48 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 he who is least among you all—he is the greatest.”
There is a connection between honoring Jesus and honoring God the Father. That cascade is spoken of here. The honor given to the small child is passed on to Jesus and then passed on to the Father. The reverse is also true. If we don’t welcome the child, we are not welcoming Jesus or the Father. But there is also a wonderful truth about Jesus here that might be overlooked. Jesus says that someone sent Him. We could just run right past this phrase, but that would be a mistake. Jesus knows who He is and that His existence did not begin with His birth in Bethlehem. Since He is Eternal God, He knows His mission. He also knows that He will return to the place from which He came. Knowing our origins and our destiny can provide a perfect guidance system in life. Knowing that we are sinners because of Adam & Eve’s rebellion, and knowing that because we are trusting in the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross we are bound for heaven, then we can keep on the straight line toward our goal. Picture it this way. If a string represents our life and we don’t know either where we came from or where we are going, the sting can twist and turn in any direction. If we know our past, it then acts as an anchor point for one end of the string. This provides at least a straight line for our life. However, we can still spin around in circles as our life pivots around our past. If we are always looking backward at our past, we will simply continue to circle it, not really going anywhere. If we also know our future, then the additional anchor point gives us a clear, straight path for life. Jesus knew where He was from and His ultimate destiny. Do you? If your life seems to be moving in multiple directions, it could be that you are uncertain about either your past or your future.
The Arnold Journey 