Preached January 22, 2012; Sanctity of Life Sunday
from
Matthew 18:10-14
Theme: Jesus teaches us what our attitude should be toward the littlest ones among us.
(Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture references are taken from The Holy Bible, New King James Version; copyright 1982, Thomas Nelson, Inc.)
I ask you to turn with me this morning to a passage of Scripture that—for many of us—is a very dear one. It tells us of a situation from the life of our Lord that paints a wonderful picture in our mind; and almost always brings a warm feeling to our hearts.
But I believe it also described a situation which presented the Lord Jesus an opportunity to teach some things that speak powerfully to our culture today—particularly about the value of the lives of the tiniest and most vulnerable human beings among us.
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This passage is found in Matthew 18. It tells us of a time when Jesus and His disciples had come to Capernaum; and in which His disciples approached Him with a question. Matthew tells us;
At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” (Matthew 18:1).
We’re not told why Jesus’ disciples asked this particular question. It may have been because Jesus’ miracles were making it increasingly clear to them that He was the Messiah; and the realization that His kingdom was near caused them to wonder who among them could expect to hold a prominent place in it. (This, after all, wouldn’t have been the first time such a question came up among them!) But whatever reason they had for asking it, the answer that He gave—and the way in which He gave it—must have come as a stunning surprise to them:
Then Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them, and said, “Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven” (vv. 2-4).
Just think of what a picture that must have been. Today, there are cathedrals with austere statues of those apostles standing within them. There are church buildings to which pilgrims travel from around the world to behold their likeness in frescoes and in ornate stained-glass windows. There are hospitals, and universities, and even entire cities, that are named after them. But there—sitting in the midst of these great apostles upon whose testimony the church is founded—was a tiny little child. And Jesus said that, unless they humbled themselves and became like that child, they would ‘by no means enter the kingdom of heaven’. What a message it must have spoken to them about the true humility that Jesus expected from His followers!
But our Lord wanted to teach them far more than just about humility. He went on to tell them about the great value He placed on little people like that child. He told them;
Whoever receives one little child like this in My name receives Me” (v. 5).
Who would have paid attention to a tiny little child in the midst of the great apostles? Probably very few people would have done so. But Jesus clearly did. Do you remember how the disciples once tried to ‘shoo’ the children away from Jesus? He rebuked them for this, and told them, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 19:14). Jesus greatly values them. He gladly welcomes them. When it came to having an ‘audience’ with the Son of God, they got moved up to the head of the line.
And what He then went on to say to His disciples on this occasion about the high value He placed on such little people became very serious indeed!
“Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea. Woe to the world because of offenses! For offenses must come, but woe to that man by whom the offense comes! If your hand or foot causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life lame or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet, to be cast into the everlasting fire. And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into hell fire” (vv. 5-9).
Nobody had better ever lay a wicked hand on any of the little vulnerable children that Jesus loves! They may seem small and insignificant in the eyes of the world; and many in this world view them simply as commodities to be used and then discarded. But they are eternal beings who are made in the image of God; and they are greatly valued and loved by the Son of God. Better that someone lose a hand or foot or eye than to suffer the terrible consequences of harming even one of those little ones!
And it’s then that our Lord Jesus—who so greatly values those little ones—speaks of how His followers are also to do so. And it’s this passage in particular that I ask that we give particular attention to this morning. Jesus said;
“Take heed that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that in heaven their angels always see the face of My Father who is in heaven. For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost. What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them goes astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine and go to the mountains to seek the one that is straying? And if he should find it, assuredly, I say to you, he rejoices more over that sheep than over the ninety-nine that did not go astray. Even so it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish” (vv. 10-14).
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Now; in the light of those words, I suggest that we live in very dark times today.
People don’t tend to think of these as ‘dark times’, of course. In fact, they rather egotistically believe that living in the ‘techno-info age’ makes these the most enlightened days that there have ever been in all of history. But I sincerely believe that future generations will have a very different verdict about these times. John Paul II once said, “A society will be judged on the basis of how it treats its weakest members; and among the most vulnerable are surely the unborn and the dying.” And judged by that standard—judged by our treatment of the precious and fragile lives among us that are least seen and heard—our times are among the most cruel and brutal in history.
But in contrast to the spirit of the times, our God remains a God of life. He is the one who first breathed life into Adam. The Bible teaches us that in Jesus “was life, and the life was the light of men” (John 1:4). He said, “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly” (John 10:10). And I believe that in this morning’s passage, Jesus teaches us how we—as His followers—are to value and treat the weakest and most vulnerable among us—surely the small children, and the elderly, and the sick, and the disabled; and particularly the tiny lives that are in the womb.
First, notice that Jesus teaches us to . . .
1. ESTEEM THEIR WORTH (v. 10).
Jesus said, “Take heed that you do not despise one of these little ones . . .”
A few things stand out in these words. The first is the phrase “Take heed that you do not despise . . .”; or as it is in the New International Version, “See that you do not look down on . . .” It’s as if the Lord was calling our attention to something that is very important, and that we’d better be careful about. And second is the use of the word “one”—which is repeated throughout this passage. Here, He said that we are to take heed not to despise even “one” of these little ones. In verses12-13, He spoke of the great value placed on just that “one” sheep that wandered away over the ninety-nine that had remained. In verse 14, He stressed that it’s not His Father’s will that even “one” of these little ones should perish. This, we might say, ‘particularizes’ His warning to “take heed”. Each individual “little one” is precious and has inestimable value to Him. The Son of God is telling us here to make very sure that we do not despise, or look down on, or in any way undervalue even one of these “little ones”.
And notice also the reason He gives for this. He says; “for I say to you that in heaven their angels always see the face of My Father who is in heaven.” The main point of these words is very clear—that is, that these little once have great value. But there have been a variety of ways that Jesus’ words have been understood.
Some, for example, have interpreted these words to mean that each of these “little ones” has “guardian angel” that watches over him or her. And, of course, the fact is that the Bible teaches us that angels are vitally involved in the lives of all of God’s people. Psalm 91:11-12 says,
For He shall give His angels charge over you,
To keep you in all your ways.
In their hands they shall bear you up,
Lest you dash your foot against a stone (Psalm 91:11-12).
Similarly, in the Book of Hebrews, we’re told this about the angelic beings:
Are they not all ministering spirits went forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation? (Hebrews 1:14).
And if that’s what our Lord meant, then He is telling us that we’d better never despise those little ones who trust in Him. The angels charged with their care have the privileged honor in heaven of continually beholding the face of the Father Himself who is in heaven.
But another, equally valid understanding is that our Lord was speaking about the spirits of these children. In Acts 12, we’re told that the apostle Peter had been arrested for preaching the gospel. While he slept in prison—awaiting what might well have been his own execution the following day—the people of God were intensely praying for his life. And in answer to their prayer, in the middle of the night, an angelic being came to released him from his bonds and escort him out of the jail.
We’re then told that Peter went immediately to the place where the Christians were praying for for him and knocked on the door of the gate. A servant girl named Rhoda came, recognized him and was so excited that she ran back inside to tell everyone—forgetting to let poor Peter in! The people inside, who were still praying for Peter, didn’t believe her that he was physically standing at the gate. They thought she was crazy. But when she kept insisting, they concluded—with what seems like sadness and grief—”It is his angel” (Acts 12:15).
Well; whatever they thought it was at the gate, they were mistaken. It was Peter! And he kept on knocking! They eventually let him in with great joy. But notice what they said that they had mistakenly thought was at the gate—that it must have been Peter’s “angel”. And here, that word “angel”—which is a word that, basically, means “messenger”—seems to be describing “a disembodied spirit” or what we might call “a ghost”. And if that’s what Jesus meant, then He’s telling us that we’d never better despise these little ones because, upon death, their spirits immediately enter into a privileged relationship with the Father in the heavenly realms that is so direct that they are said to “always see the face” of the Father.
Now; which of these views is the correct one? I’m afraid I don’t know. Both views have their merits. But whichever view is the correct one; there’s one thing we can be certain about what this verse says. Jesus is letting us know that we must never despise these little ones, or look down on them, or hold them in contempt, or dismiss them as unimportant and inconvenient. They hold a very privileged position in the sight of the courts of heaven, and are very precious to our Savior.
And if this would be true of “little ones” who believe on Him; how much more so for those who are still in the womb!
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Second, notice that Jesus teaches us to . . .
2. VALUE THEIR LIFE (vv. 12-13).
In the translation that I’m using, verse 11 has it that our Lord says; “For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost.” If you are using another translation, you may find that verse 11 isn’t in the text; but is placed at the bottom of the page in a footnote. This is because, while these are words that Jesus genuinely spoke elsewhere in Scripture, many New Testament scholars recognize that these words are not in the original text of Matthew’s Gospel.
But those words are taken from another passage in the New Testament. And we can easily understand hos some ancient scribe might have wrote those words off to the side—as a footnote—in such a way that, over time, they accidentally found their way into some ancient copies of this passage. Jesus truly did, after all, come to seek and to save the lost—including the littlest of the “little ones” among us. He values their lives greatly; and He came to give His life for them. As Jesus went on to say
“What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them goes astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine and go to the mountains to seek the one that is straying? And if he should find it, assuredly, I say to you, he rejoices more over that sheep than over the ninety-nine that did not go astray” (12-13).
Those words sound familiar, don’t they? It’s because Jesus was a masterful Teacher; and He often used the same material on different occasions to teach different things. These are the same kind of words He used to teach about His passion for lost people in Luke 15. In that passage, Jesus was being confronted by the Pharisees and scribes because He allowed all sorts of sinful people to draw near to Him. He welcomed some of the most notorious sinners f society and actually ate with them! The self-righteous Pharisees and scribes couldn’t understand how He could do this; and Jesus explained by telling them this parable:
“What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost until he finds it? And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!’ I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance” (Luke 15:4-7).
In the case of the Pharisees and scribes, He was teaching that He has a greater passion for those who know that they are sinners and need His forgiveness than He does for those who don’t believe that they were ever sinners and who don’t think they need to be forgiven. But in the case of our passage this morning, Jesus was speaking to disciples who already believe on Him and have already accepted His forgiveness. He was teaching them that every single “little one” in His flock—no matter how “insignificant” they may seem on a merely “human” level—is so important to Him that He would want every possible effort extended to retrieve them when they wander away and are in danger.
Jesus isn’t indifferent to the loss of even one tiny life; because He came to save the lost members of Adam’s race. He wouldn’t simply shrug and say, “Well; I have many other sheep. So, what’s the loss of one? I still have ninety-nine out of one-hundred” No! Jesus said, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep” (John 10:11).
And if Jesus feels that way about each one of His lost “little ones”, how can we dare to call ourselves His followers if we don’t feel as He feels about them? How can we not stand up and defend those tiny little lives—including the lives of those so tiny that they are still in the womb? How can we not do all that we can to help those who bear them? How can we not rejoice greatly when even one of those precious “little ones” is rescued and lives?
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And finally, notice how Jesus teaches us to . . .
3. SEEK THEIR ETERNAL GOOD (v. 14).
After telling us that a good shepherd rejoices over the rescue of even one little sheep, Jesus goes on to say,
“Even so it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish”
The word that Jesus uses for “perish” means “to destroy”; and it is not the Father’s will that even one of His little ones should be destroyed in any way. When it comes to the stand we must take for the defense of the most vulnerable lives among us, wouldn’t you say that verse 14 should be enough to serve as a biblical call to duty?— that “it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish”?
But I believe we’re to take this to mean more than that we’re not to stand by while they are destroyed. I believe it means that what the Father ultimately wills—in the positive sense—is that the opposite of their “destruction” be done for them. He wills that they be not only protected, but also nourished, and allowed to live and grow and be strengthened and built-up. He wants for them to ultimately hear the good news of the gospel, to be saved, to stand strong in their generation as ambassadors for His Son, and to live forever in His house as His redeemed daughters and sons.
Truly, in the fullest sense possible, it is never the will of our Father that any one of these “little ones” perish. We must stand up for the lives of the little ones—ultimately—so that they will be redeemed men and women to the glory of God forever!
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Jesus loves the little ones. He esteems their worth, values their lives, and gave Himself on the cross to bring about their eternal good.
God help us, as Jesus’ followers in these dark days, to treat them as He does!