"Who is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven?"
The disciples had seen that some among their ranks had received unique privileges, such as Peter being named the rock and given the keys, and he, James, and John, being singled out to accompany Jesus up Mount Tabor. This naturally led the others to wonder why Jesus was prioritizing those few over the rest. What was it about them that made them, apparently, better than everyone else?
Amen, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children,
you will not enter the Kingdom of heaven.
True greatness in the Kingdom did not come from anything that the world would recognize. It was not as a result of their greatness that Peter, James, and John were sometimes specially chosen. It was definitely not because Peter was naturally rock solid that Jesus made him the rock on which his Church was built. But he had been open to the revelation of the Son by the Father. He had, in that moment, surrendered his own judgment to the higher judgment of God, his own will to the will of the Father. Not that this somehow earned what he received. But it was fitting that he received it in a moment when he become the most clearly like a child. In becoming a receptive son he became like the Son who received everything from the Father.
What Peter, James, and John uniquely received were indeed great blessings, but they were not for themselves alone. They became like children in order that they could grow into people who existed for others. They became, not like the children of this world, much less the children of the devil, but sons of God, united in Jesus. And Jesus was perfectly childlike in receptivity and trust. But he was perfectly mature in his ability to make use of what he received from the Father for the sake of his brothers and sisters on earth. One thing that could, and almost did, sabotage the Kingdom at this early stage was competition. But what the disciples were meant to care about more than their position in the world was being pleasing in the eyes of the Father. And this could never devolve into competition since he was only pleased when his children loved one another as he loved them.
And whoever receives one child such as this in my name receives me.
The disciples didn't need to merit on their own in order to be worthy and deserving of being received by others. Rather, they were to be received, not because they could reward others in some way, but because Jesus himself could do so. It isn't because our local parish priest is necessarily so amazing that God blesses those who honor him. It is because in receiving them we receive Jesus himself in some mysterious way. Though, that said, our parish priests often are quite amazing. Those who are the most childlike, in the sense meant by Jesus, tend to be the ones that are the most transparent to him, the most able to share his love, joy, and peace with others.
See that you do not despise one of these little ones,
for I say to you that their angels in heaven
always look upon the face of my heavenly Father.
The only way we can become like little children if we come to terms with the amazing care God has for us. When we recognize that his angels watch over us and that it is not his will for even one of us to be lost we can begin to relax, to lose some of our anxiety about life, and begin to live on the basis of trust in the goodness of our heavenly Father.
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