John the Baptist, who was in prison, heard about all the things the Messiah was doing. So he sent his disciples to ask Jesus, “Are you the Messiah we’ve been expecting, or should we keep looking for someone else?”Jesus told them, “Go back to John and tell him what you have heard and seen—the blind see, the lame walk, those with leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised to life, and the Good News is being preached to the poor.” And he added, “God blesses those who do not fall away because of me.”As John’s disciples were leaving, Jesus began talking about him to the crowds. “What kind of man did you go into the wilderness to see? Was he a weak reed, swayed by every breath of wind? Or were you expecting to see a man dressed in expensive clothes? No, people with expensive clothes live in palaces. Were you looking for a prophet? Yes, and he is more than a prophet. John is the man to whom the Scriptures refer when they say,‘Look, I am sending my messenger ahead of you,and he will prepare your way before you.’“I tell you the truth, of all who have ever lived, none is greater than John the Baptist. Yet even the least person in the Kingdom of Heaven is greater than he is!” (Matthew 11:2–11 NLT)
When Jesus describes John the Baptist, he says there are none who have lived who are greater than him, but he is still not as great as “the least person in the Kingdom of Heaven.” In another interaction with his disciples only seven chapters later, Jesus elaborates on what it means to be considered great in the Kingdom of Heaven: “Jesus called a little child to him and put the child among them. Then he said, ‘I tell you the truth, unless you turn from your sins and become like little children, you will never get into the Kingdom of Heaven. So anyone who becomes as humble as this little child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven’” (Matthew 18:2–4).
In a sermon he preached back in 2001, Tim Keller describes the cross as an object that turns us into little children who run into our Father’s loving arms because of what Jesus has done. Keller says you need to “not just know that Jesus died to pay your debt, but you have to rely completely on what he’s done, and not on yourself, not on anything you’ve done. You have to rely completely on him.”
To be great in the Kingdom of Heaven is to be humble enough to recognize our utter dependence on God that we submit to his authority over us, allowing him, through the Holy Spirit, to lead us in our daily lives.
It is not enough just to recognize God’s reign; the most rebellious child still recognizes their parents are in charge, even as they lash out against them. We must also submit to God’s authority and allow him to direct our path.
For most of us who were raised in our individualistic Western culture, it can take real inner work to reject the impulse to let someone else – even God – dictate our choices in life. But this is what it means to follow Jesus: recognizing that we are to be like children and allowing our Father to guide our steps.
Do you allow the Holy Spirit to guide your steps as you go through your day, even when he directs you to do something you don’t want to? The next time that rebellious nature makes itself known when God directs you somewhere, take a moment to acknowledge to God how you are reacting, invite him to take your hand, like a child being led by their Father, and allow him to lead you gently, trusting that he will always be right beside you.