Get Off Your Holy High Horse
Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea....See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven. Matt. 18:5-10, ESV.
One thing is clear from these verses; God cares for the weak ones in our congregation, whether they be young and innocent (the "child" in verse 5) or new or struggling members (the "little ones" of verses 6 and 10).
While verse 5 has a promise connected to the reception and caring of insignificant children, Jesus changes the tone in verse 6 from promise to warning. Meanwhile, the topic in the flow of His presentation moves from humility to the seriousness of causing "unimportant" believers (the "little ones") to stumble in their Christian walk.
The overall message of the passage is that it is better to have a millstone around one's neck and be drowned than to lead a weak Christian astray.
The warning is clear enough. Yet how easy it is to heap honors upon the visiting guest speaker while not even staying hello to those who look as if they can't afford proper clothes for church.
Endless stories tell about the deacon who speaks harshly to a person who doesn't seem to fit into the congregation; about the "saintly" matrons of the church who criticize new Christians in their hearing about something they brought to potluck that wasn't up their personal standards; about the better-than type who offend a person searching after meaning with comments about their jewelry; about those who have insulted teenagers who haven't quite got their act together.
It is no wonder that many never return to our church. But their "guardian angels" (Matt. 18:10, NEB) are working with them. And we should also.
Today is the time to get off our holy high horse and take heed to the words of Jesus, extending our love to those "little ones" found in every congregation who are beloved of God. He wants to change our hearts and characters so that we might be a force for good in their lives.
Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea....See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven. Matt. 18:5-10, ESV.
One thing is clear from these verses; God cares for the weak ones in our congregation, whether they be young and innocent (the "child" in verse 5) or new or struggling members (the "little ones" of verses 6 and 10).
While verse 5 has a promise connected to the reception and caring of insignificant children, Jesus changes the tone in verse 6 from promise to warning. Meanwhile, the topic in the flow of His presentation moves from humility to the seriousness of causing "unimportant" believers (the "little ones") to stumble in their Christian walk.
The overall message of the passage is that it is better to have a millstone around one's neck and be drowned than to lead a weak Christian astray.
The warning is clear enough. Yet how easy it is to heap honors upon the visiting guest speaker while not even staying hello to those who look as if they can't afford proper clothes for church.
Endless stories tell about the deacon who speaks harshly to a person who doesn't seem to fit into the congregation; about the "saintly" matrons of the church who criticize new Christians in their hearing about something they brought to potluck that wasn't up their personal standards; about the better-than type who offend a person searching after meaning with comments about their jewelry; about those who have insulted teenagers who haven't quite got their act together.
It is no wonder that many never return to our church. But their "guardian angels" (Matt. 18:10, NEB) are working with them. And we should also.
Today is the time to get off our holy high horse and take heed to the words of Jesus, extending our love to those "little ones" found in every congregation who are beloved of God. He wants to change our hearts and characters so that we might be a force for good in their lives.
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