Jesus was in deep concern for children

JESUS WAS IN DEEP CONCERN FOR CHILDREN
EDITED BY GLENN PEASE
MATTHEW 18:10 “See that you do not despiseone of
these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in
heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven.
BIBLEHUB RESOURCES
Warning For The Contemptuous
Matthew 18:10-14
J.A. Macdonald
The "little ones" here are childlike followers of Christ (cf. ver. 6). Reference
to the infants to whom humble Christians are likened is not excluded. The
infant seedof the faithful are of the family of Jesus. Neitherthe disciple nor
the infant must be despised.
I. THEY ARE THE REVERSE OF DESPICABLE WHO ARE THE
SPECIAL CHARGE OF HOLY ANGELS.
1. The universe is dual, having material and spiritual complements.
(1) Matter has characteristic properties. The properties of spirit are no less
characteristic anddistinct.

(2) Betweenthe complements subsistmutual relations and interactions. The
conflicts of the moral and invisible are propagatedoutward into the physical
and visible. So contrariwise.
2. In this systemholy angels have specialrelations to goodmen.
(1) Angels have a commissionof guardianship (cf. Psalm34:7; Psalm91:11;
Hebrews 1:14). Probably they see the countenance of the Father in the
countenance ofthe children. Note:Evil angels sustaincorresponding relations
to bad men.
(2) The ancient notion may have countenance here, viz. that eachindividual
has a peculiar guardian angel. Corresponding to the holy guardian is the
"familiar spirit" of the wicked.
3. They cannotwith impunity be despisedwhose guardians are so influential.
(1) Specialfavourites only, according to Oriental custom, came into a
monarch's presence (cf. 1 Kings 10:8; 1 Kings 12:6; Esther 1:14; Psalm
103:21;Jeremiah2:15; Tobit 12:15;Luke 1:19).
(2) It is perilous to be at enmity with those who are so attended. "Angels that
excelin strength." The strongerangels have charge of the weakersaints.
Those who would not offend the holy angels should imitate them in their care
of little ones.
II. THEY ARE THE REVERSE OF DESPICABLE WHO ENJOYTHE
SPECIAL FAVOUR OF GOD.
1. Those who have the angels ofGod for their angels have the God of angels
for their God. This honour is superlative.
2. Some interpret the "angels ofthe little ones to be the disembodied spirits of
the sailors, whichdo always behold the face of the Father which is in heaven."
(1) They argue that guardian angels cannot" always" be "in heaven" and yet
ministering to their charge on earth.
(2) What the disciples in John Mark's prayer meeting thought to be Peter's
spirit, they called"his angel" (Acts 12:15).

(3) The reasonwhy we should not despise the little ones, viz. that their angels
see God, reminds us that the pure in heart alone cansee God.
(4) In this view the" angels of God," in whose presence" there is joy over one
sinner that repenteth" (Luke 15:10), will be "the spirits of just men made
perfect." Forthe context in Luke shows that this is a parallel case.
3. Those whose disembodiedspirits would be honoured with the vision of God
cannot be despisedwith impunity.
(1) The little ones of Christ are despised by corrupting them. By failing to
edify them. They are despisedwhen innocency and simplicity are treated as
weaknesses.
(2) Those guilty of despising them will encounterthe resistance ofthe will of
God. "It is not the will," etc. (cf. ver. 14;Ezekiel18:23). If there be joy in
heaven for the finding of one of the little ones turned out of the way, there is
wrath in heavenfor the offending of them.
(3) "As God wilt be displeasedwith the enemies of his Church if they wrong
any of the members of it, so he is displeasedwith the greatones of the Church
if they despise the little ones" (Henry).
III. THEY ARE THE REVERSE OF DESPICABLE WHO ARE THE
SPECIAL SOLICITUDE OF CHRIST. In the parable of the sheepwe have:
1. The flock.
(1) Holy angels are included in its unity (cf. Hebrews 12:22). These are by
some accountedto be the "ninety and nine who went not astray."
(2) The ministration of angels is founded on the mediation of Christ. This is
expressedin the words, "Forthe Son of man," etc., relegated, however, to the
margin in the RevisedVersion. So in the vision of Jacob's ladder(cf. Genesis
28:12;John 1:51). Through Christ the holy angels are reconciledto us.
(3) The ninety and nine who went not astraymay be such as the scribes and
Pharisees ofthe better sort; not the hypocrites, but those who, like the elder

brother, never left their Father's house - those whose respectfor the Law kept
them from committing gross offences.
2. The wanderer.
(1) The sheep sees betterherbage at a distance, and wanders after it; then
discovers more yet farther off; wanders by degrees further and further;
mistakes the way back, and is lost in the wilderness. So the soul wanders from
pleasure to pleasure, and gets lost.
(2) Now the sheepis exposedto the dangers of the lion or the wolf, the ditch or
the precipice, and is in wretchednessand terror.
3. The Shepherd.
(1) He cares for those in the fold. They have his care in the provision of food,
as well as shelter and protection. We should sympathize with Christ in
striving to keephis sheep(see Romans 14:15;1 Corinthians 8:11, 12). As he is
the greatShepherd, having many sheep, so is he the goodShepherd, knowing
eachlamb.
(2) He cares especiallyfor the wanderer. It is the shepherd's duty to look more
particularly after the stray sheepthan after those abiding in the fold. Jesus,
who came to save a world, makes specialefforts to save even one. The whole
flock suffers when one sheepwanders.
(3) "if so be that he find it." The finding of a sinner is a contingent event.
Grace is not irresistible. Yet the wanderershould know that the Shepherd is
very near him. Are we as anxiously seeking Jesus as he is seeking us?
(4) The tender sheepis not driven, but carriedby Christ. "And when he hath
found it, he layeth it on his shoulders" (see Luke 15:5). He carries us and our
sins.
(5) Jesus rejoices overthe conversionof a sinner, as a shepherd over a
recoveredsheep;as a woman over a recoveredpiece of silver; as a father over
a recoveredson. The rejoicing affects heavenas well as the Church on earth.
It is natural to feel uncommon joy at the fortunate accomplishmentof an
unexpected event.

4. The enemy. Those who would injure the sheep of Christ are specialobjects
of his displeasure.
(1) The nations that injured Israelof old were severelyreckonedwith.
(2) The antichristian nations who persecutedhis people are doomed to a
fearful retribution.
(3) Every contemptuous sonof pride will be confronted at the judgment of the
last day. - J.A.M.
Biblical Illustrator
Take heedthat ye despise not one of these little ones.
Matthew 18:10
Contempt
Bishop Carpenter, D. D.
Look at the sources ofcontempt; and what are its correctives.

I. THE SOURCES OF CONTEMPT.
1. Want of knowledge will produce contempt. You could not despise the
smallestand meanestin God's great universe if only you had a true and
enlargedconceptionof what that universe is. God watches overall; how can
we treat with contempt the meanestobject of His care.
2. Want of wisdom produces contempt. I cannot imagine it being said it is
hardly true that enlargedknowledge diminishes contempt. As we grow older
we find out the weaknesses ofthose we were taught to reverence. But no
wisdom lies in that. A wise man newt despises;he reads beneath the surface.
There is an angelbehind the meanestform.
3. Want of reverence produces contempt.
II. THE REMEDY. Sympathy is the antidote to contempt, as love is the
restorative of all the ills of the universe. This shows that in the meanestmen
there are splendid possibilities,
(Bishop Carpenter, D. D.)
Contempt for the little impossible
And just as surely as a crushed finger is understood and felt by the thrill and
ache in the brain, so the wounded one here, or the little one injured and
offended and despisedhere, is not simply a thing isolatedfrom the restof
God's universe, but one bound with it in the whole relationship and web of
life. so intimately connected, that its grief and its sorrow and its wound is felt
right awayup there, where God sits enthroned. As He gives us that conception
of life, so He says it it impossible now you should despise. Let a larger
knowledge ofbeing enter rote your thoughts, and then you will see all creation
is interlockedand interlacedin such a waythat to understand one is to
understand the whole;that there is no creature, howevermean, that is outside
the range of Divine superintendence and Divine knowledge, "Theirangels do
always behold the face of My Father which is in heaven."

Contempt banished by insight
A wise man never despises. See one moment. Unwise men are ready to despise
because they do not understand, or think out the meaning of little things. But
the man of wisdom sees there is nothing in the world, however mean, that
cannot have a realsignificance, and that just as you cansee that the universe
is one so you may see in a single thing the whole universe reflected. Here is the
man who will not despise. Other men have been looking day by day at the
same thing, but they have not had the wisdomto read beneath the surface. To
them this is merely a bit of broken crystal; but the eyes of the man of wisdom
look underneath the fractured morsels and see the law of form. This is but a
swinging lamp in the eye of the world; but this man sees in it the angelof the
law of movement. There againis only a falling stone, and yet he, with his keen
eye, shall read beneath it the law of order in the universe. Surely, it is true,
where great wisdomexists there is an inclination to banish contempt, for
contempt hinders the growth of knowledge.
Contempt ignoble
The man who is above all these things looks with profound disdain upon the
toys of the little children around him. Do you think he is nobler at that
moment when he says he is above all these things, than that other who stoops
from out of his range of knowledge to help the little child with the broken toy?
There is a contrastof character. The one has knowledge and conceit, whichis
always twin brother to contempt, and the other has the sympathy and the
reverence, and these are linked in their kinship together. Or it takes the form
in another man's nature of that determination to view himself as exempt from

the laws which govern other men. Other men are studious, other men are
prayerful, and other men watchtheir characters and examine themselves. He
says, "I never could do that sortof thing." There is the spirit of contempt for
that which is the help of others. But is it a greatthing to hold ourselves above
our fellows, oris it not the very teaching of Jesus Christ that the noblest thing
for man is to recognize that he is man. and that his best manliness is in
submitting himself to those laws and orders which are needful for the
educationand discipline of man? It is always Satan's method to say, "Ye shall
be as gods;" and it drops in wellwith our conceit, and it ministers to our
contempt.
The Nemesis ofcontempt
There comes a time when we esteemourselves so greatand others so little, we
get into a habit of a nil admirari, and we never think it noble or great to show
pleasure or admiration at anything. And thus it happens that a human being,
born into God's world with all the rich glories of creationfalling thick and
fast in light and form and colourabout him, stands there where thousands
and tens of thousands of men, poets, painters, orators, and historians, have
stoodand gazedupon that world, with its growthand beauty, with admiration
aghast, and he sees nothing to admire in it. What a miserable distortion of
humanity! What a miserable falling back into a vain and irretrievable
egotism, because he has allowedthe spirit of contempt to gethold of him!
The dullest life has angelic light behind it

Is it not true also in regardto human life? Over all the dark angel of contempt
hovers. But is there not, if we look wiselyat human life, a marvellous display
of real angelic force? Mark this life you will be disposedto despise. Who can
find anything of angel ministers and poetry in that of a mere labourer of the
fields, whose to-day is just like yesterday — rising early, ploughing, casting in
the seed, reaping, and with an ignorant and dull brain following the plough,
and pursuing the field labour from day to day, no other thought leaping up in
his mind but a moody anticipation of next year's harvest. Yet, if you look
aright, there is a light as of an angel's presence behind such a life as that. This
is one of God's ministers. Is it nothing to stand before the face of the great
Creatorand receive from His hand, as the disciples did of old, the bread to be
distributed to the sons of men? Behind the most prosaic life there is an angel
form for those who look through it. Take the dull round of the man of
medicine. With its weariness there grows upon him the feeling that life is
nothing but a monotonous round of visits — fruitless visits if he has to
minister to the miserable hypochondriac — and then follows despair that his
life is a useless one. Yetbehind it there is the light of the angel's wing, for
when he is presentthat poor hypochondriac has her powers and energies
strengthenedto excite themselves againstthe weakness ofher nature. His is
the soothing hand that restores to the tired nerves their power. Yes, the dullest
life, the hardest existence, the most monotonous career, has an angelof light
behind it.
Guardian angels
Lapide., Lapide.
The offices of the guardian angels are —
1. To avert dangers both of the body and the soul.
2. To illuminate and instruct those committed to their charge, and to urge
them to goodworks.

3. To restrain the devil, that he may not suggestwickedthoughts, or furnish
occasions forsin.
4. To offer to God the prayers of him whom He guards.
5. To pray for him.
6. To correcthim if he sin.
7. To stand by him at the hour of death, to comfort and assisthim in his last
struggle.
8. After death to convey the soulto Paradise.
(Lapide.)
I. How greatis the dignity of souls, that they have angels for their guardians.
II. How greatis the condescensionof God, that He assigns to us such guides.
III. How greatis the humility and love of the angels, who do not disdain these
offices, but delight in them.
(Lapide.)
The guardian angels of nature
Bp. Carpenter.
The knowledge ofnature is a conceptionwhich has broadened our thoughts
and ensured our convictions. And in proportion as this is true, does not the
thought rush upon us that this greatcreation, with its law, and system, and
organization, becomes ministerial in its aspect? Everything ministers to
another. Our angels are not vanished, but our conceptionof angel ministers is
enlarged. We need not to wait for some angelic beings as guardian angels to
direct our steps and hold us up in their hands. Now every law and every force
becomes God's angel. The flame that leaps up from our hearths, the wind that
beats in our face, and star that shines in the sky, these are God's angels as
much as everwere the guardian around us. The flowers that dispelled their

fragrance in our faces, the greatblue sky, and the cheery breezes, all these
excited our admiration and stimulated our reverence.
(Bp. Carpenter.)
Training the little ones
S. Wilberforce, D. D.
Ministry of angels to Christian children. Practicallessons.
I. BEWARE LEST YOU PUT STUMBLING-BLOCKS IS THEIR WAY. It is
impossible to say how early the real moral and spiritual characterbegins to
form itself — long before we can externally trace what is going on. Flowing
from this is the great blessednessofbeing allowedto deal with such creatures.
"Workers togetherwith God." The greatdanger that you should do your
work badly through any fault of yours. The nurse who lets the child drop and
gets crippled for life never forgives herself. But what if they should become
spiritual cripples!
II. HE GUARDS AGAINST DOING THIS. Knowing what the treasure is that
is committed to you. Not a class, but souls, for whom Christ died, etc. This
idea, once laid hold of, settles all difficulties about what should be taught. Deal
with them separately.
(S. Wilberforce, D. D.)
Value of a little child
R. Tuck, B. A.
Louis IX., king of France, was found instructing a poor kitchenboy, and,
being askedwhy he did so, replied, "The meanestperson hath a soulas
precious as my own, and bought with the same blood of Christ." Despising the
little ones: — Anniversary address to parents. We all need this text and its

kindly warning, for we are all in danger of " despising the little ones." See
how —
I. BY UNDERVALUING THE INFLUENCE THEY CAN EXERT. Especially
on a mother. On a home. In saving men from vice.
II. BY UNDERESTIMATINGTHE CARE AND HELP THEY NEED IF
THEY ARE TO GROW UP GOOD.
III. BY MISUNDERSTANDING THE PECULIARITIES OF THE LITTLE
ONES.
IV. BY CHERISHING THE NOTION THAT THEY MUST BE BIG
BEFORE THEYCAN REALLY LOVE AND SERVE CHRIST.
(R. Tuck, B. A.)
What value Christ sets on every man
J. O. Dykes, D. D.
1. Think of His words, and you will see that Jesus isolateseachofus, setting us
man by man apart: "despise notone"; "if one of them be gone astray." He
who counts our hairs, much more counts us.
2. Jesus measures the worth of eachhuman being by God's specialand
separate care ofhim. Feebleness commends us to His care;much more does
sin. He has more pity even for the "lost," more than for the "little ones." He
seeks them.
3. Such teaching from the lips of Jesus was a new thing in the world, and
wrought a revolution. How cheap men held human life till Jesus taught the
equal worth of manhood.
4. It deserves specialnotice in what way it is that the teaching of Jesus has cut
the roots from that self-valuing or self-praising which has always led men to
undervalue and despise others. There are two ways in which to correctthe
boastful man's estimate. I may seek to soberhis conceitby showing him man's

littleness at his best. Christ did not lowerthe dignity of human nature; He
came to cure contempt for the little and lost by making us think more. He
came to put our self-esteemon its true footing; not on what is accidentalor
peculiar to one man, but on what is common to the race. In such an
atmosphere as Christ lived in pride dies.
5. Let me show you one or two of these inward prerogatives which assertyour
personalvalue in God's reckoning to be as great as any other man's.(1) From
eachone of us God claims a separate responsibility. We have eacha moral
constitution of our own, as recognizable as the features of our face.(2)From
the moment of birth God subjects eachpersonto a separate course of
training.(3) That Godis Fatheras well as Judge to all, and permits eachsoul
ready accessto Him.(4) Perhaps you say, "cana man be of value to God after
his soulis ruined." God's love is indestructible by human sin — He came to
save sinners.(5)Let us embrace in a hopeful charity the worstof our fellow
men.
(J. O. Dykes, D. D.)
Self-respectinspired by the view of a common manhood
J. O. Dykes, D. D.
I pray you note how at one stroke Jesus has thus annihilated our pride and
heightened our self-respect.Pride lives on the petty pre-eminences which here
for a little lift one mortal an inch or two higher than another; an extra
handful of gold, a better education, a longer pedigree, a title, a serener, and
less tempted life. Among the ups and downs of societythese look mighty
things, as straws and leaves look large to emmets' eyes, and they fill the foolish
hearts of men with vain conceitand unbrotherly scorn. From the height from
which God and His Son Jesus surveythis human world, such paltry degrees of
more and less dwindle into insignificance, and are lost in the broad, equal
level of a common manhood.

Self-respectinspired by the Divine culture of men
J. O. Dykes, D. D.
Next, from the moment of birth, God subjects eachperson to a separate
course of training. Men never appearbefore God's sight clustered in crowds;
never like the countless pines which on the lower ranges ofthe Alps stand
undistinguishable, row behind row, in thicksetserriedmasses like a host; but
like the singled vines of the vineyard, eachof which the husbandman knows
and tends with a care that is all its own. To eachof you He has ordained your
own career, with its early influences, domestic or educational, its
companionships, its experiences, its trials, duties, losses, labours. All through
your life He is moulding it to suit both what He made you to begin with and
what He means you to become at last; so that from your deathbed you look
back along a life history, wholly your own and not another's, the match of
which no mortal man ever lived through before.
Despising the little ones
Adam Littleton.
I. A strict prohibition, and that ushered in with a severe charge by way of
caveat(Take heed!).
1. Whom Christ means by these little ones.
2. What it is to despise them.
II. A solemn reasongiven for the prohibition; and this reasonbackedwith our
Saviour's own authority and sacredWord. Those little ones have angels for
their guardians and attendants, and those angels none of the lowerform, but
the most eminent favourites, who continually stand in God's presence, and do
always behold His face.

(Adam Littleton.)
COMMENTARIES
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers
(10) Take heedthat ye despise not.—The words remind us of what we are apt
to forget in the wider range of the preceding verses. The child was still there,
perhaps still folded in the arms of Jesus, still the objectof His care, evenwhile
He spake of the wider offences that “must needs come” upon the world at
large. Looking to the frequency with which our Lord’s words were addressed
to the thoughts of His hearers, it seems likely that the faces of some at leastof
the disciples betrayed, as they lookedon the child, some touch of half-
contemptuous wonder, that calledfor this prompt rebuke. The words have,
however, as interpreted by what follows, a wider range, and include among
the “little ones,” the child-like as well as children—all, indeed, whom Christ
came to save.
In heaven their angels.—Thewords distinctly recognisethe belief in guardian
angels, entrusted eachwith a definite and specialwork. That guardianship is
assertedin generalterms in Psalm34:7; Psalm 91:11, Hebrews 1:14, and
elsewhere.Whatis added to the generalfacthere is, that those who have the
guardianship of the little ones assignedto them are among the most noble of
the heavenly host, and are as the angels ofthe Presence, who, like Gabriel,
stand before the face of God, and rejoice in the beatific vision (Luke 1:19).
The words “I sayunto you” clothe what follows with the characterof a new
truth, as they do the like utterances of Luke 15:7; Luke 15:10. Whatever
difficulties may connectthemselves with the whole range of questions
connectedwith the ministry of angels, they lie outside the work of the
interpreter. There can be no question that our Lord adopts as His ownthe
belief in the reality of that ministry, and this at a time when the Sadducees, as
a leading sect, were calling it in question (Acts 23:8). The words are indirectly
important as a witness to the fact that the Lord Jesus, while He proclaimed

the universal Fatherhoodof God as it had never been proclaimedbefore, also
(almost, as it were, unconsciously, and when the assertionof the claim was not
in view) claims a sonship nearerand higher than could have been claimed by
any child of man.
BensonCommentary
Matthew 18:10-11. See that ye despise not one of these little ones — As if they
were beneath your notice. Be careful to receive, and not to offend, the very
weakestbelieverin Christ: for, as inconsiderable as some of these may appear
to you, the very angels of God have a peculiar charge overthem: even those of
the highestorder, who continually appear at the throne of the MostHigh.
Jerome, and many others of the ancient fathers, consideredthis as an
argument that eachpious man has his particular guardian angel:but it may
be justly questionedwhether this is the meaning of the passage. It seems more
probable the sense is, that the angels, who sometimes attend the little ones
spokenof, at other times stand in God’s immediate presence;and
consequentlythat different angels are at different times employed in this kind
office. The generalsense is plain: that the highestangels do not disdain, on
proper occasions, to perform services ofprotection and friendship for the
meanestChristian. And as all the angels are ministering spirits, sent forth
occasionally, atleast, to minister to the heirs of salvation, they may in general
be properly calledtheir angels. The expression, Theybehold the face of my
Father, alludes to the customof earthly courts, where the greatmen, those
who are highest in office and favour, are most frequently in the prince’s
palace and presence, and perhaps daily converse with him. The meaning,
therefore, of the passageis, that the chief angels are employed in taking care
of the saints;and our Lord’s reasoning is both strong and beautiful when on
this accounthe cautions us againstdespising them. “O what men are they,”
says Baxter, “that read and preach this, and yet not only despise them, but
first ignorantly or maliciously slander them, and then by this justify their
persecuting and destroying them.” But, “whata comfort to the meanesttrue
Christian is it, that angels, who always see God’s face in glory, have charge of
them!” Forthe Son of man is come to save that which was lost — As if he had

said, Another, and yet a strongerreasonfor your not despising them is, that I
myself came into the world to save them: and I, who came to save them, will
require it at your hands, if you wrong or persecute them, or hinder them in
the wayof their salvation.
Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary
18:7-14 Considering the cunning and malice of Satan, and the weaknessand
depravity of men's hearts, it is not possible but that there should be offences.
God permits them for wise and holy ends, that those who are sincere, and
those who are not, may be made known. Being told before, that there will be
seducers, tempters, persecutors, andbad examples, let us stand on our guard.
We must, as far as lawfully we may, part with what we cannot keepwithout
being entangled by it in sin. The outward occasionsofsin must be avoided. If
we live after the flesh, we must die. If we, through the Spirit, mortify the deeds
of the body, we shall live. Christ came into the world to save souls, and he will
reckonseverelywith those who hinder the progress ofothers who are setting
their faces heavenward. And shall any of us refuse attention to those whom
the Sonof Godcame to seek and to save? A father takes care ofall his
children, but is particularly tender of the little ones.
Barnes'Notes on the Bible
Take heedthat ye despise not one of these little ones. ... - That is, one who has
become like a little child, or a Christian.
For I sayunto you ... - Jesus then proceeds to state the reasonwhy we should
not despise his feeblestand obscurestfollower. That reasonis drawn from the
care which God exercises overthem. The first instance of that care is, that "in
heaven their angels do always behold his face." He does not mean, I suppose,
to state that every goodman has his guardian angel, as many of the Jews
believed; but that the angels were, in general, the guards of his followers, and
aided them and watchedover them. See the notes at Hebrews 1:14.
Do always behold the face of God - This is taken from the practice of earthly
courts. To be admitted to the presence ofa king; to be allowedto see his face
continually; to have free accessto him at all times, was deemed a mark of

specialfavor 1 Kings 10:8; Esther 1:14, and was esteemeda security for his
protection. So, says our Saviour, we should not despise the obscurest
Christian, for he is ministered to by the highest and noblestof beings by
beings who are always enjoying the favor and friendship of God.
Jamieson-Fausset-BrownBible Commentary
Mt 18:10-35. FurtherTeaching on the Same Subject, Including the Parable of
the Unmerciful Debtor.
Same Subject (Mt 18:10-20).
10. Take heedthat ye despise—stumble.
not one of these little ones;for I say unto you, That in heaventheir angels do
always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven—A difficult verse;but
perhaps the following may be more than an illustration:—Among men, those
who nurse and rear the royal children, howeverhumble in themselves, are
allowedfree entrance with their charge, and a degree of familiarity which
even the higheststate ministers dare not assume. Probably our Lord means
that, in virtue of their charge over His disciples (Heb 1:13; Joh 1:51), the
angels have errands to the throne, a welcome there, and a dear familiarity in
dealing with "His Fatherwhich is in heaven," which on their own matters
they could not assume.
Matthew Poole's Commentary
Our Saviour having before declaredhow dear believing souls are unto him,
though their quality or parts be not like others’, here he gives the world a
further charge not to despise, that is, not to contemn or neglectthem, because
God the heavenly Fatherhath such a care of them, so as he hath given his
angels a charge over them, Psalm34:7 91:11 Hebrews 1:14; which
angels (saith he) do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven,
that is, are always ministering before him, and ready to execute his will and
pleasure;so as the argument is not only drawn from the indecencyand
undutifulness that such despising must import, but also from the danger of it.

Your heavenly Father so loveth these little ones, that he hath given his angels
a specialcharge concerning them; and these angels being continually in the
Lord’s presence, are readyboth to make report how they are used in the
world, and likewise having commissionfrom Godto execute his vengeance
upon those who neglect, despise, oraffront those that he hath taken into such
a specialprotection. Here is no ground in this text for their notion, who fancy
that every particular child of God hath his proper angelto attend him. Our
Saviour doth not say their severaland respective angels, but their angels;and
if all the angels be ministering spirits, for the goodof God’s elect, Hebrews
1:14, I see no great reasonto contend for a particular angel for every
individual amongstthem. But be that as it will, the opinion hath no patronage
from this text.
Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible
Take heedthat ye despise not one of these little ones,....Thatis, one of those
little ones that believed in Christ; for he is not speaking of infants in age, but
of those who might be compared to such, for their humility and modesty; who
were little in their own eyes, and mean and despicable in the eyes of the world,
as well as appeared but little in the eyes of their fellow disciples and brethren;
for our Lord returns and addresses himselfto his disciples, who had been
contending among themselves who should be greatestin the kingdom of
heaven; and so were striving to lessenone another, eachlooking upon himself
as the greater, and every other as little. Wherefore Christ cautions them
againstsuch a spirit, and bids them beware of despising their fellow disciples,
as little, and below them; especiallysince so much notice and care were taken
of them, both in heaven, and in earth:
for I say unto you, that in heaven: the phrase, "in heaven", is omitted in the
Syriac and Persic versions, perhaps because it might be lookedupon as
unnecessary, since it afterwards appears;but is very proper, or pertinent,
whether it be consideredas descriptive of the angels, who have their
habitation there, in distinction from the evil angels, who are castdown from
thence; or as pointing out the place where the angels behold the face of God,
and who are styled "their angels";the angels ofthe little ones, that believe in
Christ, who are ministering spirits unto them, the guardians of them, who

encamp about them, and do many goodoffices for them. Some have thought
from hence, that every goodman has his peculiar angel that waits upon him,
and cares forhim; but this does not necessarily follow from, these words, only
that they all have an interestin angels, and in their goodservices. This seems
indeed to have been a notion that prevailed among the Jews, notonly that
there were angels which presided over particular nations, but who also had
the care of particular persons;so they speak ofan angel that was particularly
appointed for Abraham (f). Norwill they allow, that one angel does two
messages,nor two angels one (g) message:but that everyone has his particular
place, person, and work;of whom it is further said, that they
do always behold the face of my father which is in heaven: which is not so
much to be understood of their intellectual knowledge, andapprehension of
the divine being, of their beholding the glory of his nature, and essence, andof
their contemplating and applauding his perfections;as of their ministering
before him, waiting, as servants, upon him, watching to receive his orders, and
ready to obey his commands. And our Lord's argument is, that if such
excellentcreatures as the angels in heaven, who are continually favoured with
being in the presence ofChrist's heavenly father, honoured with so high a
station, as always to stand before him, as ministers of his; if these are the
guardians of these little ones, if they are committed to their care, and they
have the oversightof them, then they ought not to be despised: and besides,
since the angels that have the care of them are so near the throne, it should
deter everyone from having their charge in contempt, or doing any injury to
them; since they arc capable of lodging accusationsand complaints against
them; and, when leave is given, have power of executing the sorestjudgments
upon men. This description of angels agreeswith what the Jews sayof them,
especiallyof the chief of them. Michael, they say(h), is the first and principal
of the chief princes, "that behold the face of the king"; that is, the King of
kings, the Lord of hosts. Suriel, which, with them, is another name of an
angel, is called(i), , "the prince of faces", who is always in the presence of
God; and, as the gloss says, is "an angelthat is counted worthy to come before
the king."
(f) T. Bab. Sanhedrim, fol. 96. 1.((g) BereshitRabba, sect. 50. fol. 44. 4. (h)
Jacchiadesin Dan. x. 13. (i) T. Bab. Beracot, fol. 51. 1.

Geneva Study Bible
{4} Take heedthat ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you,
That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in
heaven.
(4) The weakerthat a man is, the greatercare we ought to have for his
salvation, as God teaches us by his own example.
EXEGETICAL(ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)
Meyer's NT Commentary
Matthew 18:10. Jesus now proceeds with His cautions, which had been
interrupted by the parentheticalexhortation in Matthew 18:7-9. The belief
that every individual has a guardian angel(see Tobit 5.; comp. in general,
Schmidt in Ilgen’s Denkschr. I. p. 24ff.)—whichis a post-Babylonian
development of the Old Testamentview, that God exercisedHis care over His
people through angelic instrumentality—is here confirmed by Jesus (Acts
12:15),—a point which is to be simply admitted, but not to be explained
symbolically, neither by an “as it were” (Bleek), as though it were intended
merely to representthe greatvalue of the little ones in the sight of God (de
Wette), nor as referring to human guardians, who are supposed to occupya
position of pre-eminent bliss in heaven(Paulus).
ἐν οὐρ. διὰ παντὸς βλέπουσι, κ.τ.λ.]inasmuch as they are ever in immediate
proximity to God’s glory in heaven, and therefore belong to the highest order
of angels. This is not merely a way of expressing the greatimportance of the
μικροί, but a proof which, from λέγω ὑμῖν and τοῦ πατρός μου, receives allthe
weight of an emphatic testimony; while the mode of representation(comp.
‫באלמ‬ ‫םינפל‬ of the Rabbinical writers, Schoettgen’s note on this passage)is
borrowedfrom the court arrangements of Oriental kings, whose most
confidential servants are called ,‫ר‬ֹ‫י‬ֹ‫י‬‫פ‬ ‫ֵל‬‫א‬‫ה‬ ‫ל‬ ֵ‫נ‬ֶ‫ְך‬ ,‫2פ‬ Kings 25:19; 1 Kings 10:8; Tob
12:15;Luke 1:19.
Expositor's Greek Testament

Matthew 18:10-14. Still the subject is the child as the ideal representative of
the insignificant, apt to be despisedby the ambitious. From this point onwards
Mt. goes pretty much his own way, giving logia of Jesus in generalsympathy
with the preceding discourse, serving the purpose of moral discipline for
disciples aspiring to places of distinction.
Cambridge Bible for Schools andColleges
10–14.Christ’s care for His Little Ones illustrated by a Parable. Luke 15:3-
7After a brief digression(Matthew 18:7-9), Christ’s love for His young
disciples againbreaks out in words. Let no one despise them. They have
unseen friends in the court of heaven, who are ever in the presence ofthe King
himself. There, at any rate, they are not despised. It was for them especially
that the Son of Man came to earth.
Bengel's Gnomen
Matthew 18:10. Μὴ καταφρονήσατε do not despise)They appearto have done
so from Matthew 18:1-2. The adult frequently exhibit pride towards “little
ones” by whose appearancethey are reminded of their origin: whence it
comes to pass, that they hold them of no account, and pay them no
reverence.[813]He despises them who corrupts or neglects to edify them.—οἱ
ἄγγελοι, the angels)whom you ought not to offend, but imitate, in this very
care for the “little ones.”—αὐτῶν, ofthem) The angels take care ofthe “little
ones,” both in body and soul; and so much the more, the less that they are
able to protect themselves. Grown-up men have also their guardian angels.
but vet they are in some sort left more to themselves.—βλέπουσι, see)as
attendants. And this concerns not only the dignity, but also the safetyof the
“little ones.” Their function is twofold; see Hebrews 1:14.—τὸ πρόσωπον, the
face)See Exodus 33:14-20, and Numbers 6:25-26.
[813]See Gnomon on Matthew 18:6. voc. σκανδαλίσῃ, and footnote.—(I. B.)
Pulpit Commentary

Verse 10. - From this verse to the end of the chapter we find no parallel in the
other evangelists. The Saviourhere returns to the subject of children, whether
literally or metaphorically so called, and proclaims the high appreciation
which is their due. Take heed(ὁρᾶτε, see)that ye despise not one (ἑνὸς) of
these little ones. God's care is minute; it extends to eachindividual of the
class. The contempt denounced might arise in various ways and from various
considerations. The advancedbeliever might despise children as hot
competent to enter into covenantwith God or fit to receive Church privileges,
whereas circumcisionunder the old dispensationand infant baptism under
the gospelafforda very different view. Again, to sayor do unseemly things in
the presence ofchildren is a mode of" despising" which may prove a deadly
offence. Or the contempt may be on the side of the ambitious and self-seeking,
who cannot understand the simple and childlike spirit which seekethnot its
own. The Lord gives two proofs of the high considerationdue to his little ones.
The first proof is that which follows;the secondis given in vers. 11-14. Their
angels. Not"their spirits after death," as some commentators erroneously
interpret (for the term "angel" is not so used, and Christ speaks in the present
tense, do always behold), but the angels especiallyappointed to watch and
protect them - their guardian angels. This doctrine (which, as of very solemn
import, the Lord introduces with his usual formula, I say unto you), that each
soul has assignedto it by God a specialangelis grounded on this, and
supported by many other passagesofScripture (comp. Hebrews 1:14; Psalm
34:7; Psalm 91:11;Luke 15:7, 10). It has been questioned how angels canbe
said to succourus on earth, while in heaven they are always looking on the
face of the Father. The difficulty has been answered, among others, by St.
Gregory, who writes, "Theynever so go forth apart from the vision of God, as
to be deprived of the joys of interior contemplation. They are both sent from
him, and stand by him too, since both in that they are circumscribed, they go
forth, and in this that they are also entirely present, they never go away. Thus
they at the same time always behold the Father's face, and yet come to us;
because they both go forth to us in a spiritual presence, and yet keep
themselves there, whence they had gone out, by virtue of interior
contemplation" ('Moral.,' 2:3). It is probable that the highest order of angels
is here signified, such as among the Jews was called, "the angels of the
presence, orof the face." To behold the king's face means, in Eastern

parlance, to be admitted to his immediate presence - to enjoy his special
favour and confidence (see 2 Kings 25:19; Esther1:14; Jeremiah 52:25). It is
to these supreme beings, who draw their knowledge andlove directly from
Almighty God, and receive their commands from his mouth, that the tender
lambs of Christ's flock are committed. This factdemonstrates their dignity
and the greatheinousness of setting a stumbling block in their way.
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"Jesus andthe Little Ones"
Matthew 18:1-9
Theme: The two implications to Jesus'greatlove for those who come to Him
in humble, child-like faith.
(Delivered Sunday, September 30, 2007 atBethany Bible Church. Unless
otherwise noted, all Scripture references are takenfrom The Holy Bible, New
King James Version; copyright 1982, Thomas Nelson, Inc.)

One of the images from the Bible that I love very much—and I'm sure you
love it too—is the image of the little children coming to Jesus. Clearly, it's an
image that God Himself loves and values. That's why He has seenfit to
include it for our instruction in His word.
* * * * * * * * * *
The Bible tells us that little children (and the Greek wordthat is used means
just that—very small children) were brought to Him by their mothers and
fathers; so that He could put His hands on them and pray over them.
The disciples thought that was 'undignified' for these little ones to bother
Jesus. The other notable rabbis and teachers ofthe day would usually keep
themselves separate from small children. And so, thinking that they were
doing what their Masterwould want, they rebuked the mothers and fathers
and tried to 'shoo'the children awayfrom Him. But Jesus rebukedHis
disciples. "Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them", He
said; "for of such is the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 19:14). He clearly
welcomedthem. And it seems equally clearthat they loved to come to Him.
I read a story the other day about a very stern-facedpreacherwho was
preaching one Sunday in his church. He was preaching on the subject of "The
Tears of Jesus";and had apparently made this statement:"Three time we
read that Jesus wept, but we never read that He smiled." And from the pew
below the pulpit, a little girl—forgetting where she was—suddenlycried out,
"Oh, but I know He did!"
The serious-looking preacherwas shocked;and he glared down from the
pulpit at the little girl and said, "Why do you saythat, my child?" The little
girl knew that everyone was looking at her; and she was understandably
frightened. But she spoke with all the humble sincerity she could and said,
"Because the Bible says He called a little child and he came to Him. And if
Jesus had lookedlike you, I know the child would have been afraid to come."1
I believe that self-righteous, hard-hearted, super-religious people were afraid
of Jesus. And I'm sure that He made a lot of their faces hard and stern. But

He didn't scare the truly humble and needy away. They felt safe with Him.
They felt genuinely welcomedand loved by Him.
They still do.
* * * * * * * * * *
This morning, we'll look togetherat the story in the Bible that the little girl
spoke of—thatstory of the time when Jesus calledthe small boy to Himself,
and of how the little boy gladly came.
But we need to remember that it's a story that was told in the contextof a
rebuke. The disciples had been arguing among themselves overwhich of them
would be the greatestin the kingdom of heaven;and Jesus calledthe little boy
forward to serve as an objectlesson—to show the disciples what true
greatness in His kingdom lookedlike.
It's a story that's meant to teachus about the sort of humble, needy spirit with
which we ourselves absolutelymust approachJesus—and, as a result, to move
us to a change ofbehavior. It's a story that conveys His welcoming tenderness
toward us; but that is also meant to result in our repenting of our sinful
attitude. And this morning, I would like to particularly highlight two
implications of the fact that Jesus welcomesthose who come to Him in child-
like faith.
* * * * * * * * * *
Turn with me to Matthew 18:1-9. And let's see, first, that it teaches us that . . .
1. WE MUST TRUST JESUS WITH THE HUMBLE FAITH OF A LITTLE
CHILD (vv. 1-4).
The story begins with the words "At that time . . ." Literally, in the original
language, it says, "In that hour . . ." The events we see at the beginning of this
morning's passageoccurredvery soonafter the events of the previous
chapter.
Now;think back to those events. Very shortly before this time, several
important things had happened. Jesus had askedthe disciples who He was;

and as spokesmanforthe others, Simon announced, "You are the Christ, the
Son of the living God" (16:16). Jesus told him that he had given the right
answer. Then, Jesus changedhis name to Peter("the Rock");and announced
to the others that it would be upon this "rock"—thatis, the confessionPeter
had just made—that Jesus wouldbuild His church.
Perhaps at this point, Peterbeganto wonderif he was something very special
in the kingdom that Jesus would setup. Perhaps he thought that, when Jesus
conquers all the enemies of Israel and sets up His kingdom on earth, Peter
would have a specialplace of honor in it.
Then, a little later on, Jesus took three of His disciples—Peter, James and
John—up to a high mountain. There, He manifested His glory to them—
giving them a 'preview', as it were, of His post-resurrectionmajesty as the
risen Son of God before He went to the cross (16:28-17:8).
No doubt, Peter, James and John would have thought that they all must be
pretty important for Jesus to have given them such a privileged vision of
Himself. He even told them not to tell anyone else—noteventhe others—
about what they saw until He had been raised from the dead (17:9). They were
the inside circle. Surely, Jesus must have though of them as VIPs in His
coming kingdom!
A little later still, Jesus and the three disciples came down from the mountain
and found all of the other nine disciples—helplesslytrying to casta demon out
of a young boy (17:14-21). Jesus rebukedthem for having tried to miracles in
His name without relying on His presence andhelp. And though we're not
told so, I suspectthat Peter, James and John were all three standing off to the
side a little smug. After all, Jesus was notwith the others at that time; but He
was with them.
A little later still, Jesus eventold Peter to go out and catcha fish. He told
Peterthat inside the mouth of the fish, Peterwould find a coin that would pay
for both His and Peter's annual 'temple tax' (17:24-27). Petersurely would
have noticed that Jesus didn't send James or John. They were fishermen too;
but Jesus sentPeter!And what a privilege position Petermust have thought
he had—that Jesus would pay His taxes jointly with him!

Now;when we put all the Gospelaccounts together, we see aninteresting
picture. Luke tells us that—somewhere along the way in their travels—a
dispute had arisenamong them over which of them was the greatest(Luke
9:46). Perhaps, looking back at the things that had happened prior to this
point, we can see why. Who was the greatest? Was it Peter? Was it James and
John? And if it wasn'tPeter;which of the other two as it?—James, orJohn?
Or why only them? Why couldn't it be one of the others? Hadn't Jesus chosen
them, just as much as He had chosenPeter, James andJohn?
It's a sadfact that, wheneverwe experience the riches of God's grace toward
us, we so often start to think about how wonderful we must be—rather than
on how wonderfully gracious Godis.
Apparently, the disciples had kept this argument to themselves. But Jesus
knew their thoughts. Mark, in his Gospel, tells us that when they all gotinto
the house at Capernaum, Jesus askedthem, "What was it you disputed among
yourselves on the road?" (Mark 9:33)? (Aren't you glad, by the way, that
Jesus doesn'tmeet you and your family here at church to personally ask,
"What was it you were arguing about as your carpulled up into the parking
lot?")
It seems that the disciples didn't know what to say to Jesus'question. They
were embarrassed. But I suspectthat, though they were embarrassed—and
since the Lord already clearlyknew their thoughts—they went aheadand
spoke. All of this helps us understand why our passagebegins as it does.
We're told, "At that time the disciples came to Jesus saying, 'Who then is
greatestin the kingdom of heaven?'" (v. 1).
And in response to their question, we read, "ThenJesus calleda little child to
Him" and "sethim in the midst of them . . ." (v. 2). Apparently, the little boy
was already there in the house. And apparently, he was old enoughto come to
Jesus whenHe calledhim. But the word that the original language uses means
just what our translationsays—a little child. He was just a tiny fella'. The
little guy felt safe with Jesus.
Our Lord called, and he gladly stopped whateverhe was doing and came.
That's goodpracticaltheology, by the way! When Jesus calls, we should come!

This little boy did better than a lot of religious experts and New Testament
scholars woulddo!
Jesus placedthis tiny, humble little boy in their plain view—as if he were an
objectlessonto them. Then He dropped the bombshell on them all. He said,
"Assuredly, I sayto you, unless you are convertedand become as little
children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore
whoeverhumbles himself as this little child is the greatestin the kingdom of
heaven" (v. 3-4).
* * * * * * * * * *
Think with me about what Jesus says. He speaks invery strong terms. He
begins by saying, “Assuredly” or “Verily, I say to you”; which is an indication
that He is about to say something of great importance. We should always
listen to what the Son of God says;but we should especiallydo so when He
prefaces whatHe's about to saywith the words, “Assuredly, I say to you”.
And then, He uses one of the strongestnegations that could be used—thatis,
unless the disciples or anyone else did what He is telling them, they would not
in any way enter the kingdom of heaven. It's not that they simply wouldn't be
“great” in the kingdom; they wouldn't even enter it! These words, then, are
essentialto our eternal salvation.
So then; what does Jesus sayto do? First, He says that we cannotenter the
kingdom of heaven unless we are “converted”. And let's not understand that
word to be simply a “religious conversion”;because that's not what Jesus
means. The word He uses basicallymeans “to turn around”. It means that we
recognize that we're going in a wrong direction; and that we must turn
around and go in the opposite direction. This means, by the way, that there
are some “converts” thathave never been truly “converted” atall.
Think of this in terms of the disciples. They were after “greatness”in Jesus'
kingdom; and Jesus doesn'trebuke them for having that ambition. In fact, I
would suggestthat Jesus wants us to be greatin His kingdom. But the
problem was that the disciples were going in the wrong direction to get there.
They were engagedin a program of elevating themselves;and of putting

everyone else in the position of serving them. They were preoccupiedwith
“one-upmanship”; and were trying to crawlup to greatness upon one
another's backs. And yet, to achieve true greatness, theyneeded to turn
around and go the other direction.
Jesus'path to greatnessin His kingdom is not upward-mobility; but rather
downward-humility. In His kingdom, the moral law of gravity states that
"whatevercomes up must first go down". Jesus pointed them toward the true
direction of greatness whenHe later told them,
“You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are
greatexercise authority over them. Yet it shall not be so among you; but
whoeverdesires to be become greatamong you, let him be your servant. And
whoeverdesires to be first among you, let him be your slave—Justas the Son
of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom
for many” (Matthew 20:25-28).
So; the first thing they needed to do was to “be converted”. They must stop
seeking greatnessin the way the people of this world seek it. They must turn
around and go the other direction.
And second, Jesus tells them that , along with being “converted”, they must
also “become as little children”. And there, before them, stood a living
example.
What does it mean, in Christ's kingdom, to become as little children? Well; we
can sure that it doesn't mean that we should become “childish”. The disciples
were being childish; and that's why the Lord needed to rebuke them. And we
also know that it doesn't mean that we become “children” in our
understanding; because, as the Bible tells us, in understanding we are to be
“mature” (1 Corinthians 14:20).
I think that a biblical explanation of what it means to become as a little child
before Jesus—asvividly illustrated by the little boy that Jesus had setbefore
His disciples—is givento us in Psalm131. There, King David wrote;
LORD, my heart is not haughty,

Nor my eyes lofty.
Neither do I concernmyself with greatmatters,
Nor with things too profound for me.
Surely I have calmedand quieted my soul,
Like a weanedchild with his mother;
Like a weanedchild is my soulwithin me.
O Israel, hope in the LORD
From this time forth and forever (Psalm131).
So; taking our instruction from this psalm, to become like a little child means
that we cease frombeing “haughty” or “proud”. It means that we ceasefrom
raising our eyes in a “lofty” or “arrogant” way. It means that we humbly
acceptthat there are things that we cannotunderstand about the greatness of
God's plan. It means that we ceasebeing so arrogantand self-important that
we wont acceptwhatGod says, unless it make perfect sense according our
standard of reasoning. In a word, it means that we are meek and humble
before God and His word.
Second, it means that we become content in God's love. It means that we don't
fret and worry about tomorrow's needs. It means that we become like a little
child resting comfortably and satisfiedin mother's arms after being fed. It
means that we become calm within our soul because ofthe Father's good care
for us. In a word, it means we're at peace in God's care.
And finally, it means that we hope in God. We don't look to our own
resources.We don't imagine that it's all up to us. Instead, we place our hope
in God's goodcare;and know that He will never let us down. We entrust
tomorrow to Him, and look expectantly to His goodplan. In a word, it means
we're confident in God's power.
Jesus said, “Therefore whoeverhumbles himself as this little child is the
greatestin the kingdom of God” (v. 4). Unless we do so, we can't even enter
Jesus'kingdom. But whoeverdoes so is “great” in His kingdom.

So then; have you come to Jesus onthose terms? Have you repented of your
pride and self-sufficiency;and have you come to Him as a little child? He
warns that, unless you do, you cannot enter the kingdom of heaven.
* * * * * * * * * *
Now;before we go any further, I'd like to show you something. Look at this
story as Mark tells it to us, in the ninth chapter of his Gospel.
Mark tells us that Jesus calledthe disciples to Himself and said, “If anyone
desires to be first, he shall be last of all and servantof all” (Mark 9:35). Then,
to illustrate, we're told that He took this little child and sethim in the midst of
them. They could plainly see the living example of humility He was calling
them to.
But then, as a separate illustration, we're told, “And when He had takenhim
in His arms, He said to them, “Whoeverreceives one ofthese little children in
My name receives Me;and whoeverreceives Me, receives notMe but Him
who sent Me” (v. 36). With the first act—that of bringing the child before the
disciples—Jesus wasillustrating how we should come to Him in the humble
manner of a little child. And with the secondact—thatof taking the same
child up in His arms—He was illustrating how we should receive and welcome
those who come to Him in such humility of spirit.
This leads us to the next point in our passage. And it is an unusually serious
one! It teaches us that . . .
2. WE'D BETTER NOT HARM THE FAITH OF THOSE WHO SO TRUST
HIM (vv. 5-9).
First, notice that Jesus begins by saying, “Whoeverreceives one little child
like this in My name receives Me” (v. 5). I don't believe Jesus had only strictly
“little children” in mind; but that He would have us also apply this to anyone
who believe on His word, and rest in Him, and who trust in His grace with
childlike faith—no matter what their age.
He says that, if we “receive” them (that is, welcome them and kindly include
them), and if we do so “in His name” (that is, as His representatives, andas

He Himself would do), then we are truly receiving Him. And notice that He
says that this is true, even if it is only one such child. He values eachand every
one of those who trust in Him with simple faith; and watches carefullyto see
that they are treated rightly by others. He has already spokenof this to His
disciples;when He said,
He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives Him who
sent Me. He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a
prophet's reward. And he who receives a righteous man in the name of a
righteous man shall receive a righteous man's reward. And whoevergives one
of these little ones only a cup of cold waterin the name of a disciple, assuredly,
I say to you, he shall by no means lose his reward” (Matthew 10:40-42).
* * * * * * * * * * *
But now is when our Lord speaks some ofthe most frightening words we find
Him speaking in the Bible. He says, “But whoevercauses one ofthese 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 depths of the sea” (v. 6).
Literally, Jesus speakshere of an upper-millstone—a stone that was used in
the grinding of grain on a mill. It was so large and heavy that it had to be
harnessedto a donkey by a large beam, so that the stone could be turned by
brute force. It was so big that, if it were tied to a man's neck and he were
thrown into the sea, he'd sink directly to the bottom and not come up. What's
more, Jesus speaksofthrowing such a man into the depth of the sea. A
smaller stone in shallowerwaterwould do the job just as much; but Jesus is
speaking her of something that is severand permanent.
If I may say this reverently, Jesus almostspeakslike a hit-man in this
passage—promising to send someone offto 'sleepwith the fishes' if they
tamper with any of his believing little ones. But really, it's much worse than
that! Note that Jesus isn't simply saying that someone who harms one of His
little ones should have a millstone tied around his neck and be thrown into the
sea. He is saying that such a person would be better off if that were done for
them than what will happen to them. Jesus is warning that an unspeakably
worse destiny awaits such a personthan anything that could be done with a

millstone and the sea!He speaks laterof being 'castinto the everlasting fire'
(v. 8), or of being castinto hell-fire' (v. 9).
Being thrown into the midst of the deep sea with a millstone tied about one's
neck would be a horrible end. But it's temporary compared to the eternal
judgment Jesus is speaking of. Clearly, the Judge of all the earth is putting the
people of this world on notice never mess with any of His little believing ones.
No one had better ever interfere with their faith, or hinder them from coming
to Him; and once they come, no one had better ever cause them to stumble in
their faith or tempt them into sin! They will most certainly answerto the
Judge of all the earth for it if they do.
* * * * * * * * * * *
Note that Jesus speaksrealisticallyof life in this fallen world. “Woe to the
world because ofoffenses” (v. 7); that is, because ofthe occasionsand
enticements to sin that are in it. We live in a world that is full of such things.
We can't expectto escape being touched by them. In fact, Jesus evensays,
“[F]oroffenses must come”. Literally, they are “necessary”. In some
mysterious way, even they are a part of God's decree. In His sovereign
wisdom, He has permitted that it be so.
Nevertheless,He doesn't fail to hold the 'secondarycause'ofthat offense
responsible. He goes onto say, “But woe to that man by whom the offense
comes!” Woe to that man or woman who keeps 'little ones'from coming to
Jesus. Woe to them when they undercut a growing faith in Him; or when they
deliberately keepthose little ones from church; or when they deliberately mix
the pure gospelmessageup with the philosophies and religions of this world in
order to confuse them or hide its truth from them. Woe to the teacheror
college professorwho mocks and belittles the faith of Jesus'little ones;or who
makes it their aim to destroythe faith of those unfortunate believers who end
up in their classroom. Woe to those who recruit Jesus'little ones to cults and
false religions though the pretense of professing the truths of the Christian
faith; thus embittering their poor victims from the pure claims of His word.
Woe to anyone who would dare to lead one of Jesus'little ones into sin in
order to justify their own sinful inclinations. And especially, woe to those who

ever dare to lay a hand on any of Jesus'precious little ones as an object of
their own vile lusts!
Jesus here gives prudent advice—advice, in fact, that He had given before in
His Sermon on The Mount;
“If your hand or foot causes youto sin, cut it off and castit from you. It is
better for you to enter into life lame or maimed, rather than having two hands
or two feet, to be castinto the everlasting fire. And if your eye causes youto
sin, pluck it out and castit from you. It is better for you to enter into life with
one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be castinto hell fire" (Matthew 18:8-
9).
Jesus is saying, in this context, that if there is anything in your life that would
lead you to cause one of His little ones to stumble and fall into sin, it would be
better for you to take whateverdrastic measures are necessaryto sever
yourself from it. I don't believe that Jesus is saying that you should actually,
physically cut off your hand or foot, or dig out your eye. But He is saying that
if there is anything in our lives that would lead us to cause you to harm the
faith of even a single one of His little ones who believe in Him—even if it were
your hand, or your foot, or your eye—you're much better off going through
life without it.
This is meant to be understood as an argument from 'the greaterto the lesser'.
Does your televisiontempt you into sin—or cause any of Jesus'little ones into
sin? Then get rid of it. Does the computer in your home give the enemy
opportunity to grip your heart—or to grip the heart of any of Jesus'little
ones? Thenyou're better off without it. Better—betterby far!—to live life
deprived of these temporal conveniences,than to answerto the Judge of all
the earth for having causedone of these little ones who believe on Him to
stumble!
* * * * * * * * * *
This, as I said before, is not only an affirmation of Jesus'attitude toward
those who come to Him with simple child-like faith. It's a callto repentance.

Do you make sure that you are one of His "little ones"? Do you come to Him
in the humble faith of a simple child? If not, you need to convert, and become
like a little child, and come to Him in humility. Otherwise, you will, by no
means, enter the kingdom of heaven.
And then, do you receive and respectthe faith of those little ones who believe
on Jesus? Do you place as high a priority on them as He does? Do you make
sure that you do nothing to cause a single one of them to stumble from Him?
Those who harm His little ones will answerto Him.
1Harry Ironside, ExpositoryNotes on the GospelofMatthew (New York:
Loizeaux Brothers, Inc., 1948), p. 223.
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GREG ALLEN
"Respectthe Little Ones"
Matthew 18:10-14
Theme: Jesus teachesus how highly we are to regardthose little ones who
believe on Him.
(Delivered Sunday, October14, 2007 atBethany Bible Church. Unless
otherwise noted, all Scripture references are takenfrom The Holy Bible, New
King James Version; copyright 1982, Thomas Nelson, Inc.)
I have often felt that God's providential hand was on us when it comes to our
times togetherin His word. I particularly feel His providence this morning.

We're simply going through the Gospelof Matthew—passageby passage—as
usual today. And yet, it would be hard to imagine a more perfectpassagefor
us to look at togetheron the very morning that we celebrate the baptism of
one of our precious young people. It's found in Matthew 18:10-14;and it
concerns Jesus'expressedlove and value for those who come to Him in the
faith of a little child.
* * * * * * * * * *
Do you remember how the eighteenth chapter of Matthew's Gospelbegan?—
how His disciples had been arguing over which of them would be the greatest
in the kingdom of heaven? They were estimating eachother's worth in the
way that the unbelieving people of this world do. But Jesus lets them know
that, in His kingdom, greatness is not valued by this world's standards.
Matthew tells us;
Then Jesus calleda little child to Him, sethim in the midst of them, and said,
“Assuredly, I sayto you, unless you are convertedand become as little
children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore
whoeverhumbles himself as this little child is the greatestin the kingdom of
heaven" (Matthew 18:2-4).
Jesus had setthat little child in their midst as a living illustration. But I
believe Jesus meantfor us to understand His "little ones" to be anyone who
comes to Him in the humble faith of a little child—that is, not boasting in their
own righteousness,not bragging about their own capabilities, not demanding
that everything be explained to their own intellectualsatisfaction, ornot
insisting that everything be given to them on their own terms. A little child
doesn't come to Jesus that way. When Jesus calls a little child to Himself, that
child simply and gladly comes—loving Him, trusting Him, offering nothing to
Him, but rather gladly receiving everything from Him.
When I think of this, I think of 1 Corinthians 1:26-31. I believe that it's a
perfect commentary on what it means to come to Jesus in the humble faith of
a little child. Paul wrote to the Corinthian believers and said,

For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh,
not many mighty, not many noble, are called. But God has chosenthe foolish
things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosenthe weak
things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; and the base
things of the world and the things which are despised Godhas chosen, and the
things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, that no flesh
should glory in His presence. Butof Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became
for us wisdom from God—and righteousnessand sanctificationand
redemption—that, as it is written, “He who glories, let him glory in the
LORD" (1 Corinthians 1:26-31).
Obviously, no one who—in this world's estimation—comesto Jesus as
"foolish" or "weak" or"base" and"despised" canboastin their own
greatness.But when they do come to Him on such terms, He esteems them as
the greatestin His kingdom. That's what we find in the first few verses of
Matthew 18.
And then, Jesus goesonto stress that those who come to Him in such child-
like faith are to be treated with the utmost care. I believe that He took this
small child up in His arms (Mark 9:36-37)when He spoke these sobering
words:
"Whoeverreceives one little child like this in My name receives Me. Whoever
causes one ofthese 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!Foroffenses must
come, but woe to that man by whom the offense comes!“If your hand or foot
causes youto sin, cut it off and castit 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 youto sin, pluck it out and
castit from you. It is better for you to enter into life with one eye, rather than
having two eyes, to be castinto hell fire" (vv. 5-9).
* * * * * * * * * *
And that leads us to our passagethis morning. In verses 10-14, Jesus lays out
to us how much we are to value and respectthose who come to Him in child-

like humility—not only the tiniest and meekestchild, but even the humblest of
the old folks who believe on Him. They may not seemlike much in this world's
view. They may not even seemlike much in our sight through the eyes of the
flesh. But they are exceedinglyprecious and very highly regardedin the view
of our Lord.
Jesus says;
“Take heedthat you do not despise one of these little ones, for I sayto you
that in heaven their angels always see the face of My Fatherwho 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 sayto 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).
As I read that passage, something that strikes me about it is the repeated
emphasis Jesus places onthe word "one". In verse 10, He says that we are to
take heed not to despise even"one" of these little ones. In verses12-13, He
speaks ofthe great value placedon just that "one" sheepthat wanderedaway
over the ninety-nine that didn't. In verse 14, He stressesthat it's not His
Father's will that even "one" ofthese little ones should perish.
You getthe powerful impression from this that eachand every single "little
one" who trusts in Jesus is of inestimable value to His Father. He views each
one as uniquely precious. We may see them as a bunch of little people—justa
percentage outof a group. But the Father knows eachone by name. He has
determined the eternaldestiny of eachof them. And He had eachof them
individually in mind when He sent His Son into this world to love them and
die on the cross for them.
When it comes to those who come to Him in simple, humble, child-like faith,
He makes it very clearthat He places a particularly specialvalue on them.
And we had better be sure to do the same!

* * * * * * * * * *
As we look at this passage, three things suggestthemselves thatJesus is calling
us to do when it comes to His precious little ones.
First, we see that we are to . . .
1. BE CAREFUL NOT TO LOOK DOWN ON THEM (v. 10).
He says, "Take heedthat 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 Fatherwho is in
heaven" (v. 10).
Now;while I believe that the main point of this verse is very clear, its way of
making this point has nevertheless been variously interpreted. Some have
suggested, for example, that this verse teaches that eachof Jesus'"little ones"
has a particular angelthat watches overhim or her—that is, a "guardian
angel". Jesus seems to speak in very specific terms—thatis, of angels that are
described, in the original language ofthis text, as "the angels ofthem".
And what's more, the Scripture itself makes it abundantly clearthat angels
are vitally involved in the lives of the saints. In Psalm91:11-12, for example,
we're told of God's care for those who make Him their refuge;
For He shall give His angels charge overyou,
To keepyou in all your ways.
In their hands they shall bear you up,
Lest you dash your footagainsta stone (Psalm 91:11-12).
Or in Hebrews 1:14, we're told this about the angelic beings: "Are they not all
ministering spirits went forth to minister for those who will inherit
salvation?” Personally, I draw great comfortfrom knowing that these mighty
spiritual beings have been sent by God to minister to the needs of those who
trust in Him—especially since I myself am among those they minister to!
And if that's what Jesus means in the passagebefore us, then He's telling us
that we'd better never despise those little ones who trust in Him. Their

angels—the very angels given specialcharge overthem—have the privileged
honor in heavenof continually beholding the face of the Father Himself who is
in heaven.
* * * * * * * * * *
But not everyone agreesthat this is what our Lord means in the passage
before us. Other very reliable Bible teachers and scholars have found that a
passagein Acts 12 gives a better explanation of what Jesus is telling us.
In that passage, the apostle Peterhad been arrestedfor preaching the gospel.
While he slept in prison—awaiting what might well have been his own
execution—the people of God were intensely praying for his life. And in
answerto their prayer, in the middle of the night, an angelcame to released
him from his bonds and escorthim out of the jail.
He went immediately to the place where the Christians were gathered
togetherto pray for him. He knockedonthe door of the gate, and a servant
girl named Rhoda came and recognizedhim. The poor girl was so excitedthat
she forgotto let Peterin! Instead, she ran inside and told everyone that Peter
was standing at the gate. Sadly, the people didn't believe her at first. They said
she was crazy. But when she kept insisting, they concluded—with what seems
like a tragic tone—"Itis his angel" (Acts 12:15).
Now;whatever they thought it was that was knocking atthe door, they were
wrong in their estimation. It was really the genuine, flesh and blood Peter!
And he kept on knocking until they finally let him in! But notice what they
said—that it must have been his "angel". And here, that word "angel"—
which is a word that, basically, means "messenger";and that has a variety of
possible meanings—seems to be describing "a disembodied spirit" or what we
might call "a ghost". They assumedthat such an "angel" would look and
sound like Peter.
And so, many reliable Bible teachers suggestthat Jesus is using the word
"angel" in this same sense—thatthe spirit of one of His little ones, upon
death, immediately enter into a relationship with the Fatherin the heavenly
realms that is so direct that they are said to "always seethe face" ofthe

Father. This would be like what is mentioned in Hebrews 12:23—thatthey are
"the spirits of just men made perfect".
And again, I draw greatcomfort from the belief that when a tiny little one
dies—and with this, I would understand the severelyretarded, or those who
for whateverreasoncould not place a conscious faith in Jesus Christ—then
his or her spirit is immediately redeemedby the blood of Jesus, and is
immediately in God's presence in greatglory.
And, if this is what Jesus means by these words, then again, He is telling us
that we'd better never despise one of these “little ones” who trust in Him.
Their spirits are ushered immediately into the presence ofGod; and they are
given a very privilege position in His glory.
* * * * * * * * * *
Now;which of these views is the correctone? I'm afraid I don't know. Both
views have been held by godly, Christ-honoring scholars ofthe Bible. Both
views have their merits. And both views have their difficulties. So personally, I
conclude that it's probably wise not to be too dogmatic about either view.
We're safe in this, I believe; because the conclusions that are drawn from both
of the two views are consistentwith the Scriptures as a whole.
But whicheverview is the correctone; 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 who believe in Him. We must never look down on them, or
hold them in contempt, or dismiss them as unimportant and inconvenient. We
must never abuse them, or ignore them, or neglectto meet their needs. Jesus
lets us know this in two ways. First, He lets us know by the direct command,
"Take heed. . .". And second, He lets us know by the authority of His words,
"I say to you . . ."
In our church life; in our individual homes; in our socialrelations;in
whatevercontext we may meet with those who are Christ's little ones by
faith—whether they be one year old, or one-hundred years old—let's be very
sure that we "take heed" not to despise evena single one of them. For they are

clearly very highly esteemedin the courts of heavenand before the face of our
heavenly Father.
* * * * * * * * * *
Now;a secondthing that Jesus'words teachus to do with respectto His
humble "little ones" is to . . .
2. DILIGENTLY SEEKTHEM WHEN THEY WANDER (vv. 11-13).
Becausethey may be weak and vulnerable to the temptations of sin, or
because they may have grownup to be easily led astray from the faith they
once professed, one of Jesus'precious "little ones" may wander awayfrom
His path for them. And one of the ways that we might show that we "despise"
them is by not pursuing them when they wander. We might not think that
they are worth the effort. We might think that we have better things to do.
Verse 11 has Jesus saying, "Forthe Son of Man has come to save that which is
lost";and though this verse is of questionable authority (since many reliable
ancient texts do not contain it), it nevertheless reflects something that Jesus
has said elsewhere(see Luke 19:10). Just how much He values those little ones
of His who wander awayis shownto us when He says, "Whatdo 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 sheepthan
over the ninety-nine that did not go astray" (v. 12-13).
* * * * * * * * * *
Perhaps those words have a familiar ring to you. They are like something that
Jesus saidon another occasion. He used the same sort of words to illustrate
His passionfor poor and needy sinners in Luke 15.
In that particular instance, Jesus was being confrontedby the Pharisees and
scribes because He allowedall sorts of sinful people to draw near to Him. He
even "received" some ofthe most notorious sinners of society;and even went
so far as to "eat" with them! Jesus answeredthis complaint 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 lostuntil
he finds it? And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing.
And when he comes home, he calls togetherhis friends and neighbors, saying
to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheepwhich was lost!’ I say to
you that likewise there will be more joy in heavenover one sinner who repents
than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance" (Luke 15:4-7).
Jesus was a masterful Teacher;and He would often use the same teaching
material for different purposes. In the case ofthe Pharisees andscribes, He
was showing that He has a greaterpassionfor those who know that they are
sinners and need His forgiveness than He does for those who don't believe
they were ever sinners and think themselves too righteous to need to be
forgiven. But in the case ofour passagethis morning, Jesus was speaking to
the disciples—thosewho already believe on Him and have acceptedHis
forgiveness;and was teaching them that every single "little one" in His
flock—no matter how "insignificant" they may seemon a merely "human"
level—is so important to Him that He would have every possible effort
extended to retrieve them when they wanderaway.
Think of what He's saying. A goodshepherd would be so committed to the
needs of his sheepthat he would leave the remaining ninety-nine, go to the
treacherous places where the lost sheephad wandered, and searchfor it. He
wouldn't simply shrug and say, "Oh well; ninety-nine out of a hundred kept
safe—that's not too bad a day's work." Fora goodshepherd, there'd be "no
sheepleft behind". And once he found the lostsheep, the goodshepherd
would actually rejoice more over the one that was found than he would over
the ninety-nine that were never lost. A goodshepherd has that much of a
heart for eachone of the individual sheepentrusted to his care.
And Jesus has stressedthat He Himself is such a goodshepherd! He says such
things as, "I am the goodshepherd. The goodshepherd gives His life for the
sheep" (John 10:11). He is willing to lay down His life in order to rescue even
one of His lostsheep. He said, "I am the goodshepherd; and I know My
sheep, and am known by My own" (v. 14). He knows where eachone is. He
knows their names. He makes sure that they are known by Him. He says;

"My sheephear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give
them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch
them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greaterthan
all; and no one is able to snatchthem out of My Father’s hand" (John 10:27-
29).
And if Jesus feels that way about eachone of His lost"little ones", how canwe
say we are His followers if we don't feel as He feels about them? How can we
know that He was willing to lay down His life for His sheep; but then not even
lift a finger to draw them back into the fold when they wander? How can we
know that He knows eachone by name; but then ourselves not even notice
when they're gone? How can we know that He is so committed to keeping
them; and yet not be concernedto seek out the ones that He is so committed
to?
If I may, this is a greatindictment to churches such as ours. Do you know of
one of Jesus'poorlost "little ones" who startedoff with Him, but who have
fallen victim to the clutches of this world? Now obviously, we need to be very
discerning in this matter, as the next passagewillmake clearto us (vv. 15-20);
because not all who "wanderaway" were everreally sheepat all. But we can
only find that out by pursuing them. We must try to win them. We must seek
them out and try to rescue them.
Have you heard the Holy Spirit's gentle call, urging you to diligently seek out
one of His wandering lost ones—perhaps through a phone call, or through a
card or letter, or even a personal visit? Jesus is letting us know that none of
His little ones—no matter how insignificant in this world's view—is unworthy
of the greatestpossible effort.
* * * * * * * * * *
That leads us, finally, to one more thing that this passageteachesus to do with
respectto our Lord's "little ones" in the faith; and that is to . . .
3. PURSUE THE FATHER'S WILL FOR THEM (v. 14).

Jesus speaksthis parable concerning the effort of the goodshepherd to seek
out and find his lostsheep; and then adds, "Even so it is not the will of your
Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish" (v. 14).
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 destroyedin any way. I
take this to mean that what the Fatherwants—in the positive sense—is that
the opposite of "destruction" be done for them; that is, that they be
strengthened, and built up, and made to stand strong in Christ.
* * * * * * * * * *
This, to my mind, implies a very practicalcall to us regarding our care in the
church for those who are "little ones" in the faith. We are to extend every
effort possible—evento the point of denying ourselves of our own legitimate
rights and privileges—towardthe far greatercause of ministering strength
and nurture to those who are young or weak in the faith.
The apostle Paulspoke of this very clearly. In his letter to the believers in
Rome, he urged them to be very careful that they make it their resolve not to
place a "stumbling block or a cause to fall" in our weakerbrother's or sister's
way. They may have "rights" and "liberties", as strong and mature believers,
to even eat foods that were formerly declared"unclean" in the law. But their
chief concernis not to be about what they had a right to do; but rather what
can be done to support and strengthen the faith of a weakerbrother or sister.
He wrote;
I know and am convincedby the Lord Jesus that there is nothing unclean of
itself; but to him who considers anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean.
Yet if your brother is grieved because ofyour food, you are no longer walking
in love. Do not destroy with your food the one for whom Christ died.
Therefore do not let your goodbe spokenof as evil; for the kingdom of God is
not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy
Spirit. For he who serves Christ in these things is acceptable to God and
approved by men. Therefore let us pursue the things which make for peace
and the things by which one may edify another. Do not destroy the work of
God for the sake offood. All things indeed are pure, but it is evil for the man

who eats with offense. It is goodneither to eat meat nor drink wine nor do
anything by which your brother stumbles or is offended or is made weak
(Romans 14:14-21).
You and I have a duty to the "little ones" that Jesus entrusted to our care.
They watch us carefully. They seek to imitate our walk with Christ. And we
must one day give an accountto the Lord for the care we have shown toward
their faith. Do we make sure we set an example for them that truly pleases the
Father? Do we watchout that we don't do anything that hurts their precious
faith in Him? Do we give ourselves eagerlyand sacrificiallytoward the
building up of that faith; and towardthe strengthening of their commitment
to the One who gave Himself for them?
Do we make it our resolve to pursue the Father's will for the "little ones" in
the fold—that is, their growth and nurture in a deep, loving fellowshipwith
the One who died on the cross for them?
* * * * * * * * * *
Here then, we see that Jesus calls us to greatly respectand highly regardthe
"little ones" who believe on Him. He calls us to make very sure that we never
look down on them or despise them. He calls us to diligently seek them when
they wander away. And He calls us to give ourselves to the pursuit of the
Father's goodwill for their lives.
May the Lord Jesus find us faithful in our care for His “little ones”!
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BARCLAY

Christ And The Child (Matthew 18:5-7; Matthew 18:10)
18:5-7,10 "Whoeverreceives one suchlittle child in my name, receives me.
But whoeverputs a stumbling-block in the way of one of these little ones, who
believe in me, it is better for him that a greatmillstone should be hanged
about his neck, and that he should be drowned far out in the open sea. Alas
for the world because of stumbling-blocks!Stumbling-blocks are bound to
come;but alas for the man by whom the stumbling-block comes!
"See that you do not despise one of these little ones;for, I tell you, their angels
in heaven always look upon the face of my Fatherwho is in heaven."
There is a certaindifficulty of interpretation in this passage whichmust be
borne in mind. As we have often seen, it is Matthew's consistentcustomto
gather togetherthe teaching of Jesus under certain greatheads;he arranges it
systematically. In the early part of this chapter he is collecting Jesus'teaching
about children; and we must remember that the Jews usedthe word child in a
double sense. Theyused it literally of the young child; but regularly a
teacher's disciples were calledhis sons or his children. Therefore a child also
means a beginner in the faith, one who has just begun to believe, one who is
not yet mature and establishedin the faith, one who has just begun on the
right way and who may very easily be deflectedfrom it. In this passagevery
often the child means both the young child and the beginner on the Christian
way.
Jesus says that whoeverreceives one such little child in his name receives
himself. The phrase in my name can mean one of two things. (i) It can mean
for my sake. The care of children is something which is carried out for the
sake ofnone other than Jesus Christ. To teacha child, to bring up a child in
the wayhe ought to go, is something which is done not only for the sake ofthe
child, but for the sake ofJesus himself. (ii) It can mean with a blessing. It can
mean receiving the child, and, as it were, naming the name of Jesus overhim.
He who brings Jesus and the blessing of Jesus to a child is doing a Christlike
work.

To receive the child is also a phrase which is capable of bearing more than one
meaning. (i) It can mean, not so much to receive a child, as to receive a person
who has this childlike quality of humility. In this highly competitive world it is
very easyto pay most attention to the person who is pugnacious and
aggressive andself-assertive and full of self-confidence. It is easyto pay most
attention to the person who, in the worldly sense ofthe term, has made a
successoflife. Jesus may well be saying that the most important people are
not the thrusters and those who have climbed to the top of the tree by pushing
everyone else out of the way, but the quiet, humble, simple people, who have
the heart of a child.
(ii) It canmean simply to welcome the child, to give him the care and the love
and the teaching which he requires to make him into a goodman. To help a
child to live well and to know God better is to help Jesus Christ.
(iii) But this phrase canhave another and very wonderful meaning. It can
mean to see Christ in the child. To teachunruly, disobedient, restless little
children can be a wearing job. To satisfythe physical needs of a child, to wash
his clothes and bind his cuts and soothe his bruises and cook his meals may
often seema very unromantic task;the cookerand the sink and the work-
baskethave not much glamour; but there is no one in all this world who helps
Jesus Christ more than the teacherof the little child and the harassed, hard-
pressedmother in the home. All such will find a glory in the grey, if in the
child they sometimes glimpse none other than Jesus himself.
The Terrible Responsibility (Matthew 18:5-7; Matthew 18:10 Continued)
But the greatkeynote of this passage is the terrible weightof responsibility it
leaves upon every one of us.
(i) It stresses the terror of teaching anotherto sin. It is true to say that no man
sins uninvited; and the bearerof the invitation is so often a fellow-man. A man
must always be confronted with his first temptation to sin; he must always
receive his first encouragementto do the wrong thing; he must always
experience his first push along the way to the forbidden things. The Jews took
the view that the most unforgivable of all sins is to teachanother to sin; and
for this reason--a man's own sins canbe forgiven, for in a sense they are

limited in their consequences;but if we teachanother to sin, he in his turn
may teachstill another, and a train of sin is set in motion with no foreseeable
end.
There is nothing in this world more terrible than to destroy someone's
innocence. And, if a man has any conscienceleft, there is nothing which will
haunt him more. Someone tells of an old man who was dying; he was
obviously sorely troubled. At last they gothim to tell why. "When we were
boys at play," he said, "one day at a cross-roadswe reverseda signpostso that
its arms were pointing the opposite way, and I've never ceasedto wonder how
many people were sent in the wrong direction by what we did." The sin of all
sins is to teachanother to sin.
(ii) It stressesthe terror of the punishment of those who teachanother to sin.
If a man teaches anotherto sin, it would be better for him that a millstone
were hanged about his neck and he were drowned in the depths of the sea.
The millstone in this case is a mulos (Greek #3458), onikos(Greek #3684). The
Jews ground corn by crushing it between two circular stones. This was done
at home; and in any cottage sucha mill could be seen. The upper stone, which
turned round upon the lowerwas equipped with a handle, and it was
commonly of such a size that the housewife could easilyturn it, for it was she
who did the grinding of the corn for the household needs. But a mulos onikos
(Greek #3684)was a grinding-stone of such a size that it neededan ass pulling
it (onos (Greek #3688)is the Greek for an ass and mulos (Greek #3458)is the
Greek for a millstone) to turn it round at all. The very size of the millstone
shows the awfulness of the condemnation.
Further, in the Greek it is said, not so much that the man would be better to
be drowned in the depths of the sea, but that it would be better if he were
drowned far out in the open sea. The Jew feared the sea;for him Heaven was
a place where there would be no more sea (Revelation21:1). The man who
taught anotherto sin would be better to be drowned far out in the most lonely
of all waste places.Moreover, the very picture of drowning had its terror for
the Jew. Drowning was sometimes a Roman punishment, but never Jewish. To
the Jew it was the symbol of utter destruction. When the Rabbis taught that

heathen and Gentile objects were to be utterly destroyed they said that they
must be "castinto the salt sea." Josephus (Antiquities of the Jews 14. 15. 10)
has a terrible accountof a Galilaeanrevoltin which the Galilaeans took the
supporters of Herod and drowned them in the depths of the Sea of Galilee.
The very phrase would paint to the Jew a picture of utter destruction. Jesus'
words are carefully chosento show the fate that awaits a man who teaches
another to sin.
(iii) It has a warning to silence all evasion. This is a sin-stained world and a
tempting world; no one can go out into it without meeting seductions to sin.
That is speciallyso if he goes out from a protectedhome where no evil
influence was ever allowedto play upon him. Jesus says, "Thatis perfectly
true; this world is full of temptations; that is inevitable in a world into which
sin has entered; but that does not lessenthe responsibility of the man who is
the cause ofa stumbling-block being placedin the way of a younger person or
of a beginner in the faith."
We know that this is a tempting world; it is therefore the Christian's duty to
remove stumbling-blocks, never to be the cause of putting them in another's
way. This means that it is not only a sin to put a stumbling-block in another's
way; it is also a sin even to bring that personinto any situation, or
circumstance, orenvironment where he may meet with such a stumbling-
block. No Christian can be satisfiedto live complacentlyand lethargicallyin a
civilization where there are conditions of living and housing and life in general
where a young personhas no chance of escaping the seductions of sin.
(iv) Finally it stresses the supreme importance of the child. "Their angels,"
said Jesus, "always beholdthe face of my Fatherwho is in Heaven." In the
time of Jesus the Jews had a very highly-developed angelology. Everynation
had its angel; every natural force, suchas the wind and the thunder and the
lightning and the rain, had its angel. They even went the length of saying, very
beautifully, that every blade of grass had its angel. So, then, they believed that
every child had his guardian angel.
To say that these angels behold the face of God in heaven means that they
always have the right of direct access to God. The picture is of a greatroyal

Jesus was in deep concern for children

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