MattheW 18:18 | 1567 heav en . 5 And who ev er wel comes one such child in my name wel comes me .
Causing to Stumble
6
“ If any one caus es 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 . 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 ! 8 If your hand or your foot caus es you to stum ble , 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 eter nal fire . 9 And if your eye caus es you to stumble , 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 .
The Parable of the Wandering Sheep
18:12-14pp — Lk 15:4-7
10
“ See that you do not de spise one of these little ones . For I tell you that their an gels in heav en al ways see the face of my Fa ther in heav en . [ 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 nine ty-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wan dered off ? 13 And if he finds it , tru ly I tell you , he is hap pi er about that one sheep than about the nine ty-nine that did not wan der off . 14 In the same way your Fa ther in heav en is not will ing that any of these lit tle ones should per ish .
Dealing With Sin in the Church
15
“ If your broth er or sis ter b sins , c go and point out their fault , 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 or two oth ers along , so that ‘ ev ery mat ter may be es tab lished by the testi mo ny of two or three wit ness es .’ d 17 If they still refuse to lis ten , tell it to the church ; and if they refuse to lis ten even to the church , treat them as you would a pa gan or a tax col lec tor .
18
“ Tru ly I tell you , what ev er you bind on earth will be e bound in heav en , and what ev er you loose on earth will be e loosed in heav en .
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 d
16 Deut . 19:15 e
18 Or will have been
18:4 greatest in the kingdom of heaven Paradoxically , humility leads to greatness .
18:6 – 9 In these verses , Jesus uses hyperbole ( deliberate exaggeration ) to make a point about the seriousness of sin . In Mt 18:6 , Jesus warns about the danger awaiting anyone who causes another to sin . In v . 7 , he expresses grief over things that cause people to stumble into sin . In vv . 8 – 9 , Jesus ’ extreme statements reveal that the causes for stumbling may come from within ourselves .
18:6 these little ones Refers to status , not age ( compare 10:42 ). Rather than indicating actual children , this description likely points to new or immature believers , or perhaps humble or lowly disciples of Jesus . large millstone Donkeys turned millstones to grind grain . 18:8 cut it off and throw it away Another use of hyperbole for the sake of making a point , not advice that should be taken literally . better for you to enter life Refers to eternal life ( compare Jn 3:16 – 17 ). eternal fire A common symbol for divine judgment . See note on Lk 3:9 . 18:9 thrown into the fire of hell Refers to the experience of God ’ s wrath and ultimately destruction . See note on Mt 5:30 .
18:10 – 14 This section anticipates Jesus ’ instructions in 18:15 – 20 about seeking lost sheep . In Luke , the parable of the lost sheep ( Lk 15:3 – 7 ) appears in the context of Jesus ’ association with tax collectors and sinners . See the table “ Parables of Jesus ” on p . 1584 .
18:10 one of these little ones See note on Mt 18:6 . their angels The concept of guardian angels for individuals as well as nations pervades Jewish writings of this period ( e . g ., Da 10:13 ; Ac 12:15 ). By connecting these little ones to guardian angels , Jesus communicates their infinite worth ; they mean so much to the Father that his angels watch out for them . See Heb 1:14 .
18:14 perish Indicates being lost and ultimately destroyed .
18:15 – 20 In this section , Jesus explains how to handle a sinning brother or sister in the community .
18:15 just between the two of you Approaching the offender in private would avoid bringing shame on that person . It also would minimize the opportunity for misunderstanding and gossip . 18:16 the testimony of two or three witnesses This emphasizes the importance of the issue and provides the benefit of others ’ wisdom . It is unclear if these additional witnesses are meant to verify the original charge , as people who witnessed the wrongdoing , or to witness that the person has been charged of a wrongdoing . Either way , they become witnesses of the efforts to resolve it . See Dt 19:15 . 18:17 the church The Greek word used here , ekklēsia , means “ assembly .” It occurs in other NT writings in reference to the corporate body of all believers ( the body of Christ ; e . g ., Ac 9:31 ; 1Co 15:9 ; Eph 5:23 ; Col 1:18 ) as well as to a local congregation ( e . g ., Ac 13:1 ; 14:23 ; Ro 16:1,4 – 5 ). The ekklēsia as the body of Christ became a reality only in the wake of Jesus ’ ascension and Pentecost ( Ac 1 – 2 ). While this reference was probably to a general assembly of Jewish people , it can be understood in retrospect as a reference to a gathering of Christians . If they still refuse to listen Reconciliation is the goal of Jesus ’ instruction ; the entire assembly must try to bring the straying brother or sister back to the fold . as you would a pagan or a tax collector In the narrative ’ s Jewish context , Gentiles and tax collectors would be regarded as outsiders ( see note on Mt 5:46 ; note on 5:47 ). This instruction to cut ties with the unrepentant sinner is intended to remove sin from the local group of believers . 18:18 whatever you bind on earth See 16:19 and note .