Matthew 18:4 (ASV)

Passage

Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

Nearby Context

Matthew 18:2 And he called to him a little child, and set him in the midst of them,

Matthew 18:3 and said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye turn, and become as little children, ye shall in no wise enter into the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 18:4 Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 18:5 And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me:

Matthew 18:6 But whoso shall cause one of these little ones that believe on me to stumble, it is profitable for him that a great millstone should be hanged about his neck, and [that] he should be sunk in the depth of the sea.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "whosoever", "therefore", "shall", "humble", "himself", "little", "child", and "same". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "whosoever" and "therefore", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 3's "and said Verily I say unto you..." into verse 5's "And whoso shall receive one such little...", so "whosoever" and "therefore" belong inside that flow. In Matthew context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "whosoever" and "therefore" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.