Pecking disorder

At that time the disciples came to Jesus asking, ‘Who is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven?’

So Jesus called a child to come and stand in front of them, and said, ‘I assure you that unless you change and become like children, you will never enter the Kingdom of heaven. The greatest in the Kingdom of heaven is the one who humbles himself and becomes like this child.’ (verses 1-4)

Read Matthew 18:1-9

We are all born with a natural malady. This is how it affects us. The main symptom is that we harbour the delusion that we are the centre of the universe. We suffer such confusion of mind that we become obsessed with our own welfare to the neglect or detriment of everyone else. We become very competitive with others and try to defeat them. We develop strong ambitions and strive to improve our position in society at the expense of our fellows. We all have a pecking disorder.

Jesus came to heal us. By his example and through his teaching he strove to impress upon us the way of the servant, which means living to help others rather than ourselves. In fact he recommends to us the example of the little child. It is in a child’s abject helplessness and utter dependence that we see our real state. Only by adopting child-like trust in God are we free to find spiritual health.

Dear God, teach me to be as humble and as trusting as a little child, so that I may be satisfied with whatever role you assign me in your kingdom. Amen.

by Richard Hauser, in ‘Renewed Hope for each Day’ (LCA, Openbook, 2000)

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