Matthew 18:16 | 1735
17:27 y Jn 6:61
18:3 z Mt 19:14 ; 1Pe 2:2 a Mt 3:2
18:4 b Mk 9:35 18:5 c Mt 10:40
18:6 d Mk 9:42 ; Lk 17:2
18:7 e Lk 17:1
18:8 f Mt 5:29 ; Mk 9:43 , 45
18:9 g Mt 5:29 h Mt 5:22
18:10 i Ge 48:16 ; Ps 34:7 ; Ac 12:11 , 15 ;
Heb 1:14
18:15 j Lev 19:17 ; Lk 17:3 ; Gal 6:1 ;
Jas 5:19 , 20 offense , y go to the lake and throw out your line . Take the first fish you catch ; open its mouth and you will find a four-drachma coin . Take it and give it to them for my tax and yours .”
The Greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven
18:1-5pp — Mk 9:33-37 ; Lk 9:46-48
18
At that time the dis ci ples came to Jesus and asked , “ Who , then , is the great est in the kingdom of heaven ?”
2 He called a lit tle child to him , and placed the child among them . 3 And he said : “ Truly I tell you , un less you change and be come like lit tle chil dren , z you will never en ter the kingdom of heaven . a 4 There fore , who ever takes the lowly po si tion of this child is the great est in the king dom of heaven . b 5 And who ever wel comes one such child in my name wel comes me . c
Causing to Stumble
6 “ If any one causes one of these lit tle ones — those who be lieve in me — to stum ble , it would be bet ter for them to have a large mill stone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea . d 7 Woe to the world be cause of the things that cause peo ple to stum ble ! Such things must come , but woe to the per son through whom they come ! e 8 If your hand or your foot causes you to stum ble , f cut it off and throw it away . It is bet ter for you to en ter life maimed or crip pled than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into eternal fire . 9 And if your eye causes you to stum ble , g gouge it out and throw it away . It is bet ter for you to en ter life with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell . h
without financially inconveniencing the Twelve . fish . Greek ichthys . This particular fish found in the Sea of Galilee frequently scoops up objects fallen on the lake bed . People have caught fish with coins in their mouths in this lake even in modern times . four-drachma coin . See note on v . 24 . It could pay the tax for both Jesus and Peter .
The Parable of the Wandering Sheep
18:12-14pp — Lk 15:4-7
10 “ See that you do not de spise one of these lit tle ones . For I tell you that their an gels i in heaven al ways see the face of my Fa ther in heaven . [ 11 ] a
12 “ What do you think ? If a man owns a hun dred sheep , and one of them wan ders away , will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wan dered off ? 13 And if he finds it , truly I tell you , he is hap pier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wan der off . 14 In the same way your Fa ther in heaven is not will ing that any of these lit tle ones should per ish .
Dealing With Sin in the Church
15 “ If your brother or sis ter b sins , c go and point out their fault , j just be tween the two of you . If they lis ten to you , you have won them over . 16 But if they will not lis ten , take one
a 11 Some manuscripts include here the words of Luke 19:10 . b 15 The Greek word for brother or sister ( adelphos ) refers here to a fellow disciple , whether man or woman ; also in verses 21 and 35 . c 15 Some manuscripts sins against you
18:1 – 35 Sermon on Humility and Forgiveness . The fourth major block of Jesus ’ teaching ( after chs . 5 – 7 ; 10:5 – 42 ; 13:1 – 52 ). Verses 1 – 14 show the lengths to which God humbles himself to save the lost , while vv . 15 – 35 define the extent to which we should humble ourselves to forgive others . 18:1 – 14 Those who would “ enter the kingdom ” ( v . 3 ) must exercise childlike humility ( vv . 1 – 5 ) and avoid causing other little ones to stumble ( vv . 6 – 9 ). After all , God himself is a good shepherd who will seek out even one lost sheep ( vv . 10 – 14 ). 18:1 – 5 Positively , to be the greatest in the kingdom of heaven , the disciples must mirror the humble position of children . 18:1 Kingdoms typically have hierarchies , so the disciples wonder who will be closest to the top . Cf . note on 20:20 – 28 . 18:3 – 4 Jesus ’ reign , however , is an upsidedown kingdom . Even to enter , people must “ become like little children ” ( v . 3 ). This does not imply being childish , but being childlike in recognizing one ’ s vulnerability and dependence — in this case on God . 18:4 takes the lowly position of . Equivalent to “ humbles himself as .” 18:5 See 10:42 . 18:6 – 9 Negatively , disciples must refrain from causing those who believe in Jesus to stumble , i . e ., they must not spiritually harm other fledgling followers of Jesus . 18:6 stumble . Here in the sense of committing the worst sin of all : complete apostasy . a large millstone . A heavy wheel-shaped stone tied to a pole that was turned by a donkey as it walked around a bird-bath shaped structure into which grain was poured , causing the stone to crush the grain . sea . To be thrown into the open sea with a large millstone around one ’ s neck would certainly cause drowning . 18:8 – 9 See note on 5:29 – 30 . 18:10 – 14 The Parable of the Lost Sheep . Jesus tells a parable similar to the parable of the lost sheep in Luke 15:3 – 7 . In this context , however , the sheep “ wanders away ” ( v . 12 ), perhaps representing the wayward disciple . In both accounts , God is eager to restore those not in right relationship with him .
18:10 their angels in heaven . Could suggest the concept of guardian angels , but nothing requires that there be a one-to-one correlation between angels and humans . 18:12 Shepherds tended to band together , so other shepherds would watch the 99 left behind . 18:13 Restoration is always a cause for celebration 18:14 is not willing that any of these little ones should perish . Cf . 2 Pet 3:9 . But it is also true that God does not override human freedom , so unfortunately many are lost ( 7:13 ). Theologians often distinguish between God ’ s sovereign ( decretive , secret / hidden ) will , i . e ., what he decrees , and his moral ( preceptive , revealed ) will , i . e ., what he commands . The Bible preserves a running tension between God ’ s sweeping sovereignty and his personal yearning that his image-bearers repent , believe , and be saved . God is never less than unrelentingly sovereign and unrelentingly personal in his dealings with people . The latter is highlighted here . 18:15 – 35 Interpersonal sin should be followed by forgiveness and recon cil ia tion whenever possible . Verses 15 – 20 outline the process and also what to do if someone refuses to repent . Verses 23 – 35 depict God ’ s