Matthew 18:3
“And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.”
King James Version (KJV)
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Jesus speaks this in response to the disciples' question about who is greatest in the kingdom, redefining greatness through the image of a child.
What Does Matthew 18:3 Mean?
Jesus declares that entering the kingdom of heaven requires becoming like a little child. The disciples had been arguing about who would be greatest, and Jesus answers by setting a child before them and overturning their measure of greatness. To "be converted" means to turn -- a reorientation of the whole self away from the grasping for status the disciples had displayed. To "become as little children" points to the qualities a child naturally embodies: humility, dependence, trust, and a lack of pretension. A small child does not earn a place in the family but receives it; does not boast of rank but simply trusts. Jesus says this childlike posture is the very door into the kingdom. The contrast with the disciples' ambition is sharp. The kingdom does not reward the proud and self-important; it welcomes those who come humbly, ready to depend on God rather than on their own standing. This is a call to lay down the adult instinct to compete and prove ourselves, and to receive God's kingdom with the open, trusting heart of a child.
In the Original Language
The Greek strepho ("be converted") means to turn around; paidion refers to a young child, evoking humble dependence.
Cross References
“Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein.”
- Mark 10:15
“Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”
- Matthew 18:4
“As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:”
- 1 Peter 2:2
Application
Lay down the instinct to compete and prove yourself, and come to God with the humble, trusting heart of a child.