1. About that time the followers came to Jesus and asked, “Who is the greatest in God’s kingdom?”
2. Jesus called a little child to come to him. He stood the child in front of the followers.
3. Then he said, “The truth is, you must change your thinking and become like little children. If you don’t do this, you will never enter God’s kingdom.
4. The greatest person in God’s kingdom is the one who makes himself humble like this child.
5. “Whoever accepts a little child like this in my name is accepting me.
6. “If one of these little children believes in me, and someone causes that child to sin, it will be very bad for that person. It would be better for them to have a millstone tied around their neck and be drowned in the deep sea.
7. I feel sorry for the people in the world because of the things that make people sin. These things must happen, but it will be very bad for anyone who causes them to happen.
8. “If your hand or your foot makes you sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose part of your body and have eternal life than to have two hands and two feet and be thrown into the fire that burns forever.
9. If your eye makes you sin, take it out and throw it away. It is better for you to have only one eye and have eternal life than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell.
10. “Be careful. Don’t think these little children are not important. I tell you that these children have angels in heaven. And those angels are always with my Father in heaven.
12. “If a man has 100 sheep, but one of the sheep is lost, what will he do? He will leave the other 99 sheep on the hill and go look for the lost sheep. Right?
13. And if he finds the lost sheep, he is happier about that one sheep than about the 99 sheep that were never lost. I can assure you,