Mathew chapter 18 was about faith like a little child, v3 and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven." But the passage went on to say in v5 “Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me". It went on to mentioned about sin and falling into sin, then v10 “See that you do not despise one of these little ones. " and v14 "So it is not the will of my [9] Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish."
So is it about your faith or about the little children that Jesus is concern about?
In context, I believe that Jesus is concern about you. The people has became more concern about the law and the acts of it. The heart and the realtionship with God is missing. The faith enable us to be close with God, it is not about entering the kingdom based on the faith of a child. It is about how your relationship with God and about how this relationship translate to your actions towards other.
The passage also talked about temptation and sin and causing the little ones to fall into sin and stumble them in coming to the kingdom. The warning is your legalism in the law has just did that. Be careful. Not that Jesus is concern about losing the sheep, but mainly address the people and they should have a change of heart, else they themselves will lose sight of the kingdom of God.
Peter caught the hint and asked, in v21 “Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?”
Of course, Jesus answered 49 times. Impossible. So it is not by the acts of man in anything you did, Jesus has already hinted that if is through your works, through legalism, you get the warning of falling out of the kingdom of God.
The answer of course lies in Jesus - as simply as just coming to Jesus. v4 Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. He will then stand to gain the kingdom of God.
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