Dcn Brigid Waszczak

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

“See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven. 

What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off? And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off. In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should perish.”—Matthew 18:10-20

What do children and sheep have in common? “These little ones,” both important to God, held low status in the ancient world. Jesus contradicted that prevailing view by commending their humility and obliviousness for social rank. He used children and sheep as examples in response to the disciples’ debate over who would attain high positions in Jesus’ coming kingdom.

Prior to the verses cited, the disciples were contending over their potential ranking in the kingdom. After all, didn’t their commitment to Jesus make them elite followers?

Our human nature is to stive toward greatness—being great at something, in some group, in some high-profile way. Perhaps we have dreamed of being great in music, sports, or acting. Maybe we seek renown by writing the “great American novel.” Possibly our drive for greatness is less exalted: being the greatest parent, grandparent, employee, teacher, preacher? We want to be known and lauded. The truth is, most of us will not attain notoriety, fame, or acclaim and may, in pursuit of greatness, risk losing our humility.

I once thought being a well-known internet personality was worth pursuing. Years ago, many Facebook followers “liked” my spiritually-oriented posts and responded approvingly to them. When I realized I had been seduced by those “likes” and positive comments, and my FB presence was becoming more about me than online spiritual nourishment, I informed my followers I was leaving FB for “real” life ministry engagement. Real life interactions remind you daily to stay humble.

Jesus counseled, “Become like little children”—trusting, open-hearted, teachable, humble. Pride provokes us to lift ourselves above others and look down on them. Jesus cautioned not to be prideful, but humble and to treat everyone as an equal, even lost and wandering sheep. His parable points out that the humble are worth celebrating even when they do not enjoy high status. “Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven (Matt 18:3-4).”

The disciples speculated about who would be greatest in the kingdom. Their question assumed Jesus had chosen one of them. His message had not yet penetrated the hearts of the disciples who envisioned a temporal kingdom where high places would be bestowed. Jesus’ response was not what they expected—greatness in his kingdom would be measured by childlikeness, not rank.  How puzzled must they have been?

Blessings,

—Dcn Brigid