在我們家附近有一個知名的花園，我們經常帶著我們照顧的一個小男孩去那裡散步。在這個花園裡，他最喜歡的地方是兒童花園。那裡的入口是一道小小的門，大小剛好可以讓他輕鬆地通過，但我卻得蹲下身來才能勉強通過。每當我蹲下來、扭動著身體穿過小門去追他時，他就會開心大笑。

那一道小小的門讓我想起，耶穌在馬太福音18章裡給我們的教導。那時，耶穌叫一個小孩到祂身邊，告訴門徒要變成小孩子的樣式才能進入天國（2-3節）。在耶穌那個時代，以小孩子作為榜樣是一個大膽的舉動，因為當時小孩子是不重要且常被人忽略的，他們的意見與想法並不像現今那樣受到重視。耶穌藉此凸顯人類的本性，我們會渴望受人關注，並追求權力與影響力。

當然，耶穌並不是要求門徒變回小孩子，而是指出那些服事祂的人身上應具備的特質。其中最重要的特質就是謙卑，就是要「謙卑像這小孩子」（4節），並且服事別人。

花園裡的那道小門提醒我們，謙卑並不是我們的本性，但卻是基督徒應該活出的特質。我們要效法救主，祂已為這種謙卑的生命做了最好的示範，「放棄了自己神聖的特權，取了奴僕卑微的身分」（腓立比書2章7節，新普及譯本）。

Near our home is a famous garden where we often take walks with a young boy our family cares for. His favorite area is the Children’s Garden, which has a small door large enough for him to run through but small enough to force me to crouch. He laughs as I drop to my knees and wiggle through the small opening to chase him.

The small garden gate reminds me of Jesus’ object lesson in Matthew 18, where He calls a little child to His side to explain the type of person who will enter the kingdom of heaven (v. 2). It was a bold example, for in Christ’s day to be a child was to be inconsequential and overlooked. Unlike today, their opinions and desires didn’t matter. Jesus uses this description to highlight our human tendency to be noticed and seek power and influence. 

Of course, Jesus wasn’t asking His disciples to become children again but rather pointing to the traits that mark those who serve him. The biggest marker is humility—the person who “takes the lowly position” (v. 4) and serves others. 

The small garden door is a reminder that humility doesn’t come naturally to us. Believers in Jesus, however, are to be this way. We’re to follow our Savior, who modeled this way of living by making “himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant” (Philippians 2:7).