Luke 9:48 - Printer Friendly

ESV: and said to them, "Whoever receives this child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me receives him who sent me. For he who is least among you all is the one who is great."

NIV: Then he said to them, "Whoever welcomes this little child in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. For it is the one who is least among you all who is the greatest."

NASB: and He said to them, 'Whoever receives this child in My name receives Me, and whoever receives Me receives Him who sent Me; for the one who is least among all of you, this is the one who is great.'

CSB: He told them, "Whoever welcomes this little child in my name welcomes me. And whoever welcomes me welcomes him who sent me. For whoever is least among you—this one is great."

NLT: Then he said to them, 'Anyone who welcomes a little child like this on my behalf welcomes me, and anyone who welcomes me also welcomes my Father who sent me. Whoever is the least among you is the greatest.'

KJV: And said unto them, Whosoever shall receive this child in my name receiveth me: and whosoever shall receive me receiveth him that sent me: for he that is least among you all, the same shall be great.

NKJV: and said to them, “Whoever receives this little child in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me receives Him who sent Me. For he who is least among you all will be great.”

Andrew and Peter are fishermen who own their own boats. James and John are their partners. Matthew was a tax collector. We don't know the jobs of the other disciples, but the fact they were able to leave their jobs suggests they were not lower-class slaves or laborers as many in the Roman Empire were. The disciples are roughly middle-class men looking forward to having positions of authority in the court of the renewed Jewish nation. Like many who see the promise of greater things on the horizon, they start preparing by considering where they stand now.

They accept that Jesus is the Messiah, and Jesus has affirmed their belief (Luke 9:18–20). Some of Jesus' teachings, however, create a mental disconnect such that their minds can't keep up. Several times, Jesus has warned them the religious leaders in Jerusalem are going to kill Him (Luke 9:44). And then, three days later, He's going to rise again (Luke 9:22). He's also told them that they must be willing to be crucified and lose their lives to save them (Luke 9:23–25).

Those words don't make any sense of their expectations. So, they cling to what they can understand: Jesus will be king, and they will reign with Him (Luke 22:30).

In response, Jesus gives more confusing words. To respect children is to respect Jesus. The least will be the greatest. It goes against everything the world tells them.

First, Jesus says that His disciples must "receive" a child. A child has no status or power. She cannot reciprocate honor or favors. Jesus' followers must be willing to accept and show hospitality to those who cannot repay. To do so is to accept and show hospitality to Jesus and, ultimately, God the Father (Matthew 25:31–40).

Second, Jesus' followers must endeavor to have the same status as a child. Matthew records, "Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 18:3–4). Jesus will demonstrate this attitude when He washes the disciple's feet (John 13:1–17). This is not a plea for blind faith, but a call to trust based on imperfect knowledge.

In this context, one's "name" wasn't sounds and syllables. One's "name" referred to their character, reputation, and authority. To receive a child "in Jesus' name" means to treat them as Jesus would: with benevolence and protection (Luke 17:2; 18:15–17). To emulate Jesus in this way demonstrates that the person is a follower of Christ. And since He does the work of His Father (John 14:10), it demonstrates that the person accepts His Father, as well.

This passage is a companion to Luke 9:23–27. In both cases, Jesus tells His disciples to reject what the world values for the sake of their future position in the kingdom of God. Here, it's worldly status and honor. In the earlier teaching, it's their lives.

Luke 9:46–48 describes the disciples learning more about following Jesus deeply. Jesus has twice revealed He will be killed (Luke 9:21–22, 44–45). At least once He told the disciples they will need to sacrifice if they want to be associated with Him (Luke 9:23–26). The disciples have missed the point and, instead, argue over personal glory and ranking. Jesus tells them that in God's kingdom, the one who is least is actually greatest. Jesus will have to readdress the issue right before the crucifixion (Luke 22:24–27). This story is also in Matthew 18:1–6 and Mark 9:33–37.

Luke 9 completes Jesus' Galilean ministry and begins describing His journey towards Jerusalem. Jesus gives His disciples miraculous power and commissions them to preach. The empowerment thrills the disciples but confuses Herod Antipas. A hungry crowd of thousands and hard teachings about following Jesus, however, shows the disciples' faith is short-lived. The transfiguration and the demonized boy precede stories of the disciples' continued confusion. They still struggle to accurately represent Jesus. Luke 9:51–62 begins the "travelogue" (Luke 9:51—19:27) with examples of the patience and sacrifice needed to represent Jesus as His followers.

Luke 9 straddles the two major sections biblical scholars call "Jesus' Galilean Ministry" (Luke 4:14—9:50) and "The Travelogue to Jerusalem" (Luke 9:51—19:27). The Galilean ministry alternates calls to discipleship with stories on Jesus' authority and teachings. The travelogue records what Jesus did and taught to prepare the disciples for His crucifixion. After a final group of stories on how to respond to Jesus (Luke 9:51—11:13) and several examples of how the Jewish religious leaders reject Jesus (Luke 11:14–54), Luke presents Jesus' teaching on the kingdom of God (Luke 12:1—19:27).