Episode #14
The Greatest in the Kingdom: Humility, Discipleship, and the Call of Biblical Fatherhood
This teaching was from Father’s Day, 2026 at Mountain View Christian Church in Ashland Oregon. Matthew 18:1–14, Jesus answers one of the most revealing questions His disciples ever asked: “Who is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven?” What follows is not merely a lesson on humility—it is a foundational teaching on what it means to belong to the people of God. Jesus declares that greatness in His Kingdom begins with childlike humility and dependence upon the Father. Yet He quickly moves from humility to holiness, issuing some of the strongest warnings in all of Scripture about sin, stumbling, and the care of God’s people. His commands to cut off a hand or gouge out an eye are not calls to self-harm, but vivid illustrations of the ruthless seriousness with which disciples must deal with sin. Followers of Christ are called to wage war against anything that competes with their allegiance to Him. Why such strong language? Because sin is never isolated. It distorts what God created as good, damages relationships, fractures fellowship, corrupts our witness, and harms the very people Christ loves. Sin destroys trust, undermines humility, and threatens the unity and purity of the church. Jesus teaches that holiness is not optional for His people—it is central to life in the Kingdom. This teaching explores how the Holy Spirit lovingly confronts and convicts believers throughout the process of sanctification. The Christian life often involves receiving difficult but necessary “gut punches” from God’s Word as He exposes pride, selfishness, bitterness, hypocrisy, and hidden sin. Yet these convictions are expressions of God’s love, not His rejection. The Father disciplines those He loves and is committed to conforming His children into the image of Christ. Matthew 18 serves as a theological foundation for much of what the New Testament Epistles later unpack about the nature of the church. Humility, holiness, restoration, protection of the vulnerable, pursuit of wandering believers, accountability, and loving correction are all present in seed form within this chapter. Before Paul ever writes about the church as the Body of Christ, Jesus establishes what life within that body must look like. The teaching concludes by applying these truths to biblical fatherhood. If fathers are called to disciple their children, then they must first embrace the humility and holiness that Jesus commands. The goal of Christian fatherhood is not merely raising responsible adults, but raising humble men and women of God who know how to repent, trust Christ, pursue holiness, and depend upon Him for wisdom and strength. Fathers are called to shepherd the hearts entrusted to them, protecting them from stumbling, modeling repentance, and faithfully teaching the ways of God. Ultimately, Matthew 18 reminds us that greatness in God’s Kingdom is not measured by power, influence, or status. It is measured by humble dependence upon Christ, a relentless pursuit of holiness, sacrificial love for God’s people, and a heart that reflects the Father’s desire that not even one of His little ones should perish. Check out Jenna’s book on Spiritual Formation
