The Lenten Letting Go: Matthew 18:1-9 - Ash Wednesday

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The lust for greatness is something that is as old as humanity itself.

In the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve had paradise at their disposal. Yet all that meant nothing to them once they became consumed with desire for the one thing that had been denied them: the fruit from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, which they believed would make them like God.

In today’s Gospel, the disciples want to know: “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” Perhaps they believed that they were destined for eternal greatness, since they were his disciples, and everyone else was not.

Have you ever stopped to consider how much our world has to offer to promote the idea of your own greatness? Just about everything can be turned into a status symbol—from the house you live in, the car you drive, right on down to the coffee you drink and the cup you pour it in. Even though social media is marketed to us as a means of connecting people, most of the time it’s used by people who want others to know how great they are, and how exciting their lives are.

But Jesus turns the human idea of greatness upside down when he tells his disciples, “Unless you change and become humble, like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”

Even though children compete for greatness just like adults do, they know they are dependent on adults to care for them. At the same time, children suffer the consequences of our lust for personal greatness. Think of how many children are treated as extensions of their parents’ egos. Think of how many children lack the love and support not just of family members, but the community as well, because everyone is wrapped up in themselves.

When Jesus says to cut off your foot or tear out your eye if they cause you to sin, this is because the things which God has provided us for life—and for service of others—can quickly become implements of destruction. If being great is your number one goal, you can be certain that this will prove toxic to your relationships. Our consumer-driven, throw-away culture is a product of our quest for greatness—and look at what harm this is doing to our planet. Civilization cannot exist if everyone is looking out only for themselves. Society cannot hold itself together when the rich keep accumulating more and throwing more away, while more and more people lack even the basic necessities of life.

To be great within the kingdoms of this world means that others must not be great, be it morally, economically, socially, or spiritually.

We are all sinners—but some sins are treated worse than others. Greed is good if you can forcibly take what you want and get away with it. Any sin you commit in order to win may be socially if enough people are doing the same things. Other sins, and other sinners, are not so accepted and forgiven. In our world, you don’t have to do anything wrong to be treated as a nobody.

Shame is the problem here—that there is something about you which makes you unworthy of connection; unworthy of acceptance; unworthy of belonging. Personally, I think shame is one of the biggest reasons why people won’t come to church—because there’s something about you that you don’t want others to see or find out about. Ask random people why they don’t go to church, and I am sure most of them will say, “because Christians are so judgmental.” By the same token, one of the biggest reasons people will quit a church is because of conflicts and competitions over who has power and control. Over who is the greatest.

This Lent, I want to challenge you to think about the things you crave and cling to which you believe you must have to be somebody and live a happy life. The pursuit of greatness, power, and control always leads in the opposite direction of the kingdom of heaven.

But on that same token, it’s important for you to realize the role that shame has in how you see yourself. Have you ever thought about how much you do to seek others’ approval? How many things do you desire or acquire simply because others have them, and they appear to you as so happy and important?

No one should ever feel shame for not having the best stuff. No one should feel shame for being in need,
No one should be ashamed to need forgiveness, because we all need forgiveness.

The reason why is because Jesus Christ embraces you just as he embraces the little child in today’s Gospel. He didn’t ask questions about this child’s behavior or how he compares with other children. Honestly, we don’t even know if the child was a boy or a girl. What makes this child “great’ is that she receives the kingdom of heaven as a gift and doesn’t go chasing after other things she knows she cannot attain. She understands that she is fully and completely dependent.

The Kingdom of heaven is given through Christ’s sacrifice of himself on the cross. It cannot be earned or bought; it can only be received. The Lenten season is a time when we confess to God, to each other, and to ourselves how greatly we need what only Christ can give. It is also a time to recognize how much we need God’s help to cut off and throw away all the things that are toxic to our life in Christ.

I don’t care for the idea of “giving up something for Lent,” only because it puts so much emphasis on something I do. And then, when you slip up, just like you did with that new year’s resolution, you feel shame. Instead, let this time of Lent be a season of letting go so that you can take hold of the life Jesus gave up for you.

Let grow so you can become what you were created to be: a child of God, growing into the fullness of new life in Christ and Christ alone.