Matthew 18:2 — Community Reflections

MATTHEW 18:2 — KING JAMES VERSION 0

“And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them,”

And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them. The child called into the center of the disciples' conversation is the visual answer to the greatness question. The child placed in the middle — not pushed to the periphery — is the center of the kingdom's vision of greatness. The action precedes the words: Jesus shows the answer before he explains it.

Church Fathers on Matthew 18:2

The disciples seeing one piece of money paid both for Peter and the Lord, conceived from this equality of ransom that Peter was preferred before all the rest of the Apostles.
Jerome · 4th century

Thus they suffered a human passion, which the Evangelist denotes by saying, 'At the same time came the disciples to Jesus, saying, 'Who pray thee, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?' Ashamed to shew the feeling which was working within, they do not say openly, Why have you honoured Peter above us? but they ask in general, Who is the greatest! When in the transfiguration they saw three distinguished, namely, Peter, James, and John, they had no such feeling, but now that…
Chrysostom · 4th century

Herein we ought to be imitators of the disciples, that when any question of doubt arises among us, and we find not how to settle it, we should with one consent go to Jesus, Who is able to enlighten the hearts of men to the explication of every perplexity. We shall also consult some of the doctors, who are thought most eminent in the Churches. But in that they asked this question, the disciples knew that there was not an equality among the saints in the kingdom of heaven; what…
Origen · 3rd century

Read all 22 entries in the readerCatena Aurea · St. Thomas Aquinas, tr. J. H. Newman · public domain

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