“And he said: ‘I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.’” — Matthew 18:3 (NIV84)

Matthew recorded Jesus using the phrase, “I tell you the truth” more than 20 times in his gospel. Jesus used the phrase when making moral and spiritual judgments and when predicting what would happen in the future lives of His disciples and the nation of Israel. If you read just these verses, you can’t help but capture the authority that Jesus claimed to have. Religious leaders throughout history have claimed to know the truth; but Jesus not only claimed to know the truth, but to be the source of truth.

When speaking to His disciples about the kingdom of God, Jesus told them they would not enter it unless “they change and become like children.” You see, they were asking questions about God’s kingdom and the thought came up about the hierarchy within the kingdom. The disciples asked, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of God?” To this Jesus brought a small child into their midst and told them that they needed to become like this child, or they were at risk of not being in the kingdom. This was not just Jesus’ opinion. He said to them, “I tell you the truth.” Even how one gets into the kingdom is defined and declared by Jesus.

So, what truth did He want His disciples to see? He wanted them to know that people do not enter into the kingdom because of the great works they have done. They don’t enter the kingdom of God by their devotion and study. The truth is, they enter the kingdom of God because they have the faith of a child. A child’s heart understands that life is a gift and all that we have comes as a gift from outside ourselves. A child’s heart freely clings to God and His love even when they’re not visible. So, Jesus told the disciples that they needed to change and become like a child. The same is true for you and me. We need to change! We need the Word of God to make us born again and to transform our adult hearts to hearts of children.

Today, let’s have the faith of a child.

Peace!

Pastor Tom

www.firmlyrooted.church