Matthew 18:1-5,10 NRSVue

¹At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” ²He called a child, whom he put among them, ³and said, “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. ⁴Whoever becomes humble like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. ⁵Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.

¹⁰“Take care that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I tell you, in heaven their angels continually see the face of my Father in heaven.^,

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Reflection on Matthew 18:1-5,10

Inspiration from 2025-10-02 Daily Prayer

Jesus points to the tiniest child in the crowd and encourages us to be like that -in that culture, as in many cultures, the child had no influence, status or control over life. All was dependent on the parent and on the community. He is both pointing out something about how we live our lives, and also about accepting the most humble of people into the community. We are members of Jesus’ family, community and church by virtue just of who we are, before any achievements. Maybe in prayer, we might notice what gives us a buzz or a sense of importance about ourselves and put this beside the picture of children, who know that all they have is the gift of others and of God.