffering, death on the cross, and His resurrection from the dead. At this point, the disciples were unable to accept or to understand two crucial concepts concerning Jesus. They failed to accept the incarnation of Jesus, God becoming man, and they also could not understand why Jesus had to suffer and die. They needed to understand these concepts because they would be the foundation doctrine of the church and the gospel.

So, as we enter today’s study, Mathew will show two scenes that take place after Jesus told them of His impending death and resurrection. First, Peter Expected Jesus to pay taxes, which were paid to God, which was redundant. We saw in our last study how Peter, regarding the tax issue, failed to understand Jesus’ deity, being both man and God. Second, Peter had yet to understand the core of the gospel which was God becoming man in order to die to pay the penalty of sin. To die on the cross was Jesus’ primary purpose for coming to earth to pay the sin debt that we might become righteous in Him; that is the acceptable righteousness God requires to enter heaven. We read in 2 Corinthians 5:21 (KJV), “For he hath made him [to be] sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.”

At this point, the disciples could only see Jesus in His physical form as a humble, lowly human being although a powerful one. They could not see the divine nature of Jesus and therefore were unable to understand why He must suffer and die.

As we enter today’s study, Matthew teaches us concerning God’s self-sacrificial love:

Matthew 18:1 (KJV), “At the same time came the disciples unto Jesus, saying, who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”

Another matter came up between Jesus and His disciples that Matthew gives only a little background. So, let’s see what Mark can add to it in Mark 9:31-35 (KJV), “For he taught his disciples, and said unto them, The Son of man is delivered into the hands of men, and they shall kill him; and after that he is killed, he shall rise the third day. 32But they understood not that saying, and were afraid to ask him. 33And he came to Capernaum: and being in the house he asked them, What was it that ye disputed among yourselves by the way? 34But they held their peace: for by the way they had disputed among themselves, who should be the greatest. 35And he sat down, and called the twelve, and saith unto them, If any man desire to be first, the same shall be last of all, and servant of all.”

Mark connects the earlier part of the conversation between Jesus and the disciples related to what the disciples were discussing but were afraid to tell Jesus when He asked them. Once again, they had a problem understanding what Jesus told them concerning His impending death and resurrection. Hence, they changed the subject to the Kingdom and the who would be the greatest, primarily among them. It was not inappropriate for the disciples to discuss such a matter because Jesus would assign positions of authority in His Kingdom; it was the timing; Jesus was speaking of His impending death and resurrection, and they were not showing honor to it. 

The disciple’s timing was inappropriate following the statement Jesus made concerning His death and resurrection. The disciples failed to appreciate the seriousness of what Jesus had just said even though they did not understand it. They felt guilt when Jesus asked them what they had been talking about, and they were afraid to tell Him. Other than dishonoring Jesus, their conversation was self-centered, evidenced by their concern about the greatest in the Kingdom. Their conversation was very human, measuring greatness in terms of power and status.

Perhaps that is sometimes our problem. We forget that God’s ways are not our ways. God has a different medium for measuring greatness. Mark records how Jesus responded to them, “And he sat down, and called the twelve and saith unto them, If any man desire to be first, the same shall be last of all, and servant of all.” To paraphrase what Jesus said, he said that the one who would be first in the future Kingdom must be willing to be last here on earth and become a servant to others. That is not the world’s way of seeing things. We learn from early childhood that being first or best in anything brings recognition, power, and position.

In the world, it is about beating out others to receive a promotion, picked to be on a team, or become an officer in the company. In this world, people strive to be first or the best and to receive recognition for it. It even carries over in every aspect of the personal life, to have the best car and the best home, etc. Pride and ego and the things that impress man are foreign to what God determines as excellent. King Solomon, who had it all, declared that all the things man counts great is vanity.

To be first in the Kingdom of God is determined by an entirely different standard from what the world expects. By all means to be first in God’s Kingdom is the best reward of all and certainly something to be desired. That position is open to anyone who wants it, but it is only received by those whose goal here on earth is to put others first and be willing to serve them and help them achieve.

In God’s view, being last in this world means being first in the world to come. Being last in this world means stepping aside from our pursuits and helping others fulfill theirs; it means being a minister and putting others’ needs first. What is winning the rat race on this earth compared to winning the prize of the world to come? That is what Paul was talking about in Philippians 3:14 (KJV). “I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” You can’t center your life in the world and, at the same time, center it in the calling of God in Christ. You sacrifice one for the other. Paul renounced the world. We need to ask ourselves which one are we renouncing, the world or our calling in Christ the Lord. May God help us if we are rejecting His call on our life.

What sacrifice means is willing to give up the accolades the world is concerned about, the promotions, social status, bank accounts, recognition, etc. It means putting Christ and service to Him first above everything else, your needs, your career, and financial goals; it may mean watching others achieve their goals, having material things, gaining recognition, and being able to send their kids to the best schools and buy them fancy cars and clothes when you can’t. Isn’t this what Jesus is expecting of us; isn’t this what Jesus meant when He said, “Then said Jesus unto his disciples, if any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me,” Matthew 16:24 (KJV). That does not mean taking a poverty vow. God blesses with riches and material things; the point is never to put those things before our dedication to the Lord.

Please don’t misunderstand what I’m saying. I am not saying that making money and providing well for your family is wrong. I’m saying that it is not to be our first priority. God indeed blesses some with considerable money while they are fully engaged in serving Him. However, in general, your complete dedication to God will probably mean fewer accolades, a smaller bank account, and less success as the world sees it, not always but sometimes.

The world’s philosophy is putting yourself first while loving God means putting others first. By the way, it is much easier to relax and be last than to struggle to be first. Working to achieve the American dream can be debilitating. The point is, what Jesus is asking of us is not as hard as what we may set for ourselves, but the reward He is offering is much greater, and it is eternal. Making our priority serving the Lord means freeing us to do what is most valuable and most lasting. Neither does it mean we are deprived of having nice things, achieving things worthy, or receiving the honor. Once again, it means that our priority in life is loving God and dedicating ourselves to serving Him; that is the point Jesus is making.

Perhaps our greatest failure as believers is not loving God, at least in such a way to compel us to Make Him first in our lives. Remember how much God loves us: “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believeth in Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life,” John 3:16 (KJV). God loved us enough that He was willing to sacrifice His son that we may be forgiven and inherit eternal life.

There would be no doubt where our top priority would be if we loved God the way He loves us. If that were the case, we would want to seek the same things God does. We would no longer seek to be first but would desire that for someone else. I know that it is hard for most of us to understand when we rush to get the parking place closest to where we want to go rather than leaving it for someone else who may need it more. 

The focus of John 3:16 is on how much God loves us. It is hard to love and pray for someone who hates you and wants to do you harm, but that is how God’s love works. It turns the other cheek, blesses those who curse you, and forgives those who are enemies. That should create in each of us the desire to love God. Without God’s sacrificial love for us, there would be no hope and no salvation.

We must first have the desire to love God and others. However, love is not something that we generate. We only can love God the way He loves us when His love enters us at the point of salvation: “By this, the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him.” 1 John 4:9 (KJV). “The one who does not love does not know God,” 1 John 4:8 (KJV). “In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins,” 1John 4:10 (KJV). It is God’s love that shines through us who know Him and out to others.

God’s love is different from our love. Our love is self-centered. Even when we say, “I love you,” it is our feelings and emotions. According to the Bible, love is not a noun but a verb, a word of action, and self-sacrificial. God’s love is supernatural and is the standard by which believers are to love. The apostle John said in 1 John 4:11 (KJV), “Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.” Once again, according to the Bible, if you don’t love others, you are not one of God’s children: “We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love our brothers. The one who does not love remains in death,” John 13:35 (KJV). “If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?” 1 John 4:20 (KJV).

Jesus used the example of a little child to demonstrate what it means to become a believer and be the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven: “And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them, 3And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the Kingdom of heaven. 4Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the Kingdom of heaven,” Mathew 18:2-4 (KJV).

So, what does it mean to become like a little child? When a child is raised correctly, they are humble. They have no authority and consequently make no decisions on their own. They, as children do, are always doing things that are wrong and need constant correction. They are not first in anything and are subservient to others. That is what Jesus means when He said we must become as little children to enter the Kingdom of heaven. We must humble ourselves to the will of God, confessing our sins and obeying His guidelines for salvation, which is placing our faith in Jesus for the forgiveness of sins.

In John chapter 3, Jesus speaks of being born again. Being born starts with a new outlook, a new way of seeing things, and new behavior. We are made fresh by the transforming work of the indwelling Holy Spirit. We see ourselves for the first time as God sees us. We realize that we are not first in anything. 

An excellent example of the difference between being first and being last is found in Luke 18:10-14 (KJV), “Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. 11The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. 12I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. 13And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. 14I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exaulted.”

Humility is the key to our approach to God and having an actual salvation experience. According to Jesus, humility is an attitude of being last like a little child, as you stand before almighty God. It is like being born as a child dependent on parents, and in our relationship to God it is being completely reliant on Him. It is a start into a brand-new life in which we have nothing to contribute but ourselves to God to make us into what He desires. It is the reverse of being absorbed and striving to be first in all we do, sometimes at others’ expense. Our prayer should be, Lord, I commit my all to you; please take me and use me and make me into what you want me to be.