Grace and Caution

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Grace and Caution – Matthew 18:10-14

Hook: I never had a sister and I was never given a daughter, but I have been blessed with a wonderful granddaughter. She is a bundle of energy and like her grandpa Gary she has a delightful sense of humor, but she lives in Kansas City and that is a long way from Tucson.

When she was four years old, and it was time for her baby brother to be born, I went to Kansas City to babysit her while her mom was giving birth at the hospital. Normally, she is a very independent girl, but at the age of 4 my little granddaughter stubbornly refused to be potty-trained. So after, I changed a smelly diaper, and while her mother was still at the hospital, I decided I should take this diaper outside to the trash can because I didn’t want to stink up the house. And, while I was outside my sweet little granddaughter thought it would be very funny to lock me out of the house. Only it was in January, 32 degrees outside, dark, lightly snowing and I was not dressed for cold weather. Did I mention I am a native Tucsonan and I hate the cold? When I asked her to unlock the front door she just giggled at me through the side window. I didn’t have keys for the house nor did I even have my cell phone to call her daddy. So, I walked over to the next door neighbor’s house, rang the doorbell, and asked them if I could use their phone to call 911. The operator very graciously sent the fire department to the house and one of the younger fire men climbed the fence, and went through an unlocked back window. It was all fun and games for my granddaughter until she saw this stranger climbing in the back window and then she became very frightened. Bursting into tears, she ran out the front door straight into my arms for comfort and protection.

Having grandchildren is one of greatest blessings God has ever given me, but children are often a challenge for us, especially when we desire to love them well. Why does God value children?

In today’s passage we are learning about valuing children. Scholars believe these verses, also apply to the importance of cherishing new believers, or those who are spiritually disconnected. Most translations start this section of scripture with the subheading “the Parable of the Lost Sheep”. But, when we read these verses in context we will see Jesus is continuing his message on the high worth God places on children (Matthew 18:1-9).

Matthew 18:10-14

10) “See to it that you don’t despise one of these little ones, because I tell you that in heaven their angels continually view the face of my Father in heaven. 12) What do you think? If someone has a hundred sheep, and one of them goes astray, won’t he leave the ninety-nine on the hillside and go search for the stray? 13) And if he finds it, truly I tell you he rejoices over that sheep more than over the ninety-nine that did not go astray. 14) In the same way it is not the will of your Father in heaven that one of these little ones perish.” CSB

Matthew 18:10 is a transitional verse that could be taught with the passage above or it could go with today’s verses. The Greek word we translate “despise” in English in verse 10, is the compound Greek word “kataphroneo”, which literally means to “think down”. Much is often lost in translation when you are trying to find the perfect English word to describe a thought from another language. In English the word “despise” is a stronger emotion than to simply dislike or hate someone. It implies we are making a moral judgement or expressing a profound aversion for a person. In Greek “kata” is a simple word which means down, but there are 16 different biblical Greek words in my Greek dictionary that can be translated “to think”. So, what is the distinction of “phroneo”? “Phroneo” means to be “minded in a certain way” for example: in speaking of a person we could say, “His thinking was progressive or her thinking was conservative”, this is what it means to be minded in a certain way. Jesus wasn’t cautioning us to not look down on little ones or to not act down, but he was warning us to not think down. Why is this important? The way we think is the biggest contributor to our future behavior. If we want to change our actions the most important thing we have control over is our thinking because behavior follows thinking. All of us were created in God’s image, so it is important we be mindful of this. God is calling us to value all people no matter their status in life. At the time of this teaching children were not highly valued in this society, but Jesus is showing us God looks at them differently.

We won’t despise children, if we can remember that their guardian angels are continually viewing their Father in heaven. I am going to continue to use the English word despise in our lesson, but remember that we are not talking about a heart problem like we might think of “despise” in English. Here the Bible is cautioning us of a minded way of thinking where children simple aren’t valued.

In the second half of verse 10 Jesus is referencing the unseen world. Sometimes Jesus pulls back the curtains on heaven with his teaching and this is an example of him doing just that. What does Jesus say about the angels who guard children? “Their angels continually view the face of my Father in heaven.” Why would this caution keep us from thinking down on children? These angels are attentive to God’s throne, to his face, to his instructions, and to his will. It would be unwise for us to find ourselves in opposition to the guardian angels who protect these little ones. How could this truth sober us when we are tempted to judge them? When people are tired or whiny we may be frustrated by their behavior, but we should never despise them. We should never think less of someone who is acting out and doesn’t know what to do. Despising children is a line God does not want us to cross.

There is more insight we can explore from this phrase, “Their angels continually view my Father in heaven.” We know throughout the scriptures that angels have a different station or calling in God’s big plan. People cannot look on God. Moses was told if he looked on God’s face he would die (Exodus 33:20-23). The disciples on the Mount of Transfiguration bowed their heads to the ground when God the father spoke from a bright cloud (Matthew 17:1-13). Angels are vastly different than us, if they can continually look at the face of the father. If we could see what angels see, we would not need faith to trust God.

We won’t despise children, if we can embrace God’s missionary heart. In the verses above specifically in Matthew 18:2 Jesus chose a child to illustrate the importance of humility in the kingdom of heaven. Now in Matthew 18:11 he uses a good shepherd to illustrate just how important the lost are to Jesus. Sheep as animals are notorious for wandering away from their flock in search of a sweet patch of grass. They will wander down onto a cliff without realizing they can’t climbed back out after they have eaten their fill. The good shepherd searches and listens for their cries so he can reach over the edge of the cliff, hook them with his staff and pull them up to safety.

When I had the privilege of visiting Israel I was surprised by the lack of vegetation on the hills surrounding Jerusalem. In the month of April the hills and valleys were bare earth, stripped of grass, waiting on the rains. This land appeared to be over grazed by the Bedouin sheep herders who were still roaming the hills Abraham did in the book of Genesis. I learned in Israel that a desert shepherd must constantly chase the grass lands to find food for their sheep, and they often forced to spend the night out in the open to guard them (Luke 2:8). If in our mind we picture the green hills of Ireland when we think of a shepherd’s job, we have not understood what Jesus is describing here. The parable of the good shepherd is a picture of God’s sacrificial protection.

Jesus chose this parable because he is not willing that any should perish. If we can embrace God’s heart of mercy we will be, so blessed. He wants all the spiritually disconnected to be rescued. This will lead us to sacrifices of our time, our money, and our preferences. What are some sacrifices we might make to advance God’s kingdom?

I have never served on a finance committee writing a church’s budget, but my husband did many times. If he were still alive he would tell us that children and youth ministries are expensive for a church. Yet, what happens when a church refuses to fund ministries to reach children or youth? That church will eventually age out and close its doors. Children and youth ministries are a necessity if a church wants to survive. Embracing the missionary heart of God calls for an intentionality in our planning, if we want to pursue being a multigenerational church.

We won’t despise children, if we can remember their guardian angels are continually viewing their Father in heaven and if we can embrace God’s missionary heart.

What might change if we applied these two principles?

Jesus wants us to be minded in a certain way because how we reason, will influence our behavior toward children. Jesus wants to revolutionize our thinking. Especially, our view of little ones.