Matthew 18:2

2 Jesus called a little child to him and stood the child before his followers.

Matthew 18:2 Meaning and Commentary

Matthew 18:2

And Jesus called a little child unto him
One, very likely, that was in the house, and might belong to the master of it, and which was big enough to come to him at his call. Some have thought that this was Ignatius the martyr, but without any foundation. His own words, in his epistle to the church at Smyrna {y}, can give no countenance to it; where he says, "for I also know, that after his resurrection he was in the flesh, and I believe that he is." The Latin version indeed renders it thus; "for I also saw him in the flesh after the resurrection, and believe that he exists." But it does not follow from hence that he must be this child, but rather the contrary; since it cannot be thought, that a child so young as this, in half a year after, had it seen Christ, when risen from the dead, could have took so much notice of him, as this version represents Ignatius to do; but it matters not who it was; Christ designed, by this emblem, to give them his sense of the question, and convey some proper instruction to the minds of his disciples:

and set him in the midst of them;
that everyone might see him; and upon the very sight of him, had he said no more to them, they might easily have perceived what was his opinion; that he that was but a child, the most humble, and least in his own eyes, would be the greatest: but besides setting the child in such a situation, he pointed to him, saying what follows.

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FOOTNOTES:

F25 p. 3. Ed. Voss.

Matthew 18:2 In-Context

1 At that time the followers came to Jesus and asked, "Who is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?"

2 Jesus called a little child to him and stood the child before his followers.

3 Then he said, "I tell you the truth, you must change and become like little children. Otherwise, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

4 The greatest person in the kingdom of heaven is the one who makes himself humble like this child.

5 "Whoever accepts a child in my name accepts me.