Matthew 18

Matthew 18:1

At that time the disciples came to Jesus and said, “Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”

(a) Greatest; see entry for Matt. 18:4.

(b) The kingdom of heaven; see entry for Matt. 3:2.

Matthew 18:2

And he called a child to himself and set him before them,

In the other Gospel accounts, little children or infants were brought to Jesus (Mark 10:13, Luke 18:15).

Matthew 18:3

and said, “Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.

(a) Children are helpless. The original word (paidion) means a little child. Little children can’t do anything for themselves other than cry for help. All who call on the name of the Lord with the helplessness of a child will be saved.

Further reading: “Become like a little child?”

(b) The kingdom of heaven; see entry for Matt. 3:2.

Matthew 18:4

“Whoever then humbles himself as this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

(a) Humbles himself. The only way to approach God our Helper is with the helplessness of a little child. We must acknowledge that there is nothing we can do and no sacrifice we can bring that might save us. We are saved by grace alone.

(b) Greatest in the kingdom. Those who acknowledge their total dependence on God are recognized for their faith. Conversely, those who boast about their performance or try to stand on their own merits, are dismissed as deluded.

Matthew 18:5

“And whoever receives one such child in my name receives me;

One such child. A believer, someone who depends on the Lord. To receive or serve a Christian is to receive or serve Christ himself (Matt. 25:40). “Whoever receives you receives me” (Matt. 10:40).

Matthew 18:6

but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him to have a heavy millstone hung around his neck, and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.

(a) Whoever causes. Those who cause Christians to fall from grace.

Examples include the accursed teachers who preached “another gospel” to the Galatians causing them to stumble and those in the circumcision group who caused Peter to withdrew from the Gentiles and come under condemnation (Gal. 1:6–9, 2:11–12).

(b) Little ones. A believer, someone who depends on the Lord (see Matt. 18:3–4).

(c) Stumble. Trip or fall. Jesus took a dim view of those who put stumbling blocks in front of people (Matt. 13:41).

(d) Millstone. Tying weights to people’s necks and drowning them was something the Romans did in special cases of infamy. Jesus is basically saying, “Because the business of saving lives is such a serious business, whoever causes an ambassador of mine to stumble does incalculable harm.” Consider the damage that might have been done if Peter had remained under condemnation and had not been confronted by Paul.

Further reading: “The one about the millstone and the sea”

Matthew 18:7

“Woe to the world because of its stumbling blocks! For it is inevitable that stumbling blocks come; but woe to that man through whom the stumbling block comes!

(a) Woe is an expression of grief, not judgment; see entry for Matt. 23:13.

(b) World. Fallen humanity; see the entry for Matt. 4:8.

(c) Stumbling blocks. Things which hinder people from coming to the Savior and walking in his grace.

The world is lost and in need of salvation. Since the good news of a Savior is revealed through God’s “little ones” or disciples, those who cause Christians to stumble are hindering people from being saved. Just was weeds among the wheat reduce crop yields, stumbling blocks diminish the gospel harvest (Matt. 13:24–30). This is a great tragedy (Luke 17:1).

Matthew 18:8

“If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it from you; it is better for you to enter life crippled or lame, than to have two hands or two feet and be cast into the eternal fire.

(a) Cut it off; see entry for Matt. 5:30.

(b) Enter life. Two kinds of life are described in the Bible; the psuche– or soul life we inherited from Adam and the everlasting zoe– or spirit life that comes from God (John 5:26). It’s the second kind of life that is described here. See entry for New Life.

(c) Eternal Fire. Jesus often spoke of fire in connection with Judgment Day (Matt. 5:22, 13:42, 50, 18:9, 25:41, Mark 9:43, Luke 17:29–30, John 15:6). He did not dread this fire but he looked forward to it knowing that it would spell the end of sin and usher in eternity (see entry for Luke 12:49).

Matthew 18:9

“If your eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out and throw it from you. It is better for you to enter life with one eye, than to have two eyes and be cast into the fiery hell.

(a) Pluck it out; see entry for Matt. 5:30.

(b) Enter life; see previous verse.

(c) Fiery hell; see entry for Matt. 5:22.

Matthew 18:10

“See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that their angels in heaven continually see the face of My Father who is in heaven.

(a) Little ones. A believer, someone who depends on the Lord (see Matt. 18:3–4).

(b) Their angels. Angelic beings who serve as ministering spirits and provide divine protection (Ps. 91:11, Heb. 1:14).

(c) See the face. The seraphim cover their faces in awe of God’s glory (Is. 6:2), but the angels who watch over us have a direct line of communication with the Father. They are ready to receive and immediately respond to his instructions.

(b) My Father; see entry for Matthew 5:16.

Matthew 18:11

[“For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost.]

(a) The Son of Man; see entry for Matt. 8:20.

(b) Lost. Through the prophets God had promised that he would search for his lost sheep and bring back the strays (Eze. 34:11, 16). To be lost is to be valued. The lost sheep belongs to the shepherd (Luke 15:4), the lost coin belongs to the woman (Luke 15:8), and the lost son belongs to the father (Luke 15:24).

Matthew 18:12

“What do you think? If any man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go and search for the one that is straying?

(a) What do you think? Jesus engages his disciples with a direct question. What follows is the parable of the Lost Sheep which Jesus told on more than one occasion. Here the parable is directed to his disciples and it concerns straying Christians. In Luke’s Gospel, the parable is directed to the Pharisees and scribes and it is concerned with those they dismissed as “sinners” (Luke 15:3–7).

(b) A hundred sheep is a substantial flock. To lose one sheep might be considered an acceptable loss, but a good shepherd values every one. He will not accept the loss of a single sheep but will search for those that stray.

(c) Gone astray. Like sheep, Christians sometimes stray. They might get misled by a false prophet or teacher, or they may become distracted and drift away.

(d) The ninety-nine. Some leaders might be untroubled by the loss of a single believer. They see the ninety-nine who are healthy and give little thought to the one who has wandered. But a good leader, one with the heart of the Good Shepherd, will search for the one who has strayed.

Matthew 18:13

“If it turns out that he finds it, truly I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine which have not gone astray.

(a) If. There is no certainty that the straying Christian will be brought back to the fold.

(b) Rejoices. Restoration is always an occasion for joyous celebration.

Matthew 18:14

“So it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones perish.

(a) The will of your Father is to go after straying believers. Don’t write them off, but seek to bring them back.

If the old covenant was characterized by negligent shepherds (Jer. 23:1–2, Eze. 34:2–4), the new covenant is characterized by Christlike shepherds who nurture the sheep and rescue the strays (Jer. 23:4, Gal. 6:1).

(b) Your Father; see entry for Matthew 5:16.

(c) Little ones. A believer, someone who depends on the Lord (see Matt. 18:3–4).

(d) Perish or be lost. The original verb (apollumi) is sometimes translated as lost (e.g., Luke 15:4, 6).

Matthew 18:15

“If your brother sins, go and show him his fault in private; if he listens to you, you have won your brother.

(a) If your brother sins. In the church, our default position is to be fervent in our love for one another, “because love covers a multitude of sins” (1 Pet. 4:8). But that does not mean turning a blind eye to sinful and destructive behavior. Our brothers and sisters will sin from time to time. So will we. Jesus tells us how to act when that happens.

(b) Show him his fault in private. Since love covers a multitude of sins, our default response is to always protect and cover those who have lost their way. Do unto them what you would want done to yourself. Expose the fault. If he listens, deal with it and be done with it.

Sadly, this does not always happen in practice. When some sin is committed a whistle-blower alerts the leaders and the sinner is called out in public. Maybe the pastor drops a few hints in their sermon that they are aware of some ongoing issue. The sinner feels guilty, confesses, and is brought up the front to repent in public. Their humiliation is meant to serve as a warning to others. It’s the modern equivalent of the scarlet letter, and Jesus is encouraging no such thing here. Church discipline ought to be gentle and restorative, rather than confrontational and punitive.

(c) You have won your brother. Real love speaks out (Pro. 27:5). If you deal with the issue in a sensitive and caring manner, they will love you for looking out for them.

Matthew 18:16

“But if he does not listen to you, take one or two more with you, so that “by the mouth of two or three witnesses every fact may be confirmed.”

(a) If he does not listen to you, don’t run to the church leaders or write letters to your denominational board. Be discrete. Get his friends involved. Convince him that this is a real issue that needs to be addressed before he hurts himself.

(b) Two or three witnesses will be more convincing; see Deu. 19:15.

Matthew 18:17


“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.

(a) Tell it to the church. If he refuses to repent, take steps to protect the community from the consequences of his sinful action. Don’t normalize or validate his destructive behavior.

The Corinthians famously did not do this. One of their number was engaged in sexual immorality and instead of confronting the man some in the church boasted of their tolerance (1 Cor. 5:1–2, 6). Paul was horrified. “Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump of dough?” (1 Cor. 5:6).

(b) Church; see entry for Matt. 16:18.

(c) Gentile and a tax collector. If he refuses to listen to the church, his heart is obviously not with you. Don’t hate the guy. Just treat him as you would treat any other sinner. Love him, pray for him, but don’t put him on the worship team or give him any sort of platform. In extreme examples, you may have to ask him to leave (1 Cor. 5:2).

See also the entry for Discipline.

Matthew 18:19

“Again I say to you, that if two of you agree on earth about anything that they may ask, it shall be done for them by My Father who is in heaven.

(a) My Father; see entry for Matthew 5:16.

(b) It shall be done. The God Jesus revealed is a listening and responsive Father (Matt. 6:8, 7:11, Luke 11:13, John 15:16, 16:23, 26). He hears your prayers and knows your needs even before you ask him (Matt 6:8).

Matthew 18:21

Then Peter came and said to Him, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to seven times?”

(a) My brother. The context is a Christian brother or sister sinning against you (see Matt. 18:15). In Luke’s account, repentance is listed as a condition for forgiveness (Luke 17:3). But here in Matthew, we are exhorted to forgive sinning brothers or sisters unconditionally (see next verse).

(b) Forgive. To forgive means to send away or dismiss. It is a deliberate letting go or dismissal of a debt, sin, or transgression. See entry for Forgiveness.

(c) Up to seven times? Peter is well-meaning, but his seemingly generous offer smacks of self-righteousness.

To be self-righteous is to place confidence in one’s goodness or moral performance. “I can forgive anything.” It’s seeking rules to be measured by. “I can do it seven times!” It’s justifying oneself by making comparisons with others. “The rabbis say we should forgive three times, but I can do more!”

Self-righteousness is taking pride in your ability to keep the rules. It’s saying, as the Israelites did at the foot of Mt. Sinai, “Just tell us what to do and we’ll do it” (Ex. 19:8).

It is the nature of the flesh to be self-righteous, to judge ourselves as good and decent, especially in comparison with others. Peter was no better or worse than any of us. He just had the misfortune of getting his self-righteous boasts recorded in the Bible. “Even if all others reject you, Lord, I never will” (Matt. 26:33). God bless Peter for his brash mouth because he got Jesus talking, and what Jesus said next is good news for self-righteous promise-breakers like Peter, the Israelites, and the rest of us.

Matthew 18:22

Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.

(a) Up to seventy times seven. “Seven times!” Jesus snorts. “Try seventy times seven.” In other words, be extravagant with your forgiveness. Forgive as Christ forgave you – without hesitation, reservation, or qualification (Col. 3:13).

Prior to the cross, Jesus preached conditional forgiveness to people living under the old covenant. “If you forgive, God will forgive” (Matt. 6:14, Mark 11:25). However, as the messenger of the new covenant, he also demonstrated and proclaimed unconditional forgiveness (Matt. 9:2, 18:27, Luke 7:42, 47, 11:4, 23:34).

(b) Seventy times seven is the same large number that Lamech used when speaking of how much protection he believed God would give him (Gen 4:24).

Matthew 18:23

For this reason the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his slaves.

(a) For this reason. In other words, “Let me explain what I mean by unlimited forgiveness” (see previous verse). The following parable of the Unforgiving or Unmerciful Servant should not be read as a Lonely Planet guide to the kingdom of heaven, nor is it a morality tale about passing along acts of kindness. It is an illustration of how debtors are forgiven and freed in God’s economy of grace.

(b) A king. A better title for this parable may be the Forgiving King, since the king is the star of this story. In our world there is no shortage of cruel and unforgiving people. But there has never been a king who forgives like this one.

(c) Settle accounts. A desire to settle accounts is a desire to square the ledger, clear all debts, and move forward in a relationship. Unlike pharaoh who enslaved his entire nation (Gen. 47:19–21), this king doesn’t want his subjects to be encumbered by past obligations.

(d) Slaves. The original word (doulos) describes someone bound in servitude, but it does not typically mean a shackle-bound slave doing menial labor. The slaves in Jesus’ parables had a variety of occupations and included field hands (Matt. 13:27), agricultural agents (Matt. 21:34), heralds (Matt. 22:3), security staff (Luke 12:36–37), shepherds (Luke 17:7), cooks (Luke 17:8), business partners (Matt. 25:14), estate managers (Mark 13:34), and investors (Luke 19:13). In this parable the slaves are public servants and government officials in the service of the king.

Many types of slavery are mentioned in the Bible. There were household slaves, temple slaves, palace slaves, and foreign slaves. The treatment of slaves varied greatly depending on the culture and context. Some Bibles translate slaves as servants, but the former word is more accurate. Slaves belonged to their masters while servants were employees who were free to come and go.

Matthew 18:27

“And the lord of that slave felt compassion and released him and forgave him the debt.

(a) Forgave him the debt. Jesus told this story to show us that God freely forgives us on account of grace and without any regard for our behavior (Eph. 1:7). Jesus died for us while we were sinners, and he forgave us while we were sinners (Col. 2:13). Before you repented, confessed, or did anything, the Lamb of God carried away all your sins – past, present, and future. See entry for Luke 23:34.

(b) Forgave. The God Jesus revealed is a merciful, gracious and forgiving Father (Matt. 6:14, Luke 6:36, 7:47, 15:22, 23:34, John 1:14). See entry for Forgiveness.

Matthew 18:33

‘Should you not also have had mercy on your fellow slave, in the same way that I had mercy on you?’

Mercy is one facet of God’s grace (Heb. 4:16). Mercy is how grace appears to the needy.

Just as we are saved by grace (Eph. 2:5), we are saved by mercy (Tit. 3:5). Just as we are forgiven by grace (Eph. 1:7), we are forgiven by mercy (Matt. 18:33, Luke 1:77-78, Heb. 8:12). See entry for Mercy.

Matthew 18:34

“And his lord, moved with anger, handed him over to the torturers until he should repay all that was owed him.

(a) Moved with anger. If there is one kind of wrath for breaking the law, there is greater wrath for scorning grace. “I paid a fortune to set you free, and this is how you thank me? I didn’t set you at liberty so you could terrorize people. You and I are not on the same page.”

It is not the man’s debt that provokes the king’s wrath but his refusal to receive the king’s forgiveness. In the same way it is not our sins that condemn us, for all our sins were carried by Jesus. It’s the stubborn refusal to believe that God has done everything he can to save us and clear our debts (John 3:36, Heb. 3:18–19).

(b) Handed him over to the torturers. His self-righteous quest to pay the unpayable will torment him for as long as lives.

This parable has three surprising elements. The first surprise is the extravagant forgiveness of the king. Who could be so generous? The answer, of course, is only God can forgive impossible debts. But just as we are feeling all warm and cozy about the grace of God, we are hit with the second and third surprises: the king changes his mind and reinstates the debt, and then he hands the debtor to the torturers. What does this say about the goodness of God?

Let’s start with the torturers. There are no torturers in the kingdom of God, but there are torturers and torments outside the kingdom, and this is where the man prefers to live. He could be free, except his pride keeps him bound. He could be dancing in the streets, except he refuses to receive his king’s forgiveness. He is the proud fool of whom the proverb speaks: “Pride leads to destruction, and arrogance to downfall” (Pro. 16:18, GNB). The torment of the haughty is self-inflicted, for sin is its own punishment. He will bear the weight of his impossible debt for as long as he lives.

What can the king do with such a man? There is only one thing he can do. “You reject grace? Very well, you shall have law. In the way you have judged, you will be judged. With the measure you use, it will be measured to you. Off to jail with you!”

Recall that Jesus is telling this story to Peter who had been bragging about his ability to forgive (Matt. 18:21). “Seven-times forgiveness, Peter? What will you do on the eighth time? Choke him and throw him in prison? My friend, unforgiveness is a bitter pill that leads to misery and torment.”

(c) Until he should repay all. Is God’s grace conditional or unconditional? Many commentators say it’s both, which is like saying hot is cold or light is dark. “God has forgiven all your sins, but if you don’t forgive others he will hold your sins against you.” No wonder people are confused.

Jesus is not contrasting two kinds of forgiveness, but two kinds of people: those who receive grace and those who refuse it, believers and unbelievers, sheep and goats. Forgiveness is given to all, but not all receive it. Those who do are radically changed. When Zacchaeus encountered the grace of God, the thief became a philanthropist. But the unmerciful servant remains unchanged because he’d rather hold onto his debt than receive grace.

On account of his pigheaded refusal to receive forgiveness, the man will remain in prison until his debt is paid. Except his debt has been paid. There is no debt. His prison of pride is locked from the inside and he can leave anytime. But he won’t leave because he has hardened his heart to the king. Having rejected the grace that could save him, he is unlikely to come to the place of repentance (Heb. 6:4–6).

(d) Repay all that was owed him. In the misery of his waning years the self-righteous man may feel as though God has set his hand against him. In a sense God has, for the merciless law is his instrument for resisting the proud (see entry for Jas. 4:6). The slave may rant and rail in a futile attempt to justify his rebellion, but the heavens will seem as though they are shut against him. For as long as he scorns grace, he will remain accursed, cut off from life, and beyond salvation (Rom. 2:1–3, Gal. 5:4).

Matthew 18:35

“My heavenly Father will also do the same to you, if each of you does not forgive his brother from your heart.”

(a) My heavenly Father will also do the same to you. The kicker which follows the parable troubles some people. Did Jesus really mean it? How do we explain it? Commentators typically offer four explanations: (1) Jesus didn’t mean it, (2) Jesus was talking about old covenant Jews, not you, (3) if you don’t forgive others, you’re not really saved, and (4) you are saved, but fail to forgive and God will punish you. The first two explanations miss the mark because Jesus is talking about the kingdom of heaven (see Matt. 18:23), while the latter two are a million miles from the heart of Jesus the Forgiving King.

Conditional forgiveness is cruel when it tells victims of sexual-, domestic- and other forms of abuse that they cannot be saved unless they forgive their abusers. If you’re struggling to forgive, rest assured that you are and always will be 100 percent forgiven according to the riches of God’s grace (Eph. 1:7). Don’t let anyone charge you for what God has freely provided.

(b) The same to you. The key word in this passage is you. You is not the old covenant Jews or the church in general. You is Peter (Matt. 18:21–22). You is anyone who is trying to impress God with their good works. Peter asked Jesus if we should be more forgiving than the three-time-forgiving rabbis (Matt, 18:21–22). The legalistic rabbis had one standard, Peter offered another. “How about seven times, Lord? Aren’t you impressed?” Jesus was not impressed. “One day, Pete, you’ll find yourself having to forgive the unforgivable. What will you do when you have drained the tank of your good intentions? You’ll be tormented like the man in the story.”

Seven times-forgiveness seems generous when compared with manmade metrics, but it’s nothing in comparison with the 10,000 times-grace of God. Seven times-forgiveness might get you through the morning, but the grace of God will sustain you for a lifetime.

(c) If each of you does not forgive his brother from your heart. In the Sermon on the Mount (Matt 6:14–15) and here again with Peter, Jesus preached a law of conditional forgiveness. This brutal law is intended to plow the pride out of our hearts so that we might see our need for grace. “So Pete, enough with this ‘seven-times and I’m done’ business. That’s not love. How long would a friendship last if you did that? How long would a marriage endure? You’d be divorced in a week! There is a better way, Pete, and it’s me. I am the Way. On the cross I will give you the greatest demonstration of forgiveness you have ever seen. And when you receive my grace you will be empowered to forgive others, even your enemies.”

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