The Gospel According to Matthew Chapter 18

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The Gospel According to Matthew Chapter 18

The Bible Text from https://www.bible.com/bible/111/MAT.18.NIV

Kingdom Values: Togetherness for Minor, Lost, Sinner, & Debted

The Greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven

1 At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who, then, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” (Many people want to be highly valued for their assets and reputation. And disciples were wondering how the Kingdom is in that matter.)

2 He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. (A little child tend to be disregarded in many cultures and times.)

3 And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

4 Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. (Jesus answered that the little children-like, humble, innocent, and pure will be acknowledged highly in the Kingdom than those arrogant people such as Pharisees and Sadducees.)

5 And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me. (He also endorses Himself for those minors. Lk. 4:18-20)

Causing to Stumble

6 “If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea. (Stumbling those minors but precious, will be punished.)

7 Woe to the world because of the things that cause people to stumble! Such things must come, but woe to the person through whom they come! (The fact that bad things happen in the world can't justify the happenings. Rampant sinfulness can't justify sin. You can't justify bad things in the name of culture.)

8 If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, 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. (The life in Christ is the more important than any worldly convenience.)

9 And if your eye causes you to stumble, 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. (Current handicaps/discomforts are temporary but the life in the heaven or hell is eternal. The life on the earth is the prelude of upcoming eternity. We need to keep ourselves honest in truth rather than pursuing worldly convenience.)

The Parable of the Wandering Sheep

10 “See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven.[11] (Every soul, big or little, is equally precious in the Kingdom, and even our current life is a part of the Kingdom.)

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?

13 And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off.

14 In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should perish. (Our Father in heaven values every soul, including small and minor as a shepherd cares every sheep.)

Dealing With Sin in the Church

15 “If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over. (We live and believe together in a home and church. So we support and bring those who failed with sinful action back to the faith community.)

16 But if they will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’ (If private attempt fails, a group of a few church leaders works together to bring those failed with sin back to the faith community.)

17 If they still refuse to listen, tell it to the church; and if they refuse to listen even to the church, treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector. (If they refuse to be corrected by church leaders, consider them as heretics whom cannot have fellowship with. Holiness of the community is more important than the personal comfort.)

18 “Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.

19 “Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven.

20 For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.” (The power of the faith community is God-given divine. So the faith community (church) must carry its responsibility; keeping the church innocent.)

The Parable of the Unmerciful Servant

21 Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?” (Forgiving those offenders is not easy, even more difficult if they were the loving close ones. Seven times forgiveness therefore, an extra ordinary demonstration of generosity.)

22 Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times. (Jesus, however, asks unlimited forgiving. He is right because, we also are sinners, and God only is the Judge who can condemn and forgive. We merely and importantly decern however.)

23 “Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. (Kingdom is the world of forgiven.)

24 As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand bags of gold was brought to him.

25 Since 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. 

26 “At this the servant fell on his knees before him. ‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’

27 The servant’s master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go. (The servant's debt was canceled with the mercy of the master.)

28 “But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred silver coins. He grabbed him and began to choke him. ‘Pay back what you owe me!’ he demanded.

29 “His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay it back.’

30 “But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. (But the debt-forgiven servant didn't cancel the debt of his fellow servant.)

31 When the other servants saw what had happened, they were outraged and went and told their master everything that had happened.

32 “Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to.

33 Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’

34 In anger his master handed him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed. (Eventually the evil one who was forgiven but not forgiving was punished for his unmerciful action by the master.)

35 “This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart.” (The righteous Father in heaven insists justice among us.)