The Meaning of Matthew 18: 3 You Haven't Heard

My wife taught me the meaning of Matthew 18: 3 today. "And he said, 'Amen, I am telling you, that if you do not go back and become like little children, you shall not enter the kingdom of heaven'" What does it mean to become like little children? Innocent? Trusting? Obedient? My wife said in a conversation with me, "My boss would love me."

We were talking about something entirely different, and my wife's boss is an old Muslim Indian woman. "You mean your big boss, Akbar?" I asked. "Any boss. All my bosses love me," she said. Suddenly I understood: all my wife's bosses have loved her because she is a perfectionist. She is super thorough. Honest. Accurate. Trustworthy. And a delightful personality. Her recommendation letters are through the roof. They glow in the drawer. And what I understood all of a sudden was that she does it all to be seen and loved by it.

I know from experience that little kids imagine others are watching them and are impressed by what they do. "Hey, mom and dad, look at me," he calls from the roof top. "What? You didn't see me catch that wave?" "I got an A!" The thing is, KIDS SEE WHAT THEY ARE GOING TO DO AS DONE AND EVERYONE ELSE IMPRESSED BY WHAT THEY DID.

And they are largely successful. Kingdom means power. If you see things like a kid sees what he or she is going to do, as though it were already completed and everyone impressed by your having done it, you will have the kingdom of heaven to help you. Jesus was telling them how to imagine. Imagine like a little child does: he saw himself up on the roof calling down to his mom and dad before he ever took a step up. "Boy, this is going to be great!"