A Work in Progress Bible Commentary
By: Chip Crush

MATTHEW
CHAPTER 18

In this chapter, answering the question of who is greatest in the kingdom of heaven, Jesus addresses the disciples regarding humility, the value of a child, and causing such a child to sin. He teaches His disciples about the difficult issue of dealing with sin in the church as well as the often-challenging topic of forgiveness.

1) V1-11 – 1At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” 2He called a little child and had him stand among them. 3And He said: “I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 5And whoever welcomes a little child like this in My name welcomes Me. 6But if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea. 7Woe to the world because of the things that cause people to sin! Such things must come, but woe to the man through whom they come! 8If your hand or your foot causes you to sin, 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. 9And if your eye causes you to sin, 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. 10See that you do not look down on one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of My Father in heaven. [11The Son of Man came to save what was lost.]”

The disciples often talked amongst themselves about which of them would be the greatest in heaven, and Jesus did not like it. Here they ask who is the greatest, and Jesus brings a child into their presence and tells them they must “change and become like little children” in order to even “enter the kingdom of heaven” (v3). He then mentions humility as the key to greatness in heaven (v4), for there is no place for pride and arrogance in God’s presence. Children have humility because of their small stature and lack of knowledge / understanding / wisdom / discernment. Especially in that culture, children garnered no respect, and Jesus says that’s what you ought to strive for: become the least to be deemed the greatest. It’s backwards.

But Jesus doesn’t abandon the discussion after mentioning humility. He carries on, saying that to welcome a child “in My name” is synonymous with welcoming Him. And furthermore, to cause a child who believes in Jesus to sin merits unspeakable wrath, to the point that it would be better to be drowned in the sea than to do such a thing. Many readers think Jesus is speaking literally of children here, but it seems more likely that He is distinguishing believers from unbelievers. He has just said that we must become like the little child to enter heaven, so now when He speaks about welcoming the child or causing the child to sin, He is referring to believers; for who else are the children of God but believers? We must welcome believers and guard against causing believers to sin by our own words or deeds.

In v7, Jesus calls out, “Woe to the world because of the things that cause people to sin!” This statement can be translated many ways, but the idea is this: “Sorrow awaits the world, because it tempts people to sin” (NLT). Jesus says, “Such things must come, but woe to the man through whom they come!” Matthew Henry comments, “Considering the cunning and malice of Satan, and the weakness and depravity of men’s hearts, it is not possible but that there should be offences. God permits them for wise and holy ends, that those who are sincere, and those who are not, may be made known. Being told before, that there will be seducers, tempters, persecutors, and bad examples, let us stand on our guard. We must, as far as lawfully we may, part with what we cannot keep without being entangled by it in sin. The outward occasions of sin must be avoided. If we live after the flesh, we must die. If we, through the Spirit, mortify the deeds of the body, we shall live. Christ came into the world to save souls, and He will reckon severely with those who hinder the progress of others who are setting their faces heavenward. And shall any of us refuse attention to those whom the Son of God came to seek and to save? A father takes care of all his children, but is particularly tender of the little ones.”

Jesus gives additional instructions on personal sin as well. In v8-9, He says to cut off your hand or foot and gauge out your eye if those parts of your body lead you to sin. He says that it is far better to find yourself maimed but in heaven than otherwise well yet suffering the eternal fire of hell. Many have taken these words quite literally over the centuries, such as early church fathers Augustine and Origen, who castrated themselves in an effort to obey Jesus and thereby grow in holiness through sexual purity.

Finally, in v10-11, Jesus says not to look down on one of these little ones, because “their angels in heaven always see the face of” God. Needless to say, this verse gives credence to the prominent Christian idea of personal guardian angels, especially for children. V11 does not appear in all manuscripts, and it may be included only as a footnote in your Bible, but whether or not we uphold dogmatically that it should be considered part of sacred Scripture is less important than the truth of the statement, that “the Son of Man came to save what was lost,” for we find it elsewhere unquestionably included in the manuscripts (Luke 19:10). Jesus came to seek and save the lost. It is not the proud and strong who need Jesus, but the humble and meek and lost and afraid, the sinners who know their predicament. And Jesus saves them all.

2) V12-20 – 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? 13And if he finds it, I tell you the truth, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off. 14In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should be lost. 15If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over. 16But if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses’ [Deuteronomy 19:15]. 17If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, treat him as you would a pagan or a tax collector. 18I tell you the truth, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. 19Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by My Father in heaven. 20For where two or three come together in My name, there am I with them.”

V12-14 tell the story of the shepherd who leaves his 99 sheep alone in order to find the 1 missing sheep. Paul Alan sings from Jesus’ perspective, “I left the 99 to find the one…and you’re the one.” Do you ever pause to consider that you are the lost sheep Jesus came to save? Do you realize that “He is happier about” finding you than the others who were never lost? Think about that! Did you ever play hide-and-seek with toys? Hide 10 toys and come back to find them later. Find 9 but forget where the other one is for a while. When you find the one, you will see that you are happier about finding that one than any of the others that were no longer lost. Great joy comes from just one repentant sinner. God “is not willing that any of” His lost sheep remain lost. Jesus came to seek and save what was lost, and He did not fail.

In v15-17, Jesus gives clear instructions about the fellow Christian who sins (against you!). He says you should privately discuss the matter with him or her. If that person realizes their fault and apologizes or repents, then “you have won your brother over. But if he will not listen, take one or two others along” (v16) as witnesses. “If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, treat him as you would a pagan or a tax collector” (v17). It’s a three-step process that begins intimately and broadens until the sinner is hardened by arrogance before the entire church body. At this point, many Christians make the mistake of shunning the hardened brother / sister once they refuse to see the error of their ways, but Jesus says to love your enemy and humble yourself before others. Therefore, the proper response might be to retreat a step in the relationship you have with the hardened person, but certainly not to cancel the relationship altogether. Just as Jesus ate with tax collectors and called pagans to repentance and faith through dialogue and lifestyle, so we must continue in the relationships we have with these individuals, so that they may be convicted and convinced over time. The relationship may be salvaged.

In v18, Jesus reveals the authority that He has given to His disciples, that “whatever [they] bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever [they] loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” This is effectively the same thing Jesus said to Peter after his confession of Jesus’ identity at Caesarea Philippi. Not Peter alone, but all of the disciples of Jesus were granted authority on earth that would have heavenly impact. Perhaps this means that believers today have heavenly authority on earth; it can be interpreted from 1 Corinthians 2:14-16 that Paul understood all believers to have a Holy Spirit-granted and -infused authority that surpassed all unbelievers, those without the Spirit. This question of authority must be handled carefully, especially in light of the subsequent verses, which can lead people to the health-and-wealth, name-it-and-claim-it false gospel messages.

V20 is often quoted to remind believers that they aren’t alone. “Where two or three come together in My name,” Jesus says, “there am I with them.” It’s beautiful, and comforting, to know that Jesus hears – in Person – our prayers when we gather together. His presence is supremely valuable. “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will not fear for You are with me.” Of course, He is always with us, but there’s something special when brothers and sisters in Christ join together in corporate unity to pray and fellowship. However, many neglect the little word “For” at the beginning of v20, which automatically ties this concept to v19, in which Jesus says, “If two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for,” God will do it for you. That’s undoubtedly true, because Jesus taught it clearly. But there have to be some qualifiers, because we daily disprove it otherwise. What does Jesus mean here?

Perhaps He means that exclusively the disciples had this specific blessing of having their prayers answered like God was a genie in a bottle. And if He doesn’t mean that you and I – being believers – can agree on asking for a million dollars and have our wish granted, then perhaps He means believers can ask for anything according to God’s will, and God will do it for us. And therein lies the big difference. “According to God’s will,” though omitted here, was put to good use by Jesus Himself in the Garden of Gethsemane. He asked His disciples to join Him in prayer, but they fell asleep. Still Jesus’ prayer that the cup of God’s wrath would pass from Him was heard and answered. The answer was “No,” because it was the will of God to crush Him. So all our prayers must be “according to God’s will,” which whether we pray or not, will most certainly be done (Ephesians 1:11). Regardless of the circumstance, God is with us.

3) V21-35 – 21Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?” 22Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times. 23Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. 24As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him. 25Since 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. 26The servant fell on his knees before him. ‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’ 27The servant’s master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go. 28But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii. He grabbed him and began to choke him. ‘Pay back what you owe me!’ he demanded. 29His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.’ 30But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. 31When the other servants saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed and went and told their master everything that had happened. 32Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. 33Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’ 34In anger his master turned him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed. 35This is how My heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart.”

In the midst of this lengthy teaching session that Jesus conducts for His disciples, Peter interrupts to ask about forgiveness. Taken in context, perhaps Peter is stilling wrestling with the portion of Jesus’ lesson from v15-17, about dealing with one’s brother caught in sin. Maybe Peter understood that you don’t just throw out the relationship after the third try at bring someone to repentance; he asks if seven times was too many times to deal with a fellow Christian’s sin against you. And Jesus’ response is shocking – “not seven times, but seventy-seven times.” Some translations say “seventy times seven times,” or 490 times. The point is that there is no end to forgiveness and humility before one’s brother. We never stoop to accept the sin, but we must never reject the sinner. As Jesus teaches elsewhere, the one who has been forgiven much must be willing to forgive much. Even in the Lord’s prayer, we read “Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.” It’s a challenging lesson, simple to understand, but difficult to apply.

Jesus knows the difficulty of forgiveness, so in v23-35, He tells His disciples a parable to provide a visual illustration. He begins, “The kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants.” Jesus often uses these terms to begin a parable; He’s saying that this is how forgiveness should look for Christians. A man is brought before the king, owing far more than he could ever repay in lifetime (a single talent was worth 20 years of daily wages, so this man owed the king 200,000 years worth of labor), and the king justly ordered the man and his family to be sold as slaves to work off the debt, at least as much as was able to be paid off before they died (still less than a tenth of 1% of the total owed). So there’s justice in the kingdom of heaven. But the man begged the king to be patient and allow him to pay it back somehow. Instead the king “took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go.” That’s amazing forgiveness, available in God’s kingdom as well.

So far, so good; the parable illustrates both justice and gracious mercy (forgiveness out of pity, in spite of demerit), which is found in the kingdom of heaven, thanks to the work of Jesus. But then in v28, the man who had been forgiven beyond measure “found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii (a miniscule amount, compared to the massive sum mentioned earlier). He grabbed him and began to choke him” and demanded to be repaid. This is a shocking turn of events, common in Jesus’ parables, and it would have captivated the audience and brought them to tune in closely to see what happens next.

Just as the man begged the King for patience and an opportunity to repay him, so this man’s debtor begs and asks for patience, but in v30, Jesus simply says, “He refused. Instead he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt.” Realistically, the man could have probably paid back the debt in 3-4 months, since denarii were typical day’s wages (100 days). But the point is that we must forgive others in the same degree that we are forgiven before God our King, and we learn what happens in the kingdom of heaven when such amazing forgiveness does not get extended to others. In v31, the other servants of the King “were greatly distressed and went and told their master everything that had happened.” And the King called the man a wicked servant and told him plainly that he should have had mercy on his fellow servant (v32-33). The King was angry and turned over the man to the jailers to be tortured until the debt was paid in full. That’s a picture of hell, and it’s justice. Jesus concludes the lesson in v35 by saying, “This is how My heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive you brother from your heart.” You see, we either get justice or non-justice (mercy). There is no injustice with God; there is no injustice in the kingdom of heaven. And if we are to receive non-justice, or mercy, then we will show that by showing that to others; on the other hand, if we are candidates for justice, then we will likely not be very forgiving in our lives here on earth. As Jesus says, “By their fruit you will recognize them” (Matthew 7:16,20).


Bible text from Gospelcom.net.  Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society.

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