“Then he said to them, “Whoever welcomes this little
child in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent
me. For he who is least among you all – he is the greatest” (Luke 9:48).
It was a day like no other…a unique day!
Peter, James and John accompanied Jesus up on
a mountain, enjoying the extra time with Jesus: just the three of them. They
have travelled up the mountain; they prayed with Jesus and witnessed Him
praying.
Then the glorious change occurred: Jesus’
face and His clothes became “bright as a
flash of lightning”.
Next thing, would you believe it, Moses and
Elijah were standing there in glorious splendour, conversing with Jesus. Wait,
there is more: a voice from heaven affirming Jesus’ sonship and authority.
It was a day like no other…a unique day!
The next day (our text begins)…the next was
a normal day.
The people, with their attention and needs;
the presence of demonic forces; a father’s desperate plea to save his son; the
failure to address the need.
We don’t know how the three disciples reacted
to the situation. We know how Jesus did (Luke 9:41). It appears that Jesus had
lost His patience.
So easy to run out of patience when dealing
with people, isn’t it?
I believe that the main reason why the
disciples weren’t able to cast out the demon was their mindset.
“An argument started among the disciples as to which of
them would be the greatest” (Luke 9:46). Pride
obscured faith and prayer.
The child in their midst (Luke 9:47), while
pointing to the lowly status of a child, it also points to the lowly status
taken upon Himself by God’s Son.
They knew that a child has: no status; lived
in obedience; was vulnerable.
So Christ: (Philippians 2:6-9).
The kingdom of God is not a matter of who is the greatest. The kingdom of God is a matter of belonging (Luke 7:28). Wanna be great?