And whoever welcomes a little child like this in My name welcomes Me.
Parallel translations
- WEB Whoever receives one such little child in my name receives me,
- KJV And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me.
- NKJV Whoever receives one little child like this in My name receives Me.
- NASB And whoever receives one such child in My name, receives Me;
- NLT “And anyone who welcomes a little child like this on my behalf is welcoming me.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
To welcome one such humble child in Jesus' name is to welcome Jesus himself. How we treat the lowly reflects our reception of Christ.
Overview
Receiving a child, or a humble believer represented by the child, is to receive Jesus, who identifies with the lowly. This raises care for the insignificant to an act done to Christ (compare Matthew 25:40). It calls the community to honor those the world overlooks.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 9
- Matt 25:40And the King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of Mine, you did for Me.’
- John 13:20Truly, truly, I tell you, whoever receives the one I send receives Me, and whoever receives Me receives the One who sent Me.”
- Mark 9:37“Whoever welcomes one of these little children in My name welcomes Me, and whoever welcomes Me welcomes not only Me, but the One who sent Me.”
- Gal 4:14And although my illness was a trial to you, you did not despise or reject me. Instead, you welcomed me as if I were an angel of God, as if I were Christ Jesus Himself.
- Luke 9:48And He said to them, “Whoever welcomes this little child in My name welcomes Me, and whoever welcomes Me welcomes the One who sent Me. For whoever is the least among all of you, he is the greatest.”
- Luke 17:1–2Jesus said to His disciples, “It is inevitable that stumbling blocks will come, but woe to the one through whom they come!
- Matt 10:40–42He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives the One who sent Me.
- Matt 25:45Then the King will answer, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for Me.’
- Mark 9:41Indeed, if anyone gives you even a cup of water because you bear the name of Christ, truly I tell you, he will never lose his reward.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Commentaries & study tools
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Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
Matthew presents Jesus as the promised King — son of David, son of Abraham — the new Moses and true Israel in whom every prophecy reaches 'that it might be fulfilled.'
How Matthew 18:5 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.