Matthew 18: Kingdom values, esp. Forgiveness

• v.1-5 The Greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven
• v.6-9 Causing to Stumble
• v.10-14 The Parable of the Wandering Sheep
• v.15-20 Dealing with Sin in the Church
• v.21-25 The Parable of the Unmerciful Servant

v.1-5 The Greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven

v.1 At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who, then, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”

v.2 He called a little child to him and placed the child among them.

v.3 And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

v.4 Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

v.5 And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.

[Note: The disciples ask about seniority in the kingdom. Jesus took a small child as an example and taught unless you become childlike you can’t enter the kingdom, therefore, step down and become great; welcoming such a one, welcomes me.]

v.6-9 Causing to Stumble

v.6 “If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.

v.7 Woe to the world because of the things that cause people to stumble! Such things must come, but woe to the person through whom they come!

v.8 If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life maimed or crippled than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into eternal fire.

v.9 And if your eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell.

[Note: He continued to teach, if anyone hinders these little ones from knowing me, they’ll be in big trouble. You’d do better to cut off part of your life than stumble and be excluded from God’s kingdom. Seriously, chop it off, cut it out!]

v.10-14 The Parable of the Wandering Sheep

v.10 “See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven.

v.12 “What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off?

v.13 And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off.

v.14 In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should perish.

[Note: Don’t despise the young in faith, God loves them. Consider a shepherd who loses one sheep, won’t he go off looking for that lost one, and when he finds it, what rejoicing! Similarly my Father wants none of these lost.]

v.15-20 Dealing with Sin in the Church

v.15 “If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over.

v.16 But if they will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’

v.17 If they still refuse to listen, tell it to the church; and if they refuse to listen even to the church, treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector.

v.18 “Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.

v.19 “Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven.

v.20 For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.”

[Note: Look, if someone close to you sins, just go by yourself and talk to them about it. If they won’t listen, take along one or two others – you know the law about two witnesses. [Deut. 19:15]. If they still refuse, tell the church so if they then continue, they can be put out. As God’s servants you have authority to bind or loose as He leads you because that will then mean you’re only doing what heaven already dictates. If two of you agree in the Spirit, it will be done by heaven for two or three coming in my name mean I’ll be there.]

v.21-25 All about Forgiveness: the Parable of the Unmerciful Servant

v.21,22 Peter asks about forgiveness

v.21 Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?”

v.22 Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.

[Note: Peter asked how many times he needed to forgive someone? So many times, you stop counting!]

v.23-27 Jesus tells of the unforgiving servant

v.23 “Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants.

v.24 As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand bags of gold was brought to him.

v.25 Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt.

v.26 “At this the servant fell on his knees before him. ‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’

v.27 The servant’s master took pity on him, cancelled the debt and let him go.

[Note: Think of it like a king who needed to settle accounts. A man with a big debt comes to him and he’s going to be punished because he can’t pay. He begs for mercy, so the king cancels the debt.]

v.28-30 The man does not follow suit

v.28 “But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred silver coins. He grabbed him and began to choke him. ‘Pay back what you owe me!’ he demanded.

v.29 “His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay it back.’

v.30 “But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt.

[Note: But now that man finds another who owes him and treats him harshly; the man pleads with him, but he is merciless.]

v.31-35 Repercussions!

v.31 When the other servants saw what had happened, they were outraged and went and told their master everything that had happened.

v.32 “Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I cancelled all that debt of yours because you begged me to.

v.33 Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’

v.34 In anger his master handed him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.

v.35 “This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart.”

[Note: So word gets back to the king, the master, who confronts him. You should have been merciful as I was to you. So he has him thrown into jail. Get the message?]

For those who may wish to make a study of this chapter, to perhaps think some more about what you have been reading, use the link below: