Daily Devotional • December 28
Holy Innocents
A Reading from Matthew 18:1-14
1 At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” 2 He called a child, whom he put among them, 3 and said, “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Whoever becomes humble like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 5 Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.
6 “If any of you cause one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for you if a great millstone were fastened around your neck and you were drowned in the depth of the sea. 7 Woe to the world because of things that cause sin! Such things are bound to come, but woe to the one through whom they come!
8 “If your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away; it is better for you to enter life maimed or lame than to have two hands or two feet and to be thrown into the eternal fire. 9 And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away; it is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and to be thrown into the hell of fire.
10 “Take care that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I tell you, in heaven their angels continually see the face of my Father in heaven.12 What do you think? If a shepherd has a hundred sheep and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray? 13 And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray. 14 So it is not the will of your Father in heaven that one of these little ones should be lost.
Meditation
The disciples ask Jesus a very human question. Not “What is heaven like?” Or “How does one enter heaven?” But “Who is the greatest up there?”
I find their question relatable and, frankly, encouraging. Even the disciples were distracted by their egos! Our egos are so hard to get beyond, even in the very presence of God, we’re likely to care more about who’s the biggest celebrity than anything else.
Jesus doesn’t answer their question with a top ten greatest disciples of all-time list, which is probably what they wanted. Instead, he points to a small child, and says, if you can’t become like this little kid, you won’t enter heaven at all.
What does Jesus mean when he says we must become like children to enter his kingdom? Anyone who’s spent any time with children knows they are far from perfect. But one thing children, especially very small children, hardly ever care about: their egos.
Jesus wants us to stop feeding our egos and to instead rest in the freedom of his love. In this life, anything can happen to us. Today, on the Feast of the Holy Innocents, we remember the children massacred by King Herod in his attempt to kill Jesus. The story serves as a reminder that anyone’s life may take a terrible turn. When that happens, our egos won’t be able to help. But we will never be forsaken, because nothing can ever truly hurt us when we have God’s love.
Perhaps today is a day to make one small resolution to stop feeding your ego. For me, as someone who often frets about her work, I’ve found it helpful to stop myself whenever I begin worrying and say the Lord’s prayer. What practice might God be inviting you to begin today?
Elizabeth Hamilton’s writing has appeared in the Dallas Museum of Art, Southern Humanities Review, and Texas Monthly. She has an MFA from Seattle Pacific University. Find her work at elizabethannehamilton.com
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Daily Devotional Cycle of Prayer
Today we pray for:
The Diocese of Kushtia – The Church of Bangladesh
The Consortium for Christian Unity
