Matthew 18:1-6 — At the same time came the disciples unto Jesus, saying, Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them, and said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me. But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.

Tomorrow is the first Sunday in Advent, and in my quiet time this morning this passage caught my eye. It’s one I think about from time to time, and I keep seeing more.
I think I have written before that there are three characteristics of a little child which are amongst the qualifications for entering the kingdom of heaven. The child is unthinkingly dependent on its parents. There is no thought of any other provider. The child is unthinkingly trusting of its parents. There is no expectation of anything but good. The child is unthinkingly humble. There is no thought of “my place”.
The disciples bickering about place, and their question about who would be greatest in the kingdom of heaven made it clear that they were not ready for their entry, and Jesus’s rebuke was sharp.
How then should the the disciples, and we, prepare? How do we become like little children? The answer is in Jesus’s words. “Unless ye be converted.” The word given as “converted” might be translated as “turned back”. The idea is that we need to be stripped of everything that we have acquired in our journey to adulthood. If we have knowledge, wisdom, experience … and especially if we have status, or mistrust or expectations … we need to let go of them. All those things will be obstacles to our entry into the kingdom.
So what’s the connection to Advent? Advent is when we prepare our hearts to remember the birth of Jesus. His is the perfect example of “humbling himself as a little child”. Jesus laid aside his position, and became humble, trusting and dependent. Following His example is part of our identification with Him. We are to be conformed to His image — “He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.” (1 John 2:6)