“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:
10-14, NIV)
In today’s Lectionary Gospel reading,
Jesus talks about children and sheep. This particular passage is part of a
larger conversation that He was having with His disciples about who would be
considered great in the Kingdom of Heaven, and naturally Jesus called a child
over and turned the disciples’ expectations upside-down. (Matt. 18: 1-7)
Children weren’t considered great in 1st century culture, by any means; they were a
financial burden, uneducated and inexperienced, and needed to be protected and
cared for. Children were on the lowest rung of the social hierarchy ladder in Roman culture.
Jesus is essentially telling his disciples that they need to become the lowest
of the low, in order to be considered great in God’s kingdom.
Jesus reinforces that concept with an example of sheep.
While sheep were common
and provided a way to make a living (by selling wool, meat or milk) even by
farmyard standards sheep certainly aren’t considered great or glamorous. They’re noisy, they smell, they’re not very
bright, and they bite. However, in God’s kingdom, even one straying sheep is
worth going after!
I’m sure that the disciples didn’t want to think of
themselves as children or sheep. But once again, Jesus was trying to get the
point across that those who follow Him have to humble themselves. Just asking
the question of who would be greatest proves that the disciples didn’t get it
yet.
I have always been of the opinion that children “get it” far
more easily than adults. Kids just seem to have an innate sense of who God is;
that He loves them, and that they are precious in His eyes. They are often
talked out of it as they grow older, but a little child’s perception of - and
faith in - God is often rock-solid.
When my son was about three, he came bounding into my
bedroom one morning and announced, “Jesus was in my room! He had on a white
bathrobe.” Very matter-of-fact; no doubt whatsoever. My son was certain that Jesus was physically in
his bedroom that morning. And we both thought that was pretty cool.
So maybe that’s what Jesus was referring to. Maybe he was
trying to let us know that having a rock-solid, unwavering faith is something
that shouldn’t be looked down upon. It isn’t something to dismiss as cute. It
isn’t something anyone should be talked out of. It’s something to be cultivated
and encouraged – especially in children! After all, “their angels in heaven”
are apparently keeping an eye on this kind of stuff, and Jesus shouldn’t have
to go racing down the hill to find them, if they wander off.
Either way, this is Lent. Lent has traditionally been the season for remembering
to humble ourselves before God. (Of course, we ought to be humble everyday, not
just during Lent, but bear with me here.) For the next couple of weeks, I
challenge you to imagine yourself as a cherished child, and as a sheep with a
tendency to stray. Humble yourself
before God. Get back in touch with your child-like faith, and cultivate it. Spend
time with the Holy Spirit - through scripture and in prayer – and really listen for the voice of the Shepherd. What
is He saying to you?
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