Comments on greatness, Oct. 27th

Here are a few insights from the men this past Thursday.

1. Is there something, perhaps several things, that a little child has but the greatest in our earthly kingdoms does not have?
   1. Joe: purity of heart, guileless. [This also is consonant with the beatitudes.]
   2. sinless
   3. Len: they look to parents for guidance.
2. v. 10, "...their angels in heaven always look upon the face of my heavenly Father."
   1. Len: A child looks upon parents as the angels look upon God.

Next Thursday we will carry over question 8 for starters:

8. Why does Jesus immediately follow his warning and lament about these men, in v. 7, by an admonition to the Twelve about their own conduct in vv. 8-9?

And more questions will be available midweek.

Greatness

We now dip forward to chapter 18 of Matthew's gospel and get some of the Lord's teaching on greatness. Here are a few questions to prime the pump and get the brainwaves moving:

1. When the disciples ask about who is the greatest? are they asking in general or are they asking about Peter?
2. Who is the greatest in the earthly "kingdoms" in which we currently live?
3. Is there something, perhaps several things, that a little child has but the greatest in our earthly kingdoms does not have?
4. When Jesus foretells that such things must come that cause little ones to sin, is He the cause of those things?
5. Why do these men exist, who cause such harms even to little ones?
6. If these things must come, are the men guiltless who cause harms to little ones?
7. Can the crime of abortion be compared to this kind of harm caused to little ones?
8. Why does Jesus immediately follow his warning and lament about these men, in v. 7, by an admonition to the Twelve about their own conduct in vv. 8-9?

We say that the Lord's Word is the perfect Torah of freedom and that we must be doers of this Word. In this section of Matthew's gospel, there is a lot to consider for those of us who desire to be doers.