Matthew 18 - ESV - Bible Reading / Study Notes

Matthew 18

Who Is the Greatest?

18:1 At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” 2 And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them 3 and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

5 “Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, 6 but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin,¹ it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.

Temptations to Sin

7 “Woe to the world for temptations to sin!² For it is necessary that temptations come, but woe to the one by whom the temptation comes! 8 And if your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life crippled or lame than with two hands or two feet to be thrown into the eternal fire. 9 And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into the hell³ of fire.

The Parable of the Lost Sheep

10 “See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven.⁴ 12 What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray? 13 And if he finds it, truly, I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray. 14 So it is not the will of my⁵ Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.

If Your Brother Sins Against You

15 “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. 16 But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. 17 If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. 18 Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed⁶ in heaven. 19 Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. 20 For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.”

The Parable of the Unforgiving Servant

21 Then Peter came up and said to him, “Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?” 22 Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy-seven times.

23 “Therefore the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his servants.⁷ 24 When he began to settle, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents.⁸ 25 And since he could not pay, his master ordered him to be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and payment to be made. 26 So the servant⁹ fell on his knees, imploring him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.’ 27 And out of pity for him, the master of that servant released him and forgave him the debt. 28 But when that same servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii,¹⁰ and seizing him, he began to choke him, saying, ‘Pay what you owe.’ 29 So his fellow servant fell down and pleaded with him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you.’ 30 He refused and went and put him in prison until he should pay the debt. 31 When his fellow servants saw what had taken place, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their master all that had taken place. 32 Then his master summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. 33 And should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?’ 34 And in anger his master delivered him to the jailers,¹¹ until he should pay all his debt. 35 So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart.”

Footnotes

[1] 18:6 Greek causes . . . to stumble; also verses 8, 9
[2] 18:7 Greek stumbling blocks
[3] 18:9 Greek Gehenna
[4] 18:10 Some manuscripts add verse 11: For the Son of Man came to save the lost
[5] 18:14 Some manuscripts your
[6] 18:18 Or shall have been bound . . . shall have been loosed
[7] 18:23 Or bondservants; also verses 28, 31
[8] 18:24 A talent was a monetary unit worth about twenty years’ wages for a laborer
[9] 18:26 Or bondservant; also verses 27, 28, 29, 32, 33
[10] 18:28 A denarius was a day’s wage for a laborer
[11] 18:34 Greek torturers

Commentary

v1-2: Jesus sees through the disciples' question, and turns their desire for prestige into a spiritual lesson.

v3-4: The lesson of little children; clearly the Lord holds the child before them to emphasise His point. Be converted, be humble, and only then can you enter in. The disciples are looking for personal importance, and Jesus'approval, but they have to learn His standards.

v5-6: A proper concern for children. We must be careful not to cause offence, nor to encourage sins, even inadvertently. Consider the needs of others.

v7-9: We are to be strict with ourselves so as to avoid sins, and to avoid causing offence in others.

v10: Do not despise children, for they have a special place in God's heart. It is in this context that Jesus brings the parable of the lost sheep.

v11-14: The parable teaches the Father's concern for children, "these little ones."

v15-17: Private disputes to be settled privately. Only if there is a refusal to reconciliation do others become involved, and ultimately the church takes action. Here we see Christ's authority given to the church in respect of discipline. There is more detailed explanation in 1 Cor 5.

Both parties in a dispute have the responsibility to do things right. There is no place for destructive criticism.

v18: The decisions on earth are binding and authoritative. It is striking that "you" in this verse is in the plural, whilst in v15-17 it is singular. The decision of the church in dealing with the unrepentant brother is thus sealed in Heaven.

v19-20: The promise of Christ's authority and presence, as we act in His Name. The promise of His presence, Josh 2.9-11; Is 45.14; Zech 8.23; not to be seen as a lucky charm, see 7.22; Acts 19.13, but rather as a motivation to devotion (Ps 139), to obedience (Is 6), and to service (Acts 2).

The promise of Christ's presence, "where two or three are gathered" marked a reduction in the usual number for a Jewish synagogue, which was ten.

v21: Whilst v15-17 deal with settling disputes, Jesus'teaching on forgiveness answers any desire to go quickly to 'put things right.'To forgive means to wipe the slate clean. When we remember the wrong, whilst saying,'I forgive,'is not forgiveness.

Steve Timmis says; 'But Jesus deconstructs Peter's question. He exposes its folly, showing that forgiveness is not a question of mathematics, but a matter of the heart.' (I wish Jesus hadn't said that.) He also comments that 'how many times' is a legalist's question!

v22: Our attitude must be to be ready to forgive, and never to hold anything against another.

v23-25: The matter of forgiveness leads into a parable. The debtor owes a vast sum, far beyond his ability ever to pay. We are not to think how the man could achieve such a debt, but rather begin to understand our debt to God.

v26-27: The master gave more than was requested; the servant asked, "Be patient with me...and I will pay back everything," yet the master forgave the whole debt immediately. The reality is that the debt could never have been repaid.

v28-30: The refusal to forgive another. The forgiven man must forgive others.

Jesus uses massively disparate amounts; ten thousand talents (v24) and a hundred denarii (v28) to emphasise the issue.

v31: The other servants reported the events to their master; our first resort must be to prayer, to inform our Master in Heaven.

v32-34: Since the Master was involved, apt punishment is meted out.

There is powerful imagery here too. Unforgiveness is like being in prison. The person who refuses to forgive another is effectively in a prison, until they forgive and release those who have hurt them.

v35: Forgive as the Father forgives; this is costly, but the motive is compassion; the wrong must be totally 'written off,' 6.14-15.