Jesus teaches his disciples 

In Matthew 18:1-5 Jesus’ disciples ask him “who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 18:1). They were asking who is the most deserving to be there and the most honored. Who is the most loved by God? Jesus, who sees beyond what people do or ask to the heart of a person rebukes his disciples for asking how to become the greatest and says that wanting to be the greatest is misguided thinking.

Then, “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” (Matthew 18:2-3). Jesus says, that “whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven; and whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me” (Matthew 18:4-5).

Jesus says what a child represents in the kingdom of God: the heart that God requires of people who believe in him. Someone who is willing to do, like Jesus, what their father requires, someone who has faith in God to be their father to care for them, provide for them and who believes what he has promised. 

God promises salvation through Jesus

Ezekiel 16:59-63 shares what God has promised to people who have this kind of faith, that although people turn their back on God and reject him, God will not condemn people who return and have faith in him. God says, “I will deal with you as you deserve” (Ezekiel 16:59). People who despise and reject God will not receive his promise but because he is faithful he says that he will remember his promise to save the unfaithful (if they turn believe, if they become like little children) (Ezekiel 16:60).

Through his word and through the covenant sacrifice that Jesus made, God promises to “make atonement for all you have done” (Ezekiel 16:63). The greatness of God’s mercy is shown to the unfaithful through this promise and he says that those that do return will see how merciful he is and they will be ashamed for having ever rejected his love and salvation (Ezekiel 16:60-62). 

Jesus explains God’s promise  

Jesus uses a parable in Matthew 25:31-46 to explain the nature of God’s promise more clearly to those who are blind to it and reject him, so that they will understand and believe. Jesus says, 

“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 

He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. 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 ill 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 ill 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.” 

Then he will say to those on his left, “Depart from me, you who are cursed into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was ill and in prison and you did not look after me.”

They also will answer, “Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or ill or in prison, and did not help you?”

He will reply, “Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.” Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life. 

Jesus is God’s will fulfilled 

God’s message of salvation and reconciliation has faced rejection before our time and in Acts 13:16-41 Paul is explaining to believers and unbelievers who God is, how he has been faithful to people who put their faith in him to care for them and to keep his promise and that Jesus, God’s promise of salvation, removes the curse of condemnation and makes righteous before God everyone who has faith in Jesus. 

Paul says, “Fellow Israelites and you Gentiles who worship God, listen to me! The God of the people of Israel chose our ancestors; he made the people prosper during their stay in Egypt; with mighty power he led them out of that country; for about forty years he cared for them in the wilderness and he overthrew seven nations in Canaan, giving their land to his people as their inheritance. All this took about 450 years. 

After this, God gave them judges until the time of Samuel the prophet. Then the people asked for a king, and he gave them Saul son of Kish, of the tribe of Benjamin, who ruled for forty years. After removing Saul, he made David their king. God testified concerning him (David): “I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do.” 

From this man’s descendants God has brought to Israel the Savior Jesus, as he promised. Before the coming of Jesus, John preached repentance and baptism to all the people of Israel. As John was completing his work, he said: “Who do you suppose I am? I am not the one you are looking for. But there is one coming after me whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.” 

Fellow children of Abraham and you God-fearing Gentiles, it is to us that this message of salvation has been sent. The people of Jerusalem and their rulers did not recognize Jesus, yet in condemning him they fulfilled the words of the prophets that are read every Sabbath. Though they found no proper ground for a death sentence, they asked Pilate to have him executed. When they had carried out all that was written about him, they took him down from the cross and laid him in a tomb. But God raised him from the dead, and for many days he was seen by those who had travelled with him from Galilee to Jerusalem. They are now his witnesses to our people. 

We tell you the good news: what God promised our ancestors he has fulfilled for us, their children, by raising up Jesus. As it is written in the second Psalm: “You are my son; today I have become your father” (Psalms 2:7). God raised him from the dead so that he will never be subject to decay. As God has said, “I will give you the holy and sure blessings promised to David” (Isaiah 55:3). So it is also stated elsewhere: “You will not let your holy one see decay” (Psalms 16:10). 

Now when David had served God’s purpose in his own generation, he fell asleep; he was buried with his ancestors and his body decayed. But the one whom God raised from the dead did not see decay. 

Therefore, my friends, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. Through him everyone who believes is set free from every sin, a justification you were not able to obtain under the law of Moses. Take care that what the prophets have said does not happen to you: 

“Look, you scoffers, wonder and perish, for I am going to do something in your days that you would never believe even if someone told you” (Habakkuk 1:5) (Acts 13:16-41). 

Jesus is God’s love. 

“Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the Father’s love is not in them. For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever” (1 John 2:15-17). 

Prayer: John 17:20-26

Jesus prays for all believers

“My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 

I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one—I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. 

Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world. 

Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. I have made your name known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them.”