Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”
In this verse Jesus reveals that humility is not only the condition for entering the kingdom of heaven, but also the only measure of being great there. He shows that the one who humbles himself in his heart like a child—renouncing the pursuit of superiority, self-assertion, and first place—is the one who is great in God’s eyes. Such humility does not allow a person to focus on his own merits, but opens him to God’s grace. This word confirms the general principle of the Gospel, according to which God opposes the proud but lifts up the humble, which is also clearly expressed in Matthew 23:12. In this way Jesus overturns their value system, showing that greatness in God’s kingdom is born from a humble heart, not from a high position.