Devotion • June 15
Today's Scripture
Matthew 18:1–9
At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” He called a child, whom he put among them, and said, “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever becomes humble like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me. “If any of you put a stumbling block before one of these little ones who believe in me, it would be better for you if a great millstone were fastened around your neck and you were drowned in the depth of the sea.
Woe to the world because of stumbling blocks! Occasions for stumbling are bound to come, but woe to the one by whom the stumbling block comes! “If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away; it is better for you to enter life maimed or lame than to have two hands or two feet and to be thrown into the eternal fire. And if your eye causes you to stumble, tear it out and throw it away; it is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and to be thrown into the hell of fire. (NRSV)
Reflection
Had your childhood unfolded in the first-century Roman Empire, it would’ve been remarkable for you to have survived past the age of five — especially if you weren’t born to an aristocratic family.
On the one hand, you’d bear the burden of serving as your family’s “insurance” against the ravages of illness or old age, since your presence in the workforce might be the only thing preventing your household from succumbing to starvation or homelessness.
On the other hand, your status as a child within society meant that you were viewed as deficient precisely because of your comparative physical weakness and uncultivated intellect. Suffice it to say there were no cushioned playground floors, guardrails, or peanut allergy warnings; life itself was a “stumbling block” full of dangerous scenarios.
When Jesus admonishes the disciples to be like “children,” he charges them to let go of their posturing and dependence on their own self-perceived status. It’s naked vulnerability, not sentimentality, that Jesus invokes in his comparison.
Such risky discipleship presents us with the ironic challenge of leaning into childlike vulnerability before God with a lion’s share of courage.
Prayer
Dear God, as your children, we ask for the courage to lean into your loving embrace as you call us to righteousness. Help us to let go of all that holds us back — including, and especially, ourselves. Amen.
Written by Nancy Benson-Nicol, Associate Pastor for Caring Ministries and Spiritual Formation
Reflection and Prayer © Fourth Presbyterian Church
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