2. He commends a childlike disposition and warns us against scandalizing little ones.
[Mat. 18, 1 — 10. Mark 9, 32 — 36. Luke 9, 46 — 48.]
He said to those who stood around[1]: “Amen, I say unto you, unless you become as little children[2], you shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. He that shall receive[3] one such little child in My name, receiveth Me[4]. But he that shall scandalize[5] one of these little ones that believe in Me, it were better[6] for him that a mill-stone should be hanged about his neck, and that he should be drowned in the depth of the sea. See that you despise not[7] one of these little ones; for I say to you that
- ↑ To those around. Returning to Capharnaum the apostles, as they walked along, had disputed among themselves as to who should be the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Very likely the choice of Peter to be the rock of the Church, and the preference shown to him and to James and John, had given rise to this strife of words. Jesus, knowing their thoughts, had called the twelve to him and said : “If any man desire to be first, he shall be the last of all and the servant of all.” Then, calling to Him a little child, He set him in the midst of the apostles, and spoke the words we have just read: “Amen, I say to you, unless you become as little children” &c.
- ↑ As little children, i. e. candid, unassuming, humble. The sight of the little child gave our Lord the opportunity of commending to them all children and childlike people.
- ↑ Receive. Whoever shall minister to the wants of his soul and body.
- ↑ Receiveth Me. It will be counted to him as if he had ministered to Me.
- ↑ Scandalize. Shall rob him of innocence and faith by precept or bad example.
- ↑ It were better. It would have been better for such an one to have died the most miserable death rather than to have drawn on himself everlasting punishment by reason of giving scandal. “Woe to the world because of scandals”, our Lord goes on to say, “for it must needs be that scandals come (the world being so corrupt, and man having free will, scandals will never quite cease on earth), but nevertheless woe to that man by whom the scandal cometh. And if thy hand or thy foot scandalize thee, cut it off and cast it from thee. It is better for thee to go into life maimed or lame, than having two hands or two feet to be cast into everlasting fire. And if thy eye scandalize thee, pluck it out and cast it from thee. It is better for thee having one eye to enter into life, than having two eyes to be cast into hell-fire.” This means that if anything, be it friendship, pursuit, or amusement, induces you to sin, you are to have nothing more to do with it, never mind how dear it may be to you, or how much the parting from it may cost you. It is better for you to be maimed, i. e. to renounce something dear to you on earth, and reach heaven, than to enjoy everything here and be eternally lost. It stands to reason, however, that there will really be no mutilation in heaven.
- ↑ Despise not. Our Lord returns to the subject of the child. Not only are these little ones not to be scandalized, but they are not even to be despised, as if they were not worth caring for or tending.
