TRANSLATION MATTHEW 18

At that time his pupils came to Jesus, asking, ” So who is the greatest in the the Rule of Heaven?” He called to a child and and set her amongst them, and said,”Amen, I tell you , if you don’t turn about and become like children, you will not enter into the Rule of Heaven. Whoever makes himself as small as this child, that one is the greatest in the Rule of Heaven. And whoever opens himself to one such child in my name, opens himself to me.”

A number of vivid texts are witness to Jesus’ love of children: he didn’t think they were innocent or cute, but rather he admired their ability to live without rights or status. He also it appears was happy to use them for pedagogical purposes. In the Jesus’ tradition there is an overlap between “little ones” = children and ‘little ones” = humble followers. Both meanings are important although there are various interpretations of individual texts.

Mark and Luke show the disciples arguing about which of them should be greatest, but there is no definite indication of this here. Becoming like children is clearly a fundamental reorientation of life, because it involves surrendering adult rights, trusting Jesus and the Father in heaven. It is the equivalent – and perhaps the source- of John’s Gospel’s “being born again or from above.”

The encouragement to welcome children uses a verb whose primary meaning is ‘opening’, indicating a personal readiness for the child; hence my translation.