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.
In accord with Matthew’s style, this entire chapter is dedicated to one general topic, offenses in the Kingdom. As they walked along, the disciples privately disputed among themselves which would be Jesus’ top lieutenant. Jesus however, perceived their thoughts (Mark 9:33-37; Luke 9:46-48). Again the disciples reveal their temporal, physical concept of Messiah’s kingdom. Who would sit on His right hand and who would be second? Which of them was most likely to jostle himself to the forefront and become chief? They had heard Him give the keys of the Kingdom to Peter (Mat 16:19), but what did that mean?
Jesus loved to teach with parables and object lessons, and here He uses a child to teach the important Kingdom attitude of trust, humility and lack of worldly ambition that is necessary for faith, forgiveness and leadership. The disciples connected greatness with position (Mark 9:35), but Jesus taught that true greatness is humbly serving others in love (Gal 5:13). Apparently the lesson was not immediately learned, for some time later James and John came to Jesus and asked Him for positions on His right and left when He began to reign in His kingdom (Mat 20:20-24).
Jesus made greatness achievable by any common person! You don’t have to be smart, charismatic, wise, etc in order to be great in the Kingdom of Christ. As He had taught in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus says that humility and meekness are the greatest and most important characteristics in a Christian. How very different that is from the world’s idea of greatness! Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter the kingdom of heaven. The Greek word literally means to turn oneself around (Mat 16:23); but here it means to change or revert to being a child in attitude.
With different symbolism but in similar purpose, Jesus told Nicodemus: Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God (John 3:3). Simple belief, trust, humility, lack of ambition, teachable, not giving or taking offense, obedient and innocent (1Cor 14:20), those are qualities that stand out in the Kingdom of Christ. It is even more important in this day and age to approach the Scriptures in child-like simplicity and honesty, rightly dividing the Word of Truth in reverence and fear. So many have taken the lawyer’s approach to the Scriptures and have made it teach what they want to hear (2Tim 4:3).
The attitudes of selfishness, pride and self-conceit have no place in the churches of Christ and especially not in leadership positions. Humility and meekness are the prime yet paradoxical qualities of the Christian leader (2Tim 2:24-25). A man may possess gifts of great value to the Kingdom of heaven, but without these his worth to feed the flock of Christ will plummet. One of the best examples of following Jesus’ teaching were the early Anabaptists. They took His words in child-like simplicity and lived them as children – even their enemies remarked concerning their lack of graft and guile. So simple was their hermeneutic that Poole claims (disdainfully and erroneously) that Anabaptists would take to the streets and play with children’s toys (see his note on Mat 18:4).
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.
To receive another is to accept and assist him (Rom 16:2; Mat 25:40; Mark 9:41) and to offend another is to cause him to stumble or sin (1Cor 8:13). Causing a child to fall away or reject the Gospel is serious business. Parents take note. God gave you children to bring up in His ways (Eph 6:4) and not as slaves for your rule. You will be held accountable for how you treat and train your children, for in these years their consciences are being tuned and adjusted to certain values and customs that are largely based on your actions and experiences. Parents who damage their sons and daughters spiritually will be punished.
The ignoble death here described may seem hyperbole, but if we understand the depths of the sea to refer to the abyss of hell and the great weight of a millstone to refer to man’s guilt of sin, this is no exaggeration. The second death lasts forever and is far worse than dying physically. It is a serious sin to cause another to fall away from Christ, whether it be a person young in faith or years. Especially grievous however, is to corrupt or commit evil against a child. Wicked acts such as child molestation, abortion, cruelty and murder will certainly cause God’s full and rightful measure of justice to fall.
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!
The world is filled with offences, stumblingblocks and difficulties that impede the personal development of evangelical faith. One of the worst and most common offenders however, is the tongue. Only the perfect man…will offend not in word (James 3:2). There are not many of those among us! Nevertheless, the Christian should make every effort to avoid being a courier of offenses (Luke 17:1). Sinful acts, malicious words, anger, deceptive logic and false teaching are just a few of the ways we can be a stumblingblock to others in their walk of faith. If there are eternal reward for doing good to others, then it is logical that there are eternal punishments for doing bad to others.
The sin in offending another is to hurt his spiritual life. Just hurting someone’s feelings or bruising his ego is not necessarily an offense in the Biblical sense, for the preaching of the cross will offend! (1Cor 1:23; Gal 5:11). Jesus is a stumblingstone and rock of offence (Rom 9:33; 1Pet 2:8) to many because they are not willing to accept the Word of Truth. Jesus offended the Pharisees when He pointed out their hypocrisy and did not apologize for it (Mat 15:12). In fact, the real offense would be to let a person live in sin on account of not hurting his feelings. Jesus also offended the Canaanite woman, but then rewarded her for responding so honorably (Mat 15:21-28). Many reject His message because it offends them (Mat 11:6). As the end approaches, even more will be offended, and shall betray one another (Mat 24:10).
In reading this chapter, remember that the words “offense” and “offend” have two levels of meaning. The first level of offense is to hurt someone’s feelings, but the second level is to cause someone to sin. While the Christian should try to not offend at either level, to cause someone to sin is a grave offense.
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.
The Christian must take care to walk so as not to offend. He must also be careful to not allow himself to be offended. Jesus says, “If something or someone tries to offend you, cut them off, and cast them from thee.” Offenses are serious because they play with your soul. Drastic, urgent steps must be taken. The natural impulse is the opposite – a person offended tends nurse his wounded spirit and cultivate the offense, coddling it and indulging in self-pity. “Cut it off! Pluck it out! Cast it away!” Jesus warns, “Do not let offenses keep you from eternal life.” Offenses cannot be used as an excuse for stumbling. If someone throws a stone in your path, you can choose to walk around the stone, or stumble upon it. Recognizing the offense is the first step to avoid falling. Jesus gave a similar analogy in Mat 5:29-30.
Jesus’ example is salutary. They called him a liar and a son of Satan, they said He had a demon and was mad. They mocked Him, abused Him and scoffed at His teaching. Yet, Jesus never took offense, never responded with anger, resentment, irritation or bitterness. His attitude was, Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do (Luke 23:34). Jesus showed how to respond to an offense when Peter (without even knowing it) tempted Him with the idea of not dying on the cross. Get thee behind Me Satan, Jesus told Peter, Thou art an offence unto Me (Mat 16:23). Notice that He recognized the offense and its true source, and then He cut it off and cast it from Him. In honestly following His example we find the formula that will make it very difficult to be offended unto sin!
Many times an “offense” is felt which was never intended (as in the case of Peter), for the Devil is adept at manipulating your mind! These imaginary, perceived offenses have just as much power to make you fall as a real offense. The steps to avoid them are exactly the same in both cases. Recognize and cut them off. Do not let them hinder your path and cause you to sin. The agape man is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil (1Cor 13:5). That means he doesn’t imagine bad motives in the actions of his brother, nor does he work to surmise the thoughts behind his brother’s words; instead he bears, believes, hopes and endures all things (1Cor 13:7).
Everlasting fire. Given the exceedingly strong language, how can some say there is no place of eternal punishment? The clearest teacher on Hell was Christ, yet non-hell advocates manipulate Him: “Jesus Christ came to save us,” they say, “He is kind, He is Love; He would never send someone to eternal punishment.” What then to make of these verses? Is Jesus also a liar? He described Hell as a fire that never shall be quenched (Mark 9:43), a place of unending torment (Luke 16:22-24), where their worm dieth not (Mark 9:48) and the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever (Rev 14:10-11). The parable at the end of this chapter sees the wicked servant being delivered to the tormentors until he repays his debt of $200,000,000 (Mat 18:34).
The real reason people claim to not believe in Hell is because they do not want it to exist. Some are honest enough to admit that. Nevertheless, the Scriptures are not vague on the subject. If heaven is to be continually experienced, it only makes sense that hell will also be a continuing existence. The soul of man, whether wicked or evil, will never cease to exist. No-hell advocates attempt to teach otherwise, using hand-picked verses and human logic to arrive at a conclusion they have pre-chosen to believe. Do not be deceived; avoid profane and vain babblings, and oppositions of science (knowledge) falsely so called (1Tim 6:20). The Scriptures are not hard to read!
It is critical that we define Bible terms by the Scriptures and not by human thought and reason, which is the error of those who teach that hell is not eternal punishment. Throughout the Scriptures, hell is described as a place of unending torment of the wicked. Those who force their own definitions upon Scriptural terms (like “death” and “eternity” and “soul”) in order to countermand those passages are spreading heresy and falsehood.
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.
Jesus has a tender affection and concern for children! Let us learn from His example. And why not? The simple, innocent, trusting faith of a child is exactly what God wants of all people. Jesus was always kind to children and went out of His way to include them in His day. In the next chapter, the disciples rebuked parents who brought their children to Jesus, but He told them, Suffer little children, and forbid them not to come unto Me: for of such is the Kingdom of Heaven (Mat 19:13-14; Mark 10:13-16).
The story is told of evangelist Dwight Moody remarking to his wife after a particular service, “Two and one-half persons were saved tonight.”
“Oh,” she replied, “Two adults and one child.”
“No,” he said, “Two children and one adult.” The adult’s time to serve God was half gone, but the children had a full life for God ahead.
Their angels do always behold the face of my Father. See Ps 34:7. Apparently children do have guardian angels with immediate access to God, so His love for them is more than just a statement of feeling. He actively helps them according to His will and great wisdom. Why then do children experience awful acts and crimes? That is a difficult question. Especially in times of war and hardship, children suffer most. What we do know is that God is all-wise and all-good, and that He acts and intercedes in the world’s affairs according to His purpose and character. Certainly those who acknowledge Him are more likely to experience His miraculous graces, but even “good” people suffer unjustly. There is a balance which only God knows between supernatural intercession and allowing the natural world to unfold as He created it. This passage shows that offenses against children do not go un-noticed by God! The day is coming when the deeds of men, evil or good, will be rewarded.
The topic of children does not end with this verse. The story which follows is told with children in mind (see verse 14).
11 For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost.
The disciples had not yet grasped the kind of Kingdom that the Messiah was beginning. They expected a temporal, earthly kingdom, but Jesus was establishing a spiritual and eternal Kingdom. He came to save the souls of the lost. In the Greek this word is a verb (apollumi) meaning “to destroy, die, lose, perish.” Jesus is speaking of their spiritual condition before God. They (with us) had all gone astray, each one taking his own way instead of following the Shepherd (Is 53:6). They were lost, destroyed, perished. Until Christ, there was just one law of the soul – the law of sin and death which ruled over Man because all have sinned, and the wages of sin is death of the soul. Not physical, literal death, but soul corruption, soul destruction, soul estrangement from God. Satan is the one responsible for instigating man to commit these offenses that have separated him from his Creator. Therefore is he called Apollyon (noun form of same Greek word) in Rev 9:11.
By His death, Jesus established a new law, the law of the Spirit of life (Rom 8:2) which is able to save us from the first law of sin and death that reigned alone until Christ and continues to reign even in the Age of Grace over all those who do not choose Him (Rom 5:21). The Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost (Luke 19:10, cf Luke 15:24). This statement comes in the middle of Jesus’ warning about offenses, serving as a preamble to the parable of the lost sheep. I therefore infer His thought to be, “Take heed to not cause even one child to go astray, for I came to save that which was lost. Do not work against Me!”
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.
This beautiful parable is recorded only in the book of Matthew, although a variation is found in Luke 15:4-7. The picture is drawn upon a background of two themes: Jesus’ great care for children and being offended unto falling away. The concern and care of the Father for these offended souls, whether a spiritual child in the faith or a physical child in years, is lovingly portrayed.
The Father has never willed the loss of even one soul, nor has it ever been His fault that one is lost. There is just one way to become lost – by choosing to follow the desires of Self instead of God’s purpose in creating you. Jesus pursues every soul that has gone astray; He goes into the mountains calling, calling; listening for the faintest response. The large problem is that Mankind in general is not interested (see the parable of the Sower in Mat 13). Calvinist doctrine is revealed false by this point and parable, for it cannot help but teach that God did not will the salvation of all, but only the “elect.”
A similar picture appears in Rev 3:20, where Jesus is standing at the door, knocking, knocking; asking for us to open the door and let Him. He will not force His way upon us, for salvation is free and voluntary. Many will not answer His gentle knock at the door. These are the lost and perished. At the beginning, God created human beings with a mind capable of understanding, deciding and choosing just one of two ways: to walk God’s road to life or Satan’s road to death. These eternal states are described in the Scriptures in various ways: light or darkness, heaven or hell, life or death, communion or separation, saved or lost.
The parable of the lost sheep illustrates the great concern and care that God has for every soul, from the little child that Jesus was holding in His arms at that very moment (Mark 9:36) to the cruelest criminal. He is not willing that even one should perish (2Pet 3:9) and what joy erupts in heaven when one sinner repents! See similar in Luke 15:4-7.
An earthly shepherd must leave his flock to search for one gone astray, but the omnipresent heavenly Shepherd will never leave His own (John 10:26-28). While He is pleased with all of them, an additional happiness excites the angels in heaven when one that was lost is found! It is for this that the Son of man came, to seek and to save that which was lost (Luke 19:10), so of course He is overjoyed to see a soul turn from Self and error to follow Him and Truth. How inspiring and beautiful to think that all Heaven is cheering for the sinner, that he will win the race and crown after all. The Father and the Son, the angels and the saints that have gone on before; all are waiting, helping, hoping for the sinner to repent and choose the new law of liberty in Christ.
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.
Everybody will experience offenses while passing through this life (see v6-9), but what if the offender is a brother in the church? Matthew alone records Jesus’ teaching on this subject, which anticipates the establishment of the church as a body of Christ-followers. The word church (ekklesia) occurs only twice in the Gospels (Mat 16:18; 18:17). At the time, the disciples could not have understood the full meaning of His words.
Resolving an offense between church members requires serious humility and wisdom (1Cor 6:4-7). Many times one offense leads to a counter-offense which starts a virtual feud between brothers (Pro 18:19). Surely it is not a coincidence that this chapter on offenses begins with Jesus teaching the most important principle concerning the taking and giving of offenses, which is that the mature Christian will walk always in child-like humility and lack of selfish ambitions. A famous preacher once received a letter from a certain detractor who accused him of many things. After pondering the matter, the evangelist wrote a return letter in which he simply said, “Thank you for your letter. As for your accusations, I assure you that I know of even worse things that I have done that you forgot to mention.” Amazing humility. This man knew that the key to forgiving offenses is found in self-abasement and humbleness of mind. It is impossible to offend a person who has no pride and selfishness. That’s why Jesus, our foremost example of humility (Php 2:8), never took offense when people mistreated Him. The apostle Paul found that when he made himself weak and nothing, it was then that he became strongest (2Cor 12:10). He knew that no good thing dwelled in his flesh (Rom 7:18), so there was nothing there that could be offended.
It is crucial to recognize that Jesus does not give the three-step formula in this passage as the first action of an offended brother, but rather as his last recourse. It is what he must do if he cannot throw off, forgive and forget his brother’s offense as outlined in verses 7-9. Maybe the offense is a real sin, but maybe it was innocent and unintentional, a misunderstanding. And maybe it is one of those “sins not unto death” that the offended brother can pray to God on behalf of the other person (1John 5:16-17). If the offense is a sin unto death, it must be resolved according to Jesus’ rule.
First, the offended brother is instructed to go to the one who has offended him and discuss the issue. Surprisingly, almost always the offended brother thinks the order should be reversed. So he waits for the offending brother to come to him and ask forgiveness. And meanwhile, he simmers in offense and unforgiveness. Typically, he is not slow to tell others of his mistreatment! He is however, very slow to go to the one person who can remedy the situation, preferring to harbor a righteous grudge that can grow unto life-killing proportions (Heb 12:15).
The reason Jesus instructed the offended brother to go to the offender is made obvious when we realize that many times the offense was not a real one, but either a misunderstanding or incomplete knowledge of the situation. The offender cannot correct an offense that he doesn’t even know he has committed. There is deep wisdom in Jesus putting the burden of reconciliation and forgiveness upon the offended brother: Go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone. Criticism and telling others of the “offense” must be avoided. While it is proper and wise for the offended brother to seek counsel from a church leader before approaching the one who has sinned against him, he may not spread the fault to others. In the absence of extreme circumstances, I believe church leaders should follow Jesus’ pattern here and assist the offended brother to go alone to the one who has offended him, for whether the offense was real or perceived, there is no better way to resolve the issue than by confidential, open discussion between the two parties alone.
If the offender will not accept reproof, nor will he acknowledge any error on his part, then the offended brother should take one or two brethren with him and attempt to correct the offender again. If that attempt fails, the matter must be brought before the church, and if he ignores the church, he is to be avoided and regarded as a sinner (Rom 16:17, 2Thes 3:6, 14). This last step is disciplinary, meaning excommunication from the church. A heathen man and a publican has rejected Truth and is living in unrepentant sin. These must be excommunicated from the congregation if and when they continue unrepentant and rebellious in spite of the church’s gentle, loving attempts at reconciliation. Love is the guiding principle for all church discipline; it is brotherly love, not pride or ill-will, that must move us to correct wrongful behavior in a fellow member. In joining a church body operating in mutual brotherly love, we are asking for correction and submitting ourselves to the care of the brotherhood.
I believe that in the vast majority of cases, an offended brother need not even recurr to these steps. He has the ability on his own to resolve that offense, whether it be real or imagined, as long as it be not a sin unto death. Forgive and forget! And just like that, the offense-bomb has been disarmed. Unfortunately, in practice its often not quite that easy. In principle though, the strong brother should be able to cast off even hurtful offenses on his own, just as the Apostle Paul did with nasty brethren in the Corinthian church.
Remember this, that unresolved offenses always involve spiritual immaturity, either on the side of the offender or on the side of the offended, or even on both sides. That statement will quite probably be challenged by some, for influential and apparently very righteous church members are sometimes offended. I, nevertheless, remain convinced of that statement’s truthfulness and will defer the reader to draw his own conclusions.
Every person has within himself the ability to grow into spiritual maturity by forgiving the offender, but he has no real control over the other party. To that end, it is beneficial to recognize three categories of offenses:
- The intentional offense. This is a malicious action or word which intends to harm another.
- The unintentional offense. This is an action or word which another believes to be malicious.
- The well-intentioned offense. This is a corrective action or word by which another is offended.
Regardless of the category, the offended person has only one correct response, and that is to forgive. Forgiveness is, however, much easier if he is able to rationally justify that the offense was unintentional, or perhaps well-intentioned. A brother once gave me some unsolicited advice on training my children which I thought was wrong, unfair and hurtful. But I was able to cast off the offense by telling myself that he didn’t know my situation, and that his reproof was well-intentioned. He wasn’t being malicious, but it felt pretty harsh! It helped me to learn to take criticism in humility, for that is beneficial to spiritual growth. Again, that is much easier said than done! The bare fact is that most of us would rather be spoiled by praise than helped by critical words. Solomon wrote, Rebuke a wise man, and he will love thee (Pro 9:8).
Some seem to believe that God placed them on this earth for the sole purpose of correcting others’ faults. To these, I would point out the vast amount of warnings against judging others by your own standards and convictions! Every servant is held to the standard of his master, not to the standard of a fellow-servant (Rom 14:4). Do not come between God and his servant in trying to remove a speck from his eye! Secondly, the person who feels he must correct everyone’s faults invariably ignores (or does not know) all the facts of the situation, nor does he know what is going on within the person. In going about correcting the offenses of others there is great opportunity to commit a serious offense yourself! Forgive and forget first; if that is not possible, THEN go to your brother.
The story is told of a man traveling in a crowded bus through a certain city, when a rather dazed-looking father with two children boarded and sat down just across the aisle. The father immediately plopped down in the window seat and stared out the window, while his two children began to get rowdy and loud. The situation worsened and soon everyone on the bus was exasperated. The children continued fighting and the father continued to ignore them, until finally the man could take it no more.
“Sir,” he said, tapping the man on the shoulder, “Don’t you see that your children are disturbing everyone on this bus? Aren’t you going to do something? What kind of father are you?”
The father jumped at the touch and looked around. He looked at his children, and he saw everyone nodding their approval to the man’s intercessions. “Excuse me, I’m sorry,” he said in a low voice. “We’ve just left the hospital. My wife passed away this afternoon, and I guess we just don’t know how to act.”
Can you imagine the silence in that bus? Suddenly everyone realized why the father was staring out the window and why the children were being so rowdy. What had been a great offense to them suddenly changed into thoughts of sympathy and understanding, and they were sorry to have stomped all over the poor family’s grief. The Christian who is able to give grace to an offending brother rather than judge him by outward appearances demonstrates that he is a spiritual mature individual. Likewise the Christian who is tempted to take offense demonstrates his spiritual maturity by not thinking more of himself than what he ought to think (Rom 12:3).
When someone commits an offense, you have three options:
- Reject the feelings of offense and simply forgive the offender. Jesus did this when Peter offended him in Mat 16:23.
- Receive the feelings of offense and harbor them in your heart. Absalom did this when David offended him.
- Go to the person who committed the offense, and correct him. Paul did this when Peter offended the Gentile Christians (Gal 2:11).
Again, except for clear cases of sins unto death, option one is to be highly preferred, even before option three, which is the three-step formula of Mat 18:15-17. Obviously, option two is never valid for the Christian, but many have chosen it. Bitterness is the result, which is a serious sin unto death that can affect many, even if the original offense was unintentional! The whole bus-load of passengers was offended by the apparently neglectful father, but they had wrongly read the situation! This is so often true in many occasions of offense in churches today. We criticize and judge, we believe gossip and stories, we take sides and participate – all without complete knowledge of the situation. There is a better way, the way of love as described in 1Cor 13. Give grace to the brother that offends, give no offence to others (2Cor 6:3).
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.
Earlier, Jesus said this to Peter after he professed to believe that Jesus was the Christ, but here He speaks to all the disciples. In both instances, the topic is the church (Mat 16:18; Mat 18:17), an institution not yet known to the disciples. Outside of these two passages, the word church (ekklesia) occurs nowhere else in the Gospels. The words bind and loose, meanwhile, were used by the Jews in applications of the Law, declaring something either to be allowable or to be unlawful (compare 1Cor 7:27). Thus, Jesus affirms that in His Kingdom, the churches would be charged with interpreting and applying the Scriptures, and also to discipline the disobedient and rebellious. The ekklesia, according to its usage in the Septuagint, refers to the congregation, or assembly of the people. Never, in either the NT or the Greek OT, does ekklesia refer to an assembly of elders, the Sanhedrin, or other official ministerial council. So in giving authority to the church body, Jesus excluded those authority structures. He even defines the minimum size for a church – two people!
These verses must never be construed to mean that heaven will support whatever the church decides on a matter. The great variety of churches and doctrines make that an impossible idea. Some do not believe homosexuality is a sin; does heaven support their determination? Second, such an idea would deny the absolute authority of the Scriptures, for each church could essentially establish its own heaven-supported principles. Proof that this notion is erroneous is shown by reading the Acts and Epistles of the Apostles, whose writings demonstrate they never thought Jesus had given them or the churches that authority. Everywhere in the NT we are impressed with the fact that the Apostles moved and operated as Heaven dictated, not vice versa.
I further see these verses as a solemn reminder that a church’s “binding and loosing” decisions on earth must correspond to heavenly principles and laws. After all, Jesus is the head; the body needs to be ever searching to bind itself to His mind and will. And that is exactly how the Apostles acted in the NT church. The NASB translation directly supports this idea: Whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven. A church must carefully and wisely establish their decisions, interpretations and applications of the Scriptures to agree with what has already been established in heaven. To bind and loose, in both the Jewish and Christian sense, is a declaratory action rather than a self-originated mandate. What the churches of Christ declare to be bound or loosed on earth was first so mandated by heaven. If it be otherwise, that church is operating outside of its authority and its actions are invalid.
The harmonization of these twin statements, is that in Mat 16:19 Jesus spoke to the disciples alone and affirmed that the Holy Spirit would underwrite the acts of the Apostles such that the correct and perfect foundation of the Church of Christ might be laid. He further certified that the decisions of the Apostles would have heavenly authority and that they must (and will) bind and loose in accordance with what has been bound in heaven. Therefore, Jesus endorsed the Scriptures (all written by His Apostles) as divinely inspired and authoritative, to be accepted as His own words and doctrine. However, in Mat 18:18 the context shows Jesus speaking more broadly to churches down through the ages to our present time. The foundational principles and doctrines of the Kingdom have been established by the Apostles in the NT Scriptures, and He now gives a two-fold charge to the churches: they are given the authority to discipline their members and they are held responsible to be sure that their decisions agree with heavenly-established Scriptures.
This exposes the twin extremes that both Catholic and Protestant churches have taken. The first extreme follows the Roman Catholic Church’s precedent of investing the clerical body with the authority to bind and loose. To these, the individual church becomes “the Church,” and the standards and doctrines she has decided are sacrosanct and “bound in heaven.” They rule over their members in strictitude and discipline, forcing tithe of mint and cummin while omitting the weightier matters. In effect, they shut up the Kingdom of heaven against men (Mat 23:13) and act as lords over God’s heritage (1Pet 5:3; Mark 10:42-44). But the other extreme is no less erroneous! These are the churches that will not bind and loose in their membership. Sins of flesh and spirit sit on their pews glaringly uncorrected, growing ever more blatant and atrocious.
Again, Jesus here gives authority to the churches for application of the Truth and discipline; not as the churches deem best, but according to heaven-set principles. Note that the topic is not the universal Church of Christ, but the local church body, even if there are as few as two members. The core meaning of John 20:23 parallels the meaning of verse 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. 20 For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.
The promise that the Father will give to His children their every petition is repeated in all the Gospels (Mat 21:22; Luke 11:9; John 16:23). However, certain conditions must be met. Jesus does not give a blank check to any two or three who ask in His name! (see also John 14:13-14). As proof of this fact, remember that the Apostles’ had just failed to receive their petition that God cast out a demon from the deaf and dumb lad. Neither did the apostle Paul receive his petition that God remove the thorn in his flesh. In spite of the church’s prayers, the apostle James was imprisoned and beheaded just a few years after Jesus ascended into heaven. Here are the conditions:
- If we ask anything according to His will, He heareth us (1John 5:14).
- Whatsoever we ask, we receive of Him, because we keep His commandments (1John 3:22).
- If ye abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you (John 15:7).
- Let him ask in faith, nothing wavering…let not that man think that he shall receive anything of the Lord (James 1:5-7).
- Ye ask and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts (James 4:3).
Our God is all-good, all-wise and all-powerful. His will and ways are far beyond our comprehension (Is 55:9). Being good, He will not give us something that will harm us (Mat 7:9-11). Being all-powerful, He will make the bad things of life to result in our spiritual good (Rom 8:28; Is 61:3). God designed time and human experience to follow its “natural” course, but He does interject in subtle ways to adjust it. Very rarely does He operate in obviously supernatural actions that do not follow the natural laws under which He made the universe to function, for that would undermine the very concept of walking by Faith.
Jesus gives the unmistakable impression that there is added power when the church in union prays to the Father. The verse begins, Again I say unto you, by which we understand that He is restating the thought of the previous verses. Two or three gathered in Christ’s name is a church, and Jesus promises to attend every assembly of believers! This promise has blessed many in persecuted countries, in prison cells and in times of trial and tribulation.
The picture of Jesus being spiritually present with a church body in prayer to the Father mirrors the appropriate avenue for effective prayer, Whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in My name, He may give it you (John 15:16). The church prays to the Father, but in agreement with the will of Christ, who Himself is present as they pray. Obviously, the church does not have perfect knowledge of Christ’s will, and so she relies also upon the Holy Spirit to guide her prayers (Rom 8:26). There is power in the prayers of a unified church, that is the truth of these verses. When the prayers of the saints ascend up to heaven mingled with the incense of Christ, then the hand of God acts upon the earth in power (see Rev 8:3-5).
21 Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? 22 Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.
Evidently the disciples were pondering Jesus’ formula for resolving offenses. How often must they forgive the offender (Mat 18:15)? Peter, apparently wishing to fix the bounds of duty to forgive, suggests seven times as a generous limit. Jesus surprises them all, Not until seven times: but until seventy times seven – 490 times! And even then He was not speaking literally, for the one who keeps track of his brother’s offenses has not forgiven from the heart (Mat 18:35). God does not stop forgiving us at number 491 either, if we are constant to confess to Him (1John 1:9).
Compare Jesus’ command to forgive those that offend us until seventy times seven with rebellious and worldly Lamech, who boasted that he would revenge those who offend him seventy and seven fold (Gen 4:24). Forgiving our fellow man his trespasses is a commandment that even supersedes the worship of God (Mat 5:23-24), for God’s forgiveness is contingent upon us forgiving others (Mat 6:14; Mark 11:25). The following parable illustrates this truth very clearly.
The NIV translates seventy times seven as “seventy-seven times.” That translation is not due to differences in manuscripts, but is the view of English translators. In my opinion “seventy-seven” does not comport well with the context. Jesus is making the point that we must always forgive our brother when he sins against us. He does this in a demonstrable way, taking Peter’s suggestion (seven) and making a large number that is not meant to be taken literally. While both translations are well out of range to literal interpretation, seventy times seven better fits the intent of Jesus’ teaching. In another occasion, Jesus said we must forgive our brother even if he sins against us seven times in one day (Luke 17:4).
23 Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king, which would take account of his servants. 24 And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, which owed him ten thousand talents. 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. 26 The servant therefore fell down, and worshipped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. 27 Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt. 28 But the same servant went out, and found one of his fellowservants, which owed him an hundred pence: and he laid hands on him, and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me that thou owest. 29 And his fellowservant fell down at his feet, and besought him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. 30 And he would not: but went and cast him into prison, till he should pay the debt. 31 So when his fellowservants saw what was done, they were very sorry, and came and told unto their lord all that was done. 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: 33 Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee? 34 And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him.
This parable, recorded solely in the gospel of Matthew, teaches that God forgives man based upon his forgiveness of others (Mat 6:12-15; Mark 11:25-26; Luke 17:3-4). The huge debt of sin which God will forgive those who ask is represented by the sum of ten thousand talents, the Greek is, “a myriad talents.” It is a debt far beyond any hope of repayment. Compare this with the fellowservant’s debt of an hundred pence (denarion). A denarius was equal to about one day’s work (Mat 20:2). The servant’s debt of ten thousand talents is 600,000 times larger than his fellow-servant’s debt of a hundred pence. It is like someone owing you $100 while you owe someone else $60,000,000! Such does our debt of sin compare to the debts our fellow-man owes us.
The great benevolence, kindness, mercy and compassion of this King stand in sharp contrast to the character of His servant. These attributes of God are why it is possible for man to be saved, for not one man is capable of repaying the great debt his sin has incurred.
Especially evident in this parable is the inconsistency in Calvinism’s teaching of once saved, always saved. The Lord initially forgave, but later re-imposed the full debt when the servant failed to demonstrate like compassion, and was subsequently delivered to the tormentors till he should pay all that was due. Those who believe that hell is not eternal are also found to be on the wrong side of Scripture here (see note Mat 18:8).
Selling the servant’s wife and children to be slaves was not an uncommon way of repaying a debt, and here it parallels the debt incurred by the sin of Adam, by which the posterity of Adam was sold to Satan. For all have sinned, and therefore all are debtors to God and destined for justice and torment. Consistent with that picture is the later scene of the servant being delivered to the tormentors, which is an uncomfortable reference to Satan and his place of hell.
35 So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.
There is a particular phrase in this verse that I believe is the cause of many cases of unforgiveness and bitterness in persons. If ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses. So often people say they have forgiven, but their speech and actions betray them. They have not forgiven from the heart. True forgiveness, although not equal to forgetting, is much more than repeating the words. It is a constant, continual releasing of the offender from the offense he has committed. Sometimes a person must forgive daily, or even multiple times in a day – that is forgiveness “from the heart.”
Forgiveness is not free; it will cost you dearly. That’s because forgiveness is a commitment to pay the debt of the offender yourself, just as the King in this parable himself paid the debt that his servant had incurred. Whether it be a debt of money or any other offense, the cost of forgiveness is never less than the cost of the offense! If a person is able to grasp that truth, forgiveness from the heart is more easily attained. Jesus paid your debt of sin – incurred by you offending His righteous laws; so also you must pay the debts incurred by your brothers’ trespasses against you. In practice, that means you may not hold that debt against your brother any longer. You have agreed to pay that debt yourself! Nor may you bring it up again to remind him of his trespass; you have marked it “paid in full.” That is what Christ has done for you, so that is what you must do for others. This is the solemn and sober, yet beautiful and amazing truth of the parable.
This parable is often cited by theologians in the great debate to define the Atonement of Christ. Some view the Atonement as a Ransom transaction whereby Christ freed Mankind from the clutches of Satan by paying the debt of Mankind’s sin (Mat 20:28). Others view the Atonement as a Substitutionary transaction whereby Christ was punished for Mankind’s offenses and thereby satisfied God’s justice (Rom 4:25). Both views have support in the Scriptures and demonstrate that the actions whereby God and man were reconciled are complex and profound. The most important Old Testament type on the matter was the Day of Atonement, which itself was a very detailed and elaborate ceremony centered upon two goats. The first was offered up as a sin offering and its blood taken into the Holy of Holies, but the second goat had the sins of the people laid upon it and was left to roam in the wilderness, forever the sin-bearer (see note Heb 9:7).