Jesus' Little Ones Are Important to Him

Today, Jesus begins with a sobering warning:

(Matthew 18:10–11 NKJV) “Take heed that 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 Father who is in heaven. (11) For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost.”

God loves the “little ones” that Jesus came to save; they are important to him, and they are the objective of Jesus’s “seek and save” mission to earth.

Our Lord preceded the above statement with one that issued a similar warning to the whole world:

(Matthew 18:6–7 NKJV) “But whoever causes one of these 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. (7) Woe to the world because of offenses! For offenses must come, but woe to that man by whom the offense comes!”

When Jesus uses the word, “offenses,” in this context, he is using it in the sense of “causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin.” So, it is not just the individuals who lead, pressure, or coerce humble child-like believers to sin that are in deep trouble; it is the whole world. Jesus pronounced “woe” over Satan’s whole world system and those who identify with it. Their whole system is designed to cause sin. This is very serious; his next statement speaks of the consequence as “everlasting fire”:

(Matthew 18:8–9 NKJV) “If your hand or foot causes you to sin, cut it off and cast (throw) it 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. (9) And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into hell fire.” (Parenthesis mine)

Let’s make sure we stay on Jesus’s side in this, and do not take the world’s side. Even if you are tempted to sin, do not take others along that path with you. And definitely do not entice, coerce, or pressure anyone else to sin. This is very challenging. For example, in Romans, the Holy Spirit shows us that the example we set—even when we indulge in freedoms that our own conscience may allow—can be a stumbling block for others:

(Romans 14:14–15 NKJV) I know and am convinced by the Lord Jesus that there is nothing unclean of itself; but to him who considers anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean. (15) Yet if your brother is grieved because of your food, you are no longer walking in love. Do not destroy with your food the one for whom Christ died.

This is indeed a testing challenge. We have seen how seriously Jesus views the causing of one of his “little ones” to stumble. In Romans 14, the Holy Spirit warns that even indulging in freedoms (that our own faith and conscience may permit) can cause a brother—who is not at the same level of faith and conscience—to sin. If he does what he sees you do, his conscience becomes defiled; and thus, his relationship with God is bruised. The Holy Spirit said that this could lead to your brother being “grieved” or even “destroyed.” This is a very serious outcome. The Holy Spirit concludes:

(Romans 14:21 NKJV) It is good neither to eat meat nor drink wine nor do anything by which your brother stumbles or is offended or is made weak.

Jesus said, “If your hand or foot causes you to sin, cut it off and cast (throw) it 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” (Mat. 18:8 NKJV). Whatever causes you to sin, or anything that could cause a brother to stumble—even if it is your permissible freedoms—is what Jesus is talking about here. You may have to deal with it severely, at great personal cost—like sacrificing a hand or foot. Jesus’s statement may be a hyperbole, but it highlights the priority of entering life over even your freedom of movement or actions.

To help his initial audience grasp the passion God feels about his children—especially the newborns and child-like in his kingdom—Jesus gave them a farming illustration:

(Matthew 18:12–14 NKJV) “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? (13) And if he should find it, assuredly, I say to you, he rejoices more over that sheep than over the ninety-nine that did not go astray. (14) Even so it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.”

We may not identify fully with the passion a shepherd would feel about recovering a lost sheep, but we surely know what it would feel like to lose a child—especially at the hands of someone we trusted to look after him or her. In our society, those who steal children, or who fail in their responsibility to look after them, are dealt with severely. This must surely reflect a little of how God feels about those who carelessly or even intentionally lead his little ones astray.

Jesus’s story also reminds and freshly empowers us to be like the shepherd: he leaves the ninety-nine and goes to the mountains to seek the one that is straying. Going to “the mountains” sounds like an arduous journey—one full of danger, and one that requires a lot of lonely effort. Yet this story reflects God’s heart for his straying children; the compassionate shepherd’s narrative reflects Jesus’s dangerous and uncomfortable mission to earth to save us:

(Luke 19:10 NKJV) “For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.” (See also: Mat. 18:11 in our opening passage.)

Today as we conclude, let us focus again on how much God values his “little ones.” They are the reason Jesus came on his “seek and save” mission. Nothing anyone does for them or against them escapes God’s attention. How do we know this? Simply because Jesus said that their attendant angels “always see the face of my Father in heaven” (Mat. 18:10 NKJV). He always knows what’s going on with them.

Let’s understand just how much Jesus and his Father love and feel protective towards the child-like members of their family. And let’s freshly commit to not:

? Pressuring them to do something sinful;

? Drawing them with you when you are tempted to sin;

? Belittling and ridiculing their na?ve, simple, humble, child-like faith;

? Imparting proud attitudes and values that degrade their na?ve child-like simplicity in Christ;

? Flaunting permissible freedoms in front of a brother or sister for whom what we are allowing is against their conscience.

And today, let’s open our hearts to God’s passion and love for those who have wandered off from his flock—especially if we contributed to their departure. Remember, their Father is “in heaven”; he cannot rescue them alone. Angels report the situation to him, and as a result, we may be the ones he is asking to go in search of those who have gone astray. Is he speaking to you, calling you to rescue someone that you know has wandered off? Is he asking you to risk your safety and comfort to go and bring them back alive?

If so, Jesus’s grace for this mission is available to help you today; it can be found at God’s throne of grace, and by meditating in passages like those we have looked at today, for example:

(Luke 19:10 NKJV) “For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”

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