At that time the disciples came to Jesus and said, “Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” And He called a child to Himself and set him before them, and said, “Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever then humbles himself as this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 18:1-4, NASB95)
Jesus knew the kind of answer His disciples were seeking. They likely wanted Jesus to name one of them. Their question exposed their pride, a flaw that would have excluded them from the kingdom of heaven altogether.
Jesus answered their question by identifying and correcting the attitude that produced it. Rather than naming one of them, Jesus told them they all needed to be converted, or turned. They were thinking in the wrong direction. If their goal was greatness in the kingdom of heaven, they needed to think in the opposite direction. To become great, they needed to release their desire for status.
Philippians 2:5-11 discusses the humility Jesus commanded. It is the humility Jesus displayed when He let go of equality with God to live a human life obediently to the Father. His magnificent humility resulted in His eternal exaltation by the Father. Jesus wants every Christian to be exalted by the Father, so He commands every Christian to humble themselves as He did.
Let us not forget this instruction today. Let us not seek status and recognition for our piety but instead be obedient to God because we are His children, and He is our Father. Be content with entrance into the kingdom of heaven and seek only to please your Father for His glory.