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    Matthew 18:1-20
    ​ Lesson 35

    Read both the "King James Bible" and the "New Living Translation."

    In this lesson: 
    ​​
    We must have childlike faith (18:1-6).

    Don't be tempted (18:7-9).

    Parable of the lost sheep (18:12-14).

    How to correct a fellow believer (18:15-17).

    Study Tip:
     
    Repetition is a tool writers use to emphasize key points.  Whenever you see themes repeated in the Bible, it is a clue that God considers them important.  Hover over these passages a little longer to fully grasp their meaning.     ​​​
    The Dutch painter Hieronymus Bosch's (1450-1516) representation of Paradise and Hell.

    The Gospel According to St. Matthew

    The King James Bible    ​

    Matthew 18:1-20
    Childlike faith

    1 At the same time came the disciples unto Jesus, saying, Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?

    2 And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them,

    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.

    4 Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

    5 And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me.

    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.

    7 Woe unto the world because of offences! for it must needs be that offences come; but woe to that man by whom the offence cometh!

    8 Wherefore if thy hand or thy foot offend thee, 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.

    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.

    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.

    11 For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost.

    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?

    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.

    14 Even so it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish.

    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.

    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.

    17 And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican.

    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.

    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.
    ​
    20 For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.                             ​
    ​Margin notes: 
     
    "Verily." (18:3) - Means "truly."

    "Except ye be converted." (18:3) - "Unless you change." 

    "Become as little children." (18:3) - See "Today's Question" below. 

    "Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven." (18:4) - Jesus prizes humility.  He will reinforce this message in Ma​tthew ​20:27 and Luke 22:24-27. 

    "Whoso shall receive one such little child." (18:5) - "Whoever welcomes such a child."  Jesus is telling His disciples to welcome fellow Christians, the children of God (see verses 18:3-4). 

    "Whoso shall offend one of these little ones." (18:6) - "Whoever leads a believer astray."  Anyone who turns another (an adult believer or child) away from Christ will be punished.  

    "Millstone." (18:6) - A large, heavy round stone used for grinding grain in a mill. 

    "Woe unto the world because of offences!  For it must needs be that offences come." (18:7) - "Woe to the world for tempting others.  Temptation must come, but don't be its source."

    "Woe to that man by whom the offence cometh." (18:7) - "Woe to the person who tempts others."

    "Cut them off." (18:8) - Jesus is being figurative.      Cutting off limbs doesn't deal with the root cause of sin.

    "It is better for thee to enter into life halt or maimed." (18:8) - "It is better to go to eternal life lame or crippled."  Jesus is repeating His message from Matthew 5:29-30.

    "Pluck it out." (18:9) - Again, Jesus is being figurative.  He is telling us to shun ungodly relationships and sinful lifestyles. 

    "Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones." (18:10) - "See that you don't reject even one of these believers."  Jesus repeats this lesson in Luke 17:2. 

    "Seeketh that which is gone astray." (18:12) - Just as a shepherd worries over one lost sheep, God frets when we go astray.  Jesus shed His blood for the salvation of all mankind.  But, even if you were the only "lost sheep," He would have still sacrificed Himself to save you.  That is how deep God's love runs.

    "I    t is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish." (18:14) - God loves us and is concerned for our salvation.  He wants all His children to know His truth (1 Timothy 2:4).   

    "If thy brother shall trespass against thee." (18:15) - "If a fellow Christian should sin against you." 

    "In the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established."(18:16) - According to the Mosaic law, it took two, three, or more witnesses to establish a fact (Deuteronomy 19:15).  Jesus reinforces this law here and in John 8:17. 

    "If he shall neglect to hear." (18:17) - "If he refuses to hear." 

    "Publican." (18:17) - Publicans were tax collectors who worked for the Romans.  Some manned customhouses and collected duty on all imported and exported trade goods.  Others collected taxes on virtually everything that was bought or sold.  There were taxes to cross bridges, taxes to use the roads or the harbor, to enter the marketplace, or ship merchandise.  There were taxes on wagons and the animals that pulled them.  To the Jewish population, it seemed like the Roman occupiers were taxing everything.  The publicans paid Rome for the right to collect the taxes and then paid themselves by overcharging taxpayers (Luke 3:12-13) and keeping the difference.  There was no redress if you were overtaxed.  Couple this with the fact that they worked for the Roman oppressors, and you can understand why publicans were unpopular with the Jewish population.  Publicans were considered sinners (Luke 19:7) and lumped in together with harlots (Matthew 21:31-32).  The disciple Matthew was a publican before he followed Jesus.

    "Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven." (18:18) - In Jesus' day, to "bind" meant to forbid, and to "loose" meant to allow.  Jesus is reinforcing His message from Matthew 16:19.
    ​     
    "If two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done." (18:19) - "If two of you on earth agree on something you ask, it will be done."  Take your problems to God.  See also Mark 11:23-24, John 16:23, 1 John 3:22, and reinforced again in 5:14.
    Mark 9:34-47 and Luke 9:46-48 cover this same lesson.  Luke 15:3-7 covers the parable of the lost sheep.
    ​New Living Translation
    Matthew 18:1-20            
    The Greatest in the Kingdom
     
    1 About that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, "Who is greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven?"
     
    2 Jesus called a little child to him and put the child among them.

    3 Then he said, "I tell you the truth, unless you turn from your sins and become like little children, you will never get into the Kingdom of Heaven.

    4 So anyone who becomes as humble as this little child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven.
     
    5 "And anyone who welcomes a little child like this on my behalf is welcoming me.

    6 But if you cause one of these little ones who trusts in me to fall into sin, it would be better for you to have a large millstone tied around your neck and be drowned in the depths of the sea.
     
    7 "What sorrow awaits the world, because it tempts people to sin. Temptations are inevitable, but what sorrow awaits the person who does the tempting.

    8 So if your hand or foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It's better to enter eternal life with only one hand or one foot than to be thrown into eternal fire with both of your hands and feet.

    9 And if your eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It's better to enter eternal life with only one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell.
     
    10 "Beware that you don't look down on any of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels are always in the presence of my heavenly Father.
     
    Parable of the Lost Sheep
     
    12 "If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them wanders away, what will he do? Won't he leave the ninety-nine others on the hills and go out to search for the one that is lost?

    13 And if he finds it, I tell you the truth, he will rejoice over it more than over the ninety-nine that didn't wander away!

    14 In the same way, it is not my heavenly Father's will that even one of these little ones should perish.
     
    Correcting Another Believer
     
    15 "If another believer sins against you, go privately and point out the offense. If the other person listens and confesses it, you have won that person back.

    16 But if you are unsuccessful, take one or two others with you and go back again, so that everything you say may be confirmed by two or three witnesses.

    17 If the person still refuses to listen, take your case to the church. Then if he or she won't accept the church's decision, treat that person as a pagan or a corrupt tax collector.
     
    18 "I tell you the truth, whatever you forbid on earth will be forbidden in heaven, and whatever you permit on earth will be permitted in heaven.
     
    19 "I also tell you this: If two of you agree here on earth concerning anything you ask, my Father in heaven will do it for you.

    ​20 For where two or three gather together as my followers, I am there among them."

    The "New Living Translation" (Tyndale House, Publishers, Wheaton, Illinois) is a paraphrase and not an accurate word-for-word translation of the Bible.  However, it is a helpful tool when read with the "King James Version."

    Today's Question:

    1. What does "become as little children" mean? (18:3)



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    ​Answer: (Do you agree?) ​
    ​
    1. Jesus isn't asking believers to behave like children.  He     wants believers to grow in their understanding of spiritual matters (1 Corinthians 14:20) while maintaining a childlike faith.  Having childlike faith means being humble, trusting, and dependent on God.  Children do not crave money or power.  Just as children depend on their earthly parents for their physical needs, Christians should rely on God for their spiritual needs. 

    ​The following verse from the "Bustan" (The Orchard) book of poetry was written by the Persian poet and lyricist Abu-Muhammad Muslih al-Din bin Abdallah Shirazi (also known as Saadi of Shiraz).  It describes the simple innocence of children.  "The hearts of infants being free from avarice, what care they for a handful of silver more than for a handful of dust?"

    ​

    One of God's many truths:
     
    "Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven." (18:3)
     
    "Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein." (Mark 10:15)
    ​

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    Thanks to the writings and commentary of John Wesley and Adam Clarke.  Also, "The Layman's Bible Study Notebook" by Irving Jensen, published by Harvest House Publishing, Irvine, California; the "Life Change Series," published by NavPress books, Colorado Springs, Colorado; "Robertson's New Testament Word Studies;" "The MacArthur Bible Commentary" by John MacArthur, published by Thomas Nelson, Nashville, Tennessee; "Wisdom of the Bible" CD by Topics Entertainment, Inc., Renton, Washington for their inspiring pictures; "My utmost for His Highest" by Oswald Chambers, published by Barbour Publishing, Inc., Uhrichsville, Ohio; The "Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge" by Reuben Archer Torrey; "Hope For Each Day" by Billy Graham, published by J. Countryman, a division of Thomas Nelson, Inc., Nashville, Tennessee; "Easton's Bible Dictionary" by Matthew George Easton; "Unger's Bible Dictionary" by Merrill F. Unger, published by Moody Press, Chicago, Illinois; "Atlas of the Bible" edited by Joseph L. Gardner, published by Readers Digest, Pleasantville, New York; "Halley's Bible Handbook" by Henry H. Halley, Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan; "The Everyday Bible," published by World Wide Publications, Minneapolis, Minnesota; "The New Testament" Recovery Version, published by Living Stream Ministry, Anaheim, California; "The Living New Testament," published by Tyndale house, Wheaten, Illinois; "The New Living Translation," published by Tyndale House, Wheaten, Illinois; "The New Testament" translated from the Latin Vulgate, published by Guild Press, New York, New York; the "Life Application Study Bible," published by Tyndale House Publishing, Carol Stream, Illinois; the "Quest Study Bible," published by The Zondervan Corporation, Grand Rapids, Michigan; "The New Scofield Reference Bible," published by Oxford University Press, New York, New York; BibleGateway.com for all their wonderful links; and of course, the "King James Bible."  All were critical in putting these lessons together.
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