Amen, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children,
you will not enter the Kingdom of heaven.
Even children sometimes develop rivalries with siblings or friends. Oftentimes it seems that children, even more than adults, have a hard time thinking of anyone but themselves. Jesus wasn't suggesting that his disciples regress into imitation of these qualities. Rather, he was presenting the image of a child who knew that he was loved and that all his needs would be met as the model for his disciples to imitate. Such a one didn't need to scheme his way into titles or positions in the Kingdom of heaven. Rather than excessive self-concern, children were meant to trust in the Father to provide for them and protect them.
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.
Disciples who were childlike enough to trust in God would experience divine protection.
The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and delivers them (see Psalm 34:7).
For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways (see Psalm 91:11).
It must have been difficult to maintain this posture of trust while Peter was imprisoned for proclaiming the Gospel. But he did continue to trust and was delivered by an angel (see Acts 12:5-17). When we find ourselves in situations which are outside of our control we would do well to learn this filial trust. The strategy of Paul and Silas to sing the praises of God even while they were still in chains was a good strategy, and one we should also try (see Acts 16:16-40). When we are able to trust God enough he is able to act without concern that his doing so will merely inflate our egos or our sense of self-importance. Losing ourselves in his praise when circumstances would seem to preclude it is sometimes just what it takes to bring down the walls of Jericho (see Joshua 6:1-21) and bring us victory.
unless you turn and become like children,
you will not enter the Kingdom of heaven.
Becoming like children is not simply a recommended strategy for a more enjoyable spiritual life. It is necessary to enter the Kingdom of heaven. In the exodus, due to a lack of trust in God, most of the generation that left Egypt was not able to enter the promised land. In this new exodus that Jesus is leading, from sin and death to eternal life, docility and trust are more necessary than ever. Only those who can cling to his word and let themselves be led, those who can trust in God more than in themselves to be the one who will ultimately reward them, will be able to make face many dangers in order to make it to the goal of this arduous journey.
If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them goes astray,
will he not leave the ninety-nine in the hills
and go in search of the stray?
The shepherd didn't go in search of the stray because of any particular merit of that individual sheep. He was more like a parent who wasn't going to be content to have the eldest son at home while the prodigal was still wandering and lost. Even ninety-nine were not enough to balance the scales for one lost little one, even in usual case where it was the lost sheep who was the one who chose to wander. We probably don't really believe that God loves us this much. Most of us probably still think that we are the one's who must do most of the work in our relationship with him. We fear leaving him by our own stupid mistakes and assume that such after such offenses coming back to him is, to an even greater degree, all about us, as though he was indifferent or happy to let us leave. But even when we choose to wander the hound of heaven has our scent and is never far behind. He seeks us, not to penalize us, but to bring us back to his house of joy.
And if he finds it, amen, I say to you, he rejoices more over it
than over the ninety-nine that did not stray.
In just the same way, it is not the will of your heavenly Father
that one of these little ones be lost.
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