18:1 At the same time came the disciples unto Jesus, saying,
Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?
18:2 And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them,
18:3 And said, Verily I say unto you,
Except ye be converted, and become as little children,
ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.
18:4 Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child,
the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
18:5 And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me.
18:6 But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me,
it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck,
and [that] he were drowned in the depth of the sea.
at the same time...- When?
just after He reminded them of His approaching crucifixion (17:22,23),
upon arriving in Capernaum (where Peter was reminded that 'the greatest in the Kingdom' is Jesus, 17:24-27 ). cp. Mark 9:30-50; Luk 9:43-50
Who is the greatest in the kingdom?-
The disciples were concerned with their position in the kingdom.
Jesus tells them their concern should be entrance into the kingdom. v.3
When Jesus spoke of His approaching death, they were 'sorry' and 'afraid to ask' what that meant...
they set aside what was of primary importance, in their pursuit of self importance.
Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter...-
It is evident that the 'children' in view here are the children of God by the new birth.
However, application can also be made to the right treatment of all human children. cp. Mat 19:13-15
18:7 Woe unto the world because of offences! {GK=skandalon, stumbling blocks}
for it must needs be that offences come;
but woe to that man by whom the offence cometh!
18:8 Wherefore if thy hand or thy foot offend thee, {GK=skandalizo, cause you (or another) to stumble}
cut them off, and cast [them] from thee:
it is better for thee to enter into life halt or maimed,
rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into everlasting fire.
18:9 And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast [it] from thee:
it is better for thee to enter into life with one eye,
rather than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire.
18:10 Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you,
That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven.
cut it off...- The same radical surgery, previously prescribed to deal with personal sin,
If this verse teaches that every human child has a guardian angel, it is the only passage to do so.
Since 'children', in the context of this passage, refers primarily to the 'children of God' (v.6),
it is better to understand 'their angels' as referring to-
Angels who minister to the ''heirs of salvation''. cp. Psa 91:9-11; Heb 1:14
The spirits of God's children who currently enjoy spiritual access into His presence.
cp. Eph 1:3; 2:6; Heb 10:19-22; 12:22,23
In either case, the interests of His precious children are well represented before the Father.
God will deal severely with anyone who stumbles His child. cp. v.7-9; Luk 18:7,8; Psa 17:13-15
18:11 For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost. {1Tim 1:15}
18:12 How think ye? if a man have an hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray,
doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and goeth into the mountains,
and seeketh that which is gone astray? {Isa 53:6; Luk 19:10; Joh 10:11}
18:13 And if so be that he find it, verily I say unto you,
he rejoiceth more of that [sheep], than of the ninety and nine which went not astray. {Isa 53:11}
18:14 Even so it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven,
that one of these little ones should perish.
18:15 Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee,
go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone:
if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother.
18:16 But if he will not hear [thee, then] take with thee one or two more,
that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. {Deu 19:15}
18:17 And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell [it] unto the church {GK=ecclesia}:
but if he neglect to hear the church {GK=ecclesia, assembly of called out ones},
let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican.
18:18 Verily I say unto you,
Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven:
and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
if thy brother trespass {ie., does wrong} against thee...-
''Thy brother'', in the context, is a fellow child of God. cp. 1Joh 4:20 with 5:1
Here are the steps for conflict resolution and discipline within the Church:
go to him alone- Confess and deal with the problem, one on one, believer to believer.
go to him with a few other brothers- Rehearse the issues before them. Seek their counsel.
go to the assembled believers- Let them decide the matter.
This is the highest court of appeal for matters between believers. cp. 1Cor 5:3-5; 6:1-5
if he neglect to hear the church...- If the authority of the assembled believers is disregarded,
the offending individual may be disassociated from the fellowship as a means of discipline.
cp. 1Cor 5:9-13; 2The 3:6,14,15
In the context of church discipline, the goal of disciplinary action is to restore the sinning brother to fellowship, by encouraging him to seek repentance and forgiveness from the Lord. cp. 2Cor 2:6-11; Gal 6:1
18:19 Again I say unto you,
That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask,
it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven.
18:20 For where two or three are gathered together in my name,
there am I in the midst of them.
if two of you agree...- This is not a formula for forcing God to answer prayer as we desire.
18:21 Then came Peter to him, and said,
Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times?
18:22 Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times:
but, Until seventy times seven.
Jesus' answer implies that we should forgive without keeping count, without limit.
We are to forgive others in the same manner that God has forgiven us.
Jesus powerfully illustrated this with The parable of the Unjust Servant (v.23-35):
18:23 Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king,
which would take account of his servants.
18:24 And when he had begun to reckon,
one was brought unto him, which owed him ten thousand talents.
{ie., a debt far beyond his ability to pay in a lifetime}
18:25 But forasmuch as he had not to pay,
his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all that he had,
and payment to be made.
18:26 The servant therefore fell down, and worshipped him, saying,
Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all.
18:27 Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion,
and loosed him, and forgave him the debt.
18:28 But the same servant went out,
and found one of his fellowservants, which owed him an hundred pence:
{pence, GK=denarii. One denarius was a laborer's daily wage. cp. 20:2}
and he laid hands on him, and took [him] by the throat, saying, Pay me that thou owest.
18:29 And his fellowservant fell down at his feet, and besought him, saying,
Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all.
18:30 And he would not: but went and cast him into prison, till he should pay the debt.
18:31 So when his fellowservants saw what was done,
they were very sorry, and came and told unto their lord all that was done.
18:32 Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him,
O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me:
18:33 Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant,
even as I had pity on thee?
18:34 And his lord was wroth,
and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him.
18:35 So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you,
if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.
Should you not also have compassion on your fellowservant...?
When the principle of forgiveness by grace (v.27) is rejected (v.28-30), sin must be dealt with under the principle of the Law (v.32-34).
Just as, no man can pay the debt that he owes to God, but is entirely dependent upon forgiveness by grace (Rom 3:20-26; 6:23), no man can afford to reject this principle in dealing with other believers (1Cor 6:5-11; Mat 6:14,15).