How We Treat Each Other Is How We Treat Jesus
Why our relationships with believers reflect our relationship with Christ.
Jesus said, “And whoever welcomes one child like this in my name welcomes me.”
The image is still fresh from the verses before … Jesus holding a child in the middle of the disciples. His point about humility hasn’t changed, but now He takes it further: the way we treat fellow believers is the way we treat Him.
Welcoming “One Child Like This”
The “child” here represents every Christian in God’s family. Scripture often refers to us as children of God (John 1:12; 1 John 3:1). We’ve been adopted into His household (Ephesians 1:5) and share in His inheritance (Romans 8:17).
The word “welcome” means to receive warmly, to treat as an honored guest, to accept with kindness (Romans 15:7). It’s not passive tolerance. It is active love.
When we welcome another brother or sister in the name of Jesus, we are welcoming them. On the other hand, to reject or mistreat them is to reject and mistreat Christ Himself.
Think Like a Parent
Parents know this instinctively. If someone mistreats your child, they’ve mistreated you. That’s how God feels about His children.
Acts 9 makes this clear. When Saul was persecuting Christians, Jesus confronted him on the road to Damascus and asked, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” (Acts 9:4). Saul hadn’t physically touched Jesus, but attacking His people was attacking Him.
Paul later echoed this in 1 Corinthians 8:12: “Now when you sin like this against brothers and sisters and wound their weak conscience, you are sinning against Christ.”
Bringing It Closer to Home
This means the words I speak, the tone I use, the assumptions I make—they’re not just about the person in front of me. They’re about Christ in them (Galatians 2:20).
If I speak harshly, I’ve spoken harshly to Christ.
If I treat someone with contempt, I’ve treated Christ with contempt (James 3:9–10).
If I honor and serve someone, I’ve honored and served Christ (Matthew 25:40).
The Power of Seeing Jesus in Each Other
Imagine the difference if we truly believed this:
Disagreements wouldn’t turn into personal attacks (Ephesians 4:29).
We’d be more patient with weaknesses (Colossians 3:12–13).
We’d speak with grace, seasoned with salt (Colossians 4:6).
We’d protect unity because we know it reflects the heart of Christ (John 17:21).
The call of Matthew 18:5 is life-changing but straightforward: see Jesus in your brother or sister, and treat them accordingly.
For Tuesday:
Jesus warns us not to be the cause of someone else stumbling. We’ll examine Matthew 18:6-9 to understand why protecting one another from sin is so serious in the kingdom of God.
