As I say frequently in class, it’s important to “read around the edges” of a particular teaching of Christ’s to fully understand it. To avoid misusing or too narrowly construing His words, it’s always helpful to back up a bit to see about the setting of Jesus’ teachings and the questions that may have prompted His comments.
In Matthew's narrative Jesus is traveling toward Jerusalem, no doubt with the increasing weight of the “cup” from which he must drink. His own Servanthood, his complete submission to the will of the Father (“I do not seek my own will, but that of the Father Who sent me” Jn. 5:30b. cf. 5:19-23 & 6:35ff) seems to increasingly call forth discussions about servanthood, surrender and greatness through selflessness.
Jesus began this teaching while in Capernaum by answering the question the disciples posed: “Who is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven?” (Matt. 18:1) In His inimitable style, Jesus goes right to the heart of the matter, then explains and expands: “Unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the Kingdom. Whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven.” (18:3-4)
So what does this mean?
Christ has a way of making His call to us very practical. Those who say the Way of Christ is hard are right; those who say it is unclear are not paying attention:
- God cares about the littlest & the least; we are charged to care for
them as well (the Parable of the Lost Sheep, Matt. 18:10-14).
- The Master is forgiving; we also are required to be forgiving (the
Parable of the Unforgiving Servant, Matt. 18: 21-35).*
- The Master is generous; therefore we must be grateful, which is the
beginning of generosity (the Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard,
Matt. 20:1-16).
This ongoing discourse about the Kingdom (Matt. 18-20), delivered en route to the Cross, continues to hammer home the point that who we are to be as members adopted into the family of the Kingdom of God is entirely based on Who God Himself is. In short, our very identity is to be found in God’s Identity.
Christ, as the Begotten of the Trinity, derives His attitudes, His behaviors and His self-understanding from God the Father. We might be tempted to think that One so powerful would feel self-sufficient and ruggedly independent much as a captain of industry or an elected official might whose very words are quoted world-wide and can cause thousands of people and billions of dollars to move. It is ironic to us (only because of our perspective) that the very One Who called forth creation with His Words acknowledges that He is nothing apart from God. In His case, it is literally true. In our case, it is no less so.
As Christ’s followers, it is incumbent upon us to study carefully who our Father is and who our Great Example is and dedicate ourselves to becoming like them. This is how we become like a child: As a child looks consciously and unconsciously to his parents for cues and clues to behavior and understanding, we must look deliberately toward God, Who is our Source of life itself, and to Christ, Who shows us what a life of selfless Servanthood looks like.
It is not he who begins well who is perfected. It is he who ends well
who is approved in God’s sight.
-St. Basil the Great
St. Basil, writing in the 4th century, captured the central message of the Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard when speaking of the disposition of those called to complete the work of God’s Kingdom. Like great athletes, there are those followers of Christ among us and before us who make it look easy. Let’s not forget the truth found in the phrase “practicing religion.” We must “run the good race that is set before us with endurance” (Heb. 12:1) by never taking our eyes off the One we want to be like when we grow up.
*Don’t make the modern mistake of equating forgiveness with tolerance for bad behavior and evil. Notice that the forgiveness that is offered requires the request of forgiveness. The Master is ready to punish the servant who can’t pay until he throws himself on the ground and begs for mercy. His bad behavior (not paying his debt) is not ignored in the name of “tolerance.” The forgiveness that’s offered also comes with a price: repentance that leads to change. It’s the unforgiving debtor’s lack of learning from the Master’s example that lands him right back in trouble.
