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.