Matthew 18

Matthew 18:2-5 NIV

[2] He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. [3] And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. [4] Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. [5] And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.

Watching my grandchildren grow I get to see how curious and trusting they are. My grandson climbs everything and just that’s that someone will be there to catch him when he falls. Too bad that many people lose that wonder and trust in God and become jaded and cynical. No wonder we get stuck in religion with its rules and intolerance and forget the love and mercy shown us by the gift of the baby Jesus. 

The parable of the unforgiving debtor

In Matthew 18-23:35 Jesus tells a parable about a servant who owes him a tremendous debt which the king forgives. The servant then goes and has another servant who owes him a little debt thrown in jail because of this tiny debt. We are like this unforgiving servant when we don’t forgive those that wrong us. God has forgiven our debt of sin, which we could never hope to redeem, and we cannot forgive the tiny sins against us.