Matthew 18:1-9 - The Question About Who Is Greatest

¹ Just at that moment the disciples came up and asked Jesus, "Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?"

² And He called a little child to Him, and had him stand in the midst of them, ³ and said: "I solemnly say to you, unless you turn and become like little children, you can never get into the kingdom of heaven at all. ⁴ So then, whoever becomes as lowly as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven, ⁵ and whoever welcomes one little child like this for my sake welcomes me.

⁶ But whoever leads one of these little ones, who believe in me, to do wrong, had better have a great millstone hung around his neck to sink him to the bottom of the sea. ⁷ A curse on the world for such influences to do wrong! For they must come, but a curse on the man from whom these influences come! ⁸ "And if your own hand or your own foot makes you do wrong, cut it off and put it out of your way. It is better for you to get into life maimed or crippled than to have both hands or both feet to be thrown into everlasting torture. ⁹ And if your own eye makes you do wrong, pluck it out and put it out of your way. It is better for you to go into life with a single eye than to have both eyes to be thrown into the pit of torture.

³³ Then they reached Capernaum. When He got home, He asked them, "What were you discussing on the way home?" ³⁴ But they had nothing to say, for they had discussed with one another which of them was to be the greatest. ³⁵ So He sat down and called the Twelve to Him and said, "If anyone wants to be the first, he must be the last of all and the servant of all." ³⁶ Then He took a little child and had him stand in the midst of them; then He took him in His arms, and said to them, ³⁷ "Whoever, as a disciple of mine, welcomes one little child like this, welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me, welcomes not merely me but Him who sent me."

⁴⁶ Now a controversy sprang up among them as to which of them might be the greatest. ⁴⁷ But Jesus, as He knew that the controversy was going on in their hearts, took a little child and had it stand by His side. ⁴⁸ Then He said to them, "Whoever welcomes this little child on my account is welcoming me, and whoever welcomes me is welcoming Him who sent me; for the one who is lowliest among you all is really great."