"At that time the disciples of Jesus came unto him, saying, Who, then, is the greater in the kingdom of heaven ? And he called to him a little child, and set it in the midst of them, and said, Verily, I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall in no wise enter into the kingdom of heaven" (Matt. 18 :1-3).

FRAGMENT Lowliness of spirit is here insisted on. The Lord uses a little child as His text, in answer to a question proposed by His disciples which evidenced their need of such instruction. There had been a dispute among them as to who among them should be the greater . . . Greatness was what they sought; and in that which they owned to be the kingdom of heaven, but which (as they are shown later) they are making but a kingdom of the Gentiles in their thoughts-a place for the gratification of ambition and self-seeking. In this, a little child was capable of being their instructor. "Jesus called to Him a little child, and placed him in the midst of them and said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall in no wise enter into the kingdom of heaven."

The little child, as a symbol, reminds us of the way in which God has ordained that men should enter the present life-in lowliness and feebleness enough. The long drill and discipline of childhood might well seem intended to "hide pride from man," and it is the mercy of God that provides for beings so helpless, the love and care which so generally wait upon the birth of children. So is it also with the beginning of spiritual life, which we enter not as doers of something great, but in feebleness and poverty to receive grace-not dues. And the end is as the beginning:it is in grace we grow; it is salvation that we receive; reward at last is not claim, but mercy. In this way it is as little children that the kingdom of heaven must be entered. A little child may have in its heart the seed of ambition as of all other evil, but not the man who estimates himself but as that. The Lord in His grace identifies Himself with the least of His own, so as to assure every one that his littleness will not make him of little account to Him. This is an assurance which prevents the consciousness of nothingness to be a distress; nay, rather, it enables us the more to realize the sweetness of a love so great.

-From Numerical Bible on Matthew