“Whosoever shall receive one of such children in my name, receiveth me: and whosoever shall receive me, receiveth not me, but him that sent me.”
My Notes
What Does Mark 9:37 Mean?
"Whosoever shall receive one of such children in my name, receiveth me: and whosoever shall receive me, receiveth not me, but him that sent me." Jesus creates a CHAIN of reception: receive a child → receive Me → receive the Father who sent Me. The chain has three links: child, Christ, God. The reception of the SMALLEST person (a child) connects to the reception of the GREATEST Person (God the Father) through the MEDIATOR (Christ). The child is the entry point to the chain. The Father is the destination.
The phrase "whosoever shall receive one of such children in my name" (hos an hen tōn toioutōn paidiōn dexētai epi tō onomati mou — whoever receives one of such children upon My name) establishes the ENTRY POINT: the chain begins with a CHILD. Not a king. Not a priest. Not a prophet. A child — the smallest, least powerful, least influential member of the community. The chain to God starts at the BOTTOM of the social ladder.
The extension — "whosoever shall receive me, receiveth not me, but him that sent me" (hos an eme dexētai, ouk eme dechetai alla ton aposteilanta me — whoever receives Me doesn't receive Me but the One who sent Me) — extends the chain to the FATHER: receiving Jesus isn't the endpoint. Receiving Jesus gives access to the SENDER — God the Father. The chain runs from the most vulnerable person in the room to the most powerful Person in the universe. The child opens the door to Christ who opens the door to God.
Reflection Questions
- 1.Who is the 'child' in your world — and does your reception of them connect to Christ?
- 2.What does the chain starting with a CHILD (not a king) teach about where access to God begins?
- 3.How does 'receiving Me receiveth the Father' make every reception of Christ an encounter with God?
- 4.What would treating every welcomed child as a link in the chain to the Father look like practically?
Devotional
Receive a child → receive Me. Receive Me → receive the Father. The chain runs from the smallest person in the room to the greatest Person in the universe. Three links. One chain. And the FIRST link is a child. The entry point to God runs through the most vulnerable.
The 'one of such children in my name' is the STARTING POINT nobody expects: the chain to God doesn't start with spiritual achievement. It starts with RECEIVING A CHILD. The qualification for connecting to the divine chain is welcoming the SMALLEST. Not impressing the greatest. Not performing for the powerful. Welcoming the weak. The entry point to the chain is at the bottom, not the top.
The 'receiveth me' makes the child-reception CHRISTOLOGICAL: when you receive the child, you receive CHRIST. Not symbolically. Not metaphorically. The child and Christ are connected. The welcome extended to the smallest is the welcome received by the Savior. The hospitality given to the powerless reaches the all-powerful. The connection is REAL — as real as the child standing in the room.
The 'receiveth not me, but him that sent me' extends the chain to its ULTIMATE destination: the chain doesn't stop at Christ. It reaches through Christ to the FATHER. The one who sent Jesus — God the Father — is the FINAL recipient of the welcome that started with a child. The chain covers the entire distance from the most vulnerable to the most sovereign. And the child is the first link.
Who is the 'child' in your world — and does your reception of them connect the chain to Christ and to the Father?
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
Whosoever shall receive one of such children,.... That is, any believer, who is like to such a child for humility,…
Here, I. Christ foretels his own approaching sufferings. He passed through Galilee with more expedition than usual, and…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture