14 When Jesus and his followers came back to the crowd, a man came to Jesus
and ... came to Jesus and asked, "Who is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?
Friday: Greatness Begins With Humility MATTHEW 17:14 – 18:9 Jesus Heals a Sick Boy When Jesus and his followers came back to the crowd, a man came to Jesus and bowed before him. 15 The man said, "Lord, have mercy on my son. He has epilepsy and is suffering very much, because he often falls into the fire or into the water. 16 I brought him to your followers, but they could not cure him." 17 Jesus answered, "You people have no faith, and your lives are all wrong. How long must I put up with you? How long must I continue to be patient with you? Bring the boy here." 18 Jesus commanded the demon inside the boy. Then the demon came out, and the boy was healed from that time on. 19 The followers came to Jesus when he was alone and asked, "Why couldn't we force the demon out?" 20 Jesus answered, "Because your faith is too small. I tell you the truth, if your faith is as big as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move. All things will be possible for you." 14
Jesus Talks About His Death While Jesus' followers were gathering in Galilee, he said to them, "The Son of Man will be handed over to people, 22 and they will kill him. But on the third day he will be raised from the dead." And the followers were filled with sadness. 21
Jesus Talks About Paying Taxes When Jesus and his followers came to Capernaum, the men who collected the Temple tax came to Peter. They asked, "Does your teacher pay the Temple tax?" 24 Peter answered, "Yes, Jesus pays the tax." Peter went into the house, but before he could speak, Jesus said to him, "What do you think? The kings of the earth collect different kinds of taxes. But who pays the taxes -- the king's children or others?" 25 Peter answered, "Other people pay the taxes." Jesus said to Peter, "Then the children of the king don't have to pay taxes. 26 But we don't want to upset these tax collectors. So go to the lake and fish. After you catch the first fish, open its mouth and you will find a coin. Take that coin and give it to the tax collectors for you and me." 23
Who is the Greatest? At that time the followers came to Jesus and asked, "Who is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?" 2 Jesus called a little child to him and stood the child before his followers. 3 Then he said, "I tell you the truth, you must change and become like little children. Otherwise, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 The greatest person in the kingdom of heaven is the one who makes himself humble like this child. 5 "Whoever accepts a child in my name accepts me. 6 If one of these little children believes in me, and someone causes that child to sin, it would be better for that person to have a large stone tied around the neck and be drowned in the sea. 7 How terrible for the people of the world because of the things that cause them to sin. Such things will happen, but how terrible for the one who causes them to happen! 8 If your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose part of your body and live forever than to have two hands and two feet and be thrown into the fire that burns forever. 9 If your eye causes you to sin, take it out and throw it away. It is better for you to have only one eye and live forever than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell. 1
Old Testament Readings Lord, you are loyal to those who are loyal, and you are good to those who are good. 26 You are pure to those who are pure, but you are against those who are bad. 27 You save the humble, but you bring down those who are proud. 25
Psalm 18:25-27
Lord, I will thank you with all my heart; I will sing to you before the gods. 2 I will bow down facing your holy Temple, and I will thank you for your love and loyalty. You have made your name and your word greater than anything. 3 On the day I called to you, you answered me. You made me strong and brave. 4 Lord, let all the kings of the earth praise you when they hear the words you speak. 5 They will sing about what the Lord has done, because the Lord's glory is great. 6 Though the Lord is supreme, he takes care of those who are humble, but he stays away from the proud. Psalm 138:1-6 1
23
Pride will ruin people, but those who are humble will be honored.
Proverbs 29:23
As Manasseh suffered, he begged the Lord his God for help and humbled himself before the God of his ancestors. 13 When Manasseh prayed, the Lord heard him and had pity on him. So the Lord let him return to Jerusalem and to his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the Lord is the true God. 2 Chronicles 33:12-13 12
Even to this day the people of Judah are still too proud. They have not learned to respect me or to follow my teachings. They have not obeyed the laws I gave you and your ancestors. 11 "So this is what the Lord AllPowerful, the God of Israel, says: I am determined to bring disasters on you. I will destroy the whole family of Judah. Jeremiah 44:10-11 10
"Scripture taken from the New Century Version. Copyright © 1987, 1988, 1991 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved."
Insights and Reflection What is the humility of a child? An infant can do nothing of itself. It is totally reliant on others for food and comfort. Since it cannot talk, it will cry (pray) for food. It will cry (pray) for comfort. It learns to trust fully in its caretaker but it still has to cry (pray) for whatever it needs. As the child grows and learns to walk and talk the surrounding community takes delight as it gains its independence. Our society rewards self-reliance. If you want something, get it yourself! The prayer begins to no longer be necessary on a regular basis.
Paul told the Philippians: “All things are possible with God.” If we teach total independence to our children we do them a great disservice. To be humble like a child is the know this: of myself I am nothing. Without God, I fail. Oh, I can pull off some earthly successes, but my reward is short-lived. I attain heavenly reward when I develop God-confidence – not self-confidence. Vicki Darring Action Practice giving actions to God today. Before tackling a task simply say: “Your will, not mine be done.”
