Chapter 18 of Matthew is often referred to as the Church Order as it collects Jesus’ teaching on how the believing community should deal with one another. The discourse begins with a warning that greatness in the Kingdom of heaven is measured not by rank or power but by humility and service that welcomes the little ones. This is shown by the care of the disciples not to cause scandal, that is, to cause others to lose their faith in Jesus. Divisions among the believers, immorality, and disrespecting the poor are among actions that scandalize. The second challenge for the community is to take care of members who go astray. This is taught by Jesus in the parable of the Lost Sheep (Lk 15 has the additional parable of the Lost Coin and the parable of the Lost/ Prodigal Son). The model of this is Jesus who presents himself as the Good Shepherd (Jn 10). Pope Francis says that “in Jesus’ vision there are no sheep that are definitively lost, but only sheep that must be found again... to God no one is definitively lost. Never! To the last moment, God is searching for us... No distance can keep the shepherd away; and no flock can renounce a brother. To find the one who is lost is the joy of the shepherd and of God, but it is also the joy of the flock as a whole! We are all sheep who have been retrieved and brought back by the mercy of the Lord, and we are called to gather the whole flock to the Lord” (General Audience, 4 May 2016).

The disciples approached Jesus and said, “Who is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven?” He called a child over, placed it in their midst, and said, “Amen, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will not enter the Kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven. And whoever receives one child such as this in my name receives me.

“See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that their angels in heaven always look upon the face of my heavenly Father. What is your opinion? If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them goes astray, will he not leave the ninety-nine in the hills and go in search of the stray? And if he finds it, amen, I say to you, he rejoices more over it than over the ninety-nine that did not stray. In just the same way, it is not the will of your heavenly Father that one of these little ones be lost.”