Matthew 18:5 (DRB)

Passage

And he that shall receive one such little child in my name, receiveth me.

Nearby Context

Matthew 18:3 And said: amen I say to you, unless you be converted, and become as little children, you shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.

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

Matthew 18:5 And he that shall receive one such little child in my name, receiveth me.

Matthew 18:6 But he that shall scandalize one of these little ones that believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone should be hanged about his neck, and that he should be drowned in the depth of the sea.

Matthew 18:7 Woe to the world because of scandals. For it must needs be that scandals come: but nevertheless woe to that man by whom the scandal cometh.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "shall", "receive", "such", "little", "child", "name", and "receiveth". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "shall" and "receive", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 4's "Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this..." into verse 6's "But he that shall scandalize one of...", so "shall" and "receive" 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 "shall" and "receive" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.