Friday, August 28, 2026

Opening Scripture

They came to Capernaum. When he was in the house, he asked them, “What were you arguing about on the road?” But they kept quiet because on the way they had argued about who was the greatest. Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, “Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all.” He took a little child whom he placed among them. Taking the child in his arms, he said to them, “Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me.” Mark 9:33-37

Opening Prayer

Most Merciful God, I confess that I have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed, by what I have done, and by what I have left undone. I have not loved you with my whole heart; I have not loved my neighbors as myself. I am truly sorry, and I humbly repent. For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ, have mercy on me and forgive me, that I may delight in your will and walk in your ways, to the glory of your name. Amen.

Daily Bible Reading

Matthew 18:10-14

“See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven. What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off? And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off. In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should perish.”

Reflection  

The encounter that contextualizes today’s passage starts at the beginning of the chapter. “At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, ‘Who, then, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?’ He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them.  And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven’” (Matthew 18:1-4).

At this point, the apostles are still expecting Jesus to reign over an earthly kingdom. Like most people in their sandals, they are speculating on which positions each of them might fill in the new administration. This competitive spirit seemed to simmer regularly among the disciples, occasionally boiling over into open discussion and debate.

A short time later, Jesus would tell them, “The greatest among you will be your servant. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted” (Matthew 23:11-12). This reflects the “inverted economy” in the Kingdom of God. First/Last. Greatest/Least. Pride/Humility. Leadership should always be understood as an opportunity to serve others.

In that setting – perhaps with the child still wrapped in His arms – Jesus goes on to say that anyone who welcomes a child in His name welcomes Him, but if anyone causes a child to sin, it would be better for that person to have a millstone tied around his neck and be drowned in the depths of the sea. Considering the horrific incidents of child abuse that sadly exist throughout our world, there should be a lot of guilty people drowning in the ocean!

Children are important to God, and they should be important to us. “See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven.” It may be that God has entrusted the care of little children to a specific group of angelic beings who are always in His presence. “Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?” (Hebrews 1:14).

Jesus reinforces his statement with an illustration. If a man owns a hundred sheep and discovers one of them missing, he will leave the ninety-nine to search for the lost one. When he finds it, in that moment, he rejoices more over the one who was rescued than the ninety-nine who were safe. Every individual is important to God. “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost” (Luke 19:10).

Flourishing Habit

Flourishing Christians

How should we respond when the innocent beauty of childhood is marred by Satan’s destructive evil? What should become of those who willfully injure God’s “little ones” by causing them to stumble and fall? Truly, it is an abomination to intentionally abuse a helpless child in any way.

It can be understood that this principle applies to all who are weak, vulnerable, or easily exploited. It is not merely a function of age, but of the capacity to understand and resist the cruel manipulation of an abuser.

We can rightly expand this notion to the scammers who trick unsuspecting senior adults out of their life savings. It includes the human traffickers who exploit desperate transients seeking safety. It encompasses anyone who manipulates others for their own wicked, sinful purposes.

Remember how James railed against this kind of abuse and how he warned the abusers. “Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.” The guilty need to engage in a time of remorseful confession, repentance, and restitution.

The Bible takes exploitation seriously. Exploiting others involves taking unlawful or unfair advantage of them for one’s own pleasure or benefit. Financially, physically, or emotionally – through deception, force, or power imbalance – exploitation rejects God’s loving character and righteous command to indulge sinful, human desire.

The practice of execution by tying a heavy millstone to a person’s neck and throwing them into the sea was, in some ways, a less painful form of death than other options, but it deprived the individual of any recovery or burial rites. It was a form of capital punishment occasionally used by the Greeks, Syrians, and Romans.

This stern word by Jesus implies that it would have been better for a person to have died before committing such a terrible sin. To injure or cause the weakest among us to stumble is indeed a most serious offense and will be punished accordingly. Followers of Jesus are called to defend widows and orphans and to watch out for the “least of these.”

Sometime later, Jesus told his followers this story. “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me’” (Matthew 25:34-40).

What is God impressing on your heart?

How will you respond?

This week’s collective prayer: Lord, I pray for lost friends, family members, and colleagues. May they hear Your call to salvation in fresh new ways this week and give their lives to Jesus. Amen.

You can do more than pray after you’ve prayed, but you can’t do more than pray until you’ve prayed!