English · ASV

Matthew 18

Listen to this chapter
0:00 0:00

Humility and Greatness in the Kingdom 1–5

1
In that hour came the disciples unto Jesus, saying, Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven? ​
2
And he called to him a little child, and set him in the midst of them,
3
and said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye turn, and become as little children, ye shall in no wise enter into the kingdom of heaven. ​
4
Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
5
And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me:

Warnings Against Causing Others to Stumble 6–9

6
but whoso shall cause one of these little ones that believe on me to stumble, it is profitable for him that a great millstone should be hanged about his neck, and that he should be sunk in the depth of the sea. ​
7
Woe unto the world because of occasions of stumbling! for it must needs be that the occasions come; but woe to that man through whom the occasion cometh! ​
8
And if thy hand or thy foot causeth thee to stumble, cut it off, and cast it from thee: it is good for thee to enter into life maimed or halt, rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into the eternal fire. ​
9
And if thine eye causeth thee to stumble, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: it is good for thee to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast into the hell of fire.

The Value of the Little Ones (The Lost Sheep) 10–14

10
See 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 who is in heaven. ​
11
Not present in the manuscripts this translation follows.
12
How think ye? if any man have a hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and go unto the mountains, and seek that which goeth astray? ​
13
And if so be that he find it, verily I say unto you, he rejoiceth over it more than over the ninety and nine which have not gone astray.
14
Even so it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish. ​

Addressing Sin in the Community 15–20

15
And if thy brother sin against thee, go, show him his fault between thee and him alone: if he hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother. ​
16
But if he hear thee not, take with thee one or two more, that at the mouth of two witnesses or three every word may be established. ​
17
And if he refuse to hear them, tell it unto the church: and if he refuse to hear the church also, let him be unto thee as the Gentile and the publican. ​
18
Verily I say unto you, What things soever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and what things soever 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 anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father who is in heaven.
20
For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them. ​

The Parable of the Unforgiving Servant 21–35

21
Then came Peter and said to him, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? until seven times? ​
22
Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times; but, Until seventy times seven. ​
23
Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king, who would make a reckoning with his servants.
24
And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, that owed him ten thousand talents. ​
25
But forasmuch as he had not wherewith 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
And the lord of that servant, being moved with compassion, released him, and forgave him the debt. ​
28
But that servant went out, and found one of his fellow-servants, who owed him a hundred shillings: and he laid hold on him, and took him by the throat, saying, Pay what thou owest. ​
29
So his fellow-servant fell down and besought him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay thee.
30
And he would not: but went and cast him into prison, till he should pay that which was due.
31
So when his fellow-servants saw what was done, they were exceeding sorry, and came and told unto their lord all that was done.
32
Then his lord called him unto him, and saith to him, Thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou besoughtest me:
33
shouldest not thou also have had mercy on thy fellow-servant, even as I had mercy on thee?
34
And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due. ​
35
So shall also my heavenly Father do unto you, if ye forgive not every one his brother from your hearts. ​

Bible text: American Standard Version (1901) · Public domain

Study Notes for Matthew 18

Verse 1

Who is the greatest — Mark 9:34 records the setting: on the way 'they had disputed among themselves, who should be the greatest', and they 'held their peace' when asked. The strife returns at the Supper (Luke 22:24). Christ answers with a child (v.2) and with his own example: he 'came not to be ministered unto, but to minister' (Matt 20:28).

Verse 3

Except ye be converted — Strepho is to turn right round, here in the passive: the disciples are to be turned from the question of rank itself. 'Become as little children' (paidia, the word of v.2) restates the condition of Mark 10:15, 'Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein.'

Verse 6

offend one of these little ones — Skandalizo is to cause to stumble. The 'little ones' are described as those 'which believe in me', so the phrase reaches beyond children. The millstone is mylos onikos, one so large that a donkey turned it. The saying is repeated in Mark 9:42 and Luke 17:2.

Verse 7

Woe unto the world because of offences — Skandalon is whatever makes a person fall. Luke 17:1 gives the same two sayings: 'It is impossible but that offences will come: but woe unto him, through whom they come!' The woe falls twice, on the world that stumbles and on the man by whom the stumbling block comes.

Verse 8

cut them off, and cast them from thee — The same saying is given of the hand and the right eye in Matt 5:29–30, and Mark 9:43 adds 'the fire that never shall be quenched'. 'Everlasting fire' (aionios pyr) is the fire 'prepared for the devil and his angels' (Matt 25:41). 'Halt' (cholos) is lame and 'maimed' (kyllos) crippled.

Verse 10

their angels — The little ones have angels who always 'behold the face of my Father'. Scripture speaks elsewhere of angels sent to those who fear God: 'The angel of the LORD encampeth round about them that fear him' (Ps 34:7), and they are 'ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation' (Heb 1:14).

Verse 11

to save that which was lost — Apollymi is to lose or destroy, the verb translated 'perish' in v.14. Luke 19:10 gives the same declaration in fuller form: 'the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.' It supplies the reason for the shepherd's search in the verses that follow.

Verse 12

gone astray — Planao, to wander from the way. The shepherd 'goeth into the mountains, and seeketh' the one, as the LORD says of his flock in Ezek 34:12, 'As a shepherd seeketh out his flock… so will I seek out my sheep'. Luke 15:4–7 gives the same parable, with joy in heaven over one sinner that repenteth.

Verse 14

not the will of your Father — 'Will' is thelema, what God wills, and 'perish' is apollymi, the 'lost' of v.11. Peter states the same of God: he is 'not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance' (2 Pet 3:9). 'Your Father' answers 'my Father' in v.10.

Verse 15

thou hast gained thy brother — Kerdaino, to win; Paul uses it of winning people, 'that I might gain the more' (1 Cor 9:19). The private word 'between thee and him alone' follows Lev 19:17, 'thou shalt in any wise rebuke thy neighbour, and not suffer sin upon him'. Elencho, 'tell him his fault', is to show a person his error.

Verse 16

in the mouth of two or three witnesses — The rule is Deut 19:15: 'at the mouth of two witnesses, or at the mouth of three witnesses, shall the matter be established'. Paul quotes it in almost the same words of his third visit to Corinth (2 Cor 13:1). 'Word' (rhema) is a spoken matter, the thing alleged.

Verse 17

tell it unto the church — Ekklesia, an assembly, is found in the Gospels only here and in Matt 16:18, 'upon this rock I will build my church'. The 'publican' (telones) is the outsider of Matt 5:46–47, and ethnikos, 'heathen man', is found only here and in Matt 6:7. Yet the Twelve include 'Matthew the publican' (Matt 10:3).

Verse 18

bind… loose — Deo and lyo, to tie and to untie. The words were first spoken to Peter with 'the keys of the kingdom of heaven' (Matt 16:19); here 'ye' is plural, addressed to the disciples together. John 20:23 gives the same authority over sins: 'Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them'.

Verse 20

gathered together in my name — Synago, to assemble. 'There am I in the midst of them' joins the Gospel's first promise, Emmanuel, 'God with us' (Matt 1:23), to its last, 'lo, I am with you alway' (Matt 28:20). Paul speaks of the Corinthians 'gathered together' in 'the name of our Lord Jesus Christ' (1 Cor 5:4).

Verse 21

till seven times? — Peter takes up the brother who sins 'against' him (v.15) and asks how far forgiveness goes. Luke 17:4 records the same number from Christ, 'seven times in a day'. Aphiemi, 'forgive', is the verb that runs through the chapter, in vv.21, 27, 32 and 35.

Verse 22

seventy times seven — Hebdomekontakis, 'seventy times', occurs only here in the New Testament. It recalls Lamech's 'seventy and sevenfold' (Gen 4:24), the measure of his vengeance, and sets pardon at that measure beyond Peter's 'seven times' (heptakis).

Verse 24

ten thousand talents — Myrioi, ten thousand, is set against the 'hundred pence' of v.28, and a penny is a day's wage (Matt 20:2). 'Owed' is opheiletes, a debtor, the word of the prayer 'as we forgive our debtors' (Matt 6:12). The reckoning that begins here ends with the payment demanded in v.34.

Verse 27

moved with compassion — Splanchnizomai, from the word for the inward parts, is the verb of Christ's own pity in Matthew (Matt 9:36; 14:14; 15:32; 20:34) and of the father in Luke 15:20. The lord 'loosed' (apolyo) the servant and 'forgave' (aphiemi) the 'debt' (daneion, a loan, found only here in the New Testament).

Verse 28

took him by the throat — Pnigo, to choke. 'Fellowservants' (syndoulos) is the parable's repeated word (vv.28, 29, 31, 33), putting the second debtor on the same footing as the first. A hundred pence (denarion) is a hundred days' wage by the reckoning of Matt 20:2, and opheilo, 'owed', is used of this debt in vv.28 and 30 and of the first in v.34, 'all that was due unto him'.

Verse 34

delivered him to the tormentors — Basanistes, a torturer, occurs only here in the New Testament. The terms, 'till he should pay all', match Matt 5:25–26, where the one handed over is cast into prison and 'shalt by no means come out thence, till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing'.

Verse 35

from your hearts — Forgiveness is asked from the kardia, the heart. 'Trespasses' (paraptoma) is the word of Matt 6:14–15: 'if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses'. 'My heavenly Father' recalls vv.10 and 14, and 'his brother' recalls Peter's question in v.21.