The Gospels · New Testament

Matthew 18

Matthew 18: the little child, the lost sheep, the brother who trespasses, and the unforgiving servant

General context

The disciples ask who is greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Jesus sets a little child among them and says that unless they are converted and become as little children they will not enter the kingdom; the one who humbles himself like the child is greatest, and receiving such a child in his name receives him. He warns that offending one of the little ones would be worse than drowning with a millstone, pronounces woe on the world for offences, and says to cut off a hand or foot and pluck out an eye rather than be cast into fire. He says the little ones' angels behold his Father's face, that the Son of man came to save the lost, and tells of a man who leaves ninety-nine sheep to seek one astray and rejoices more over it. He then gives steps for a brother who trespasses: tell him alone, then take one or two witnesses, then tell the church, and if he refuses the church treat him as a heathen and a publican. He promises that what they bind or loose on earth is bound or loosed in heaven, that agreed prayer will be answered, and that he is present where two or three gather in his name. Peter asks whether to forgive seven times; Jesus says seventy times seven and tells of a king who forgives a servant ten thousand talents, after which that servant throttles a fellow servant over a hundred pence and imprisons him. The king delivers the servant to the tormentors, and Jesus says his heavenly Father will do likewise to those who do not forgive from their hearts.

Cited passages: Matthew 18:1, Matthew 18:2, Matthew 18:3, Matthew 18:4, Matthew 18:5, Matthew 18:6, Matthew 18:7, Matthew 18:8, Matthew 18:10, Matthew 18:11, Matthew 18:12, Matthew 18:15, Matthew 18:16, Matthew 18:17, Matthew 18:18, Matthew 18:19, Matthew 18:20, Matthew 18:21, Matthew 18:22, Matthew 18:24, Matthew 18:28, Matthew 18:30, Matthew 18:34, Matthew 18:35

Matthew 18 (KJV)

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

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

³And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.

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

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

⁶But 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.

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

⁸Wherefore 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.

⁹And 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.

¹⁰Take 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.

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

¹²How 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?

¹³And 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.

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

¹⁵Moreover 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.

¹⁶But 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.

¹⁷And 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.

¹⁸Verily 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.

¹⁹Again 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.

²⁰For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.

²¹Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times?

²²Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.

²³Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king, which would take account of his servants.

²⁴And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, which owed him ten thousand talents.

²⁵But 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.

²⁶The servant therefore fell down, and worshipped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all.

²⁷Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt.

²⁸But 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.

²⁹And his fellowservant fell down at his feet, and besought him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all.

³⁰And he would not: but went and cast him into prison, till he should pay the debt.

³¹So when his fellowservants saw what was done, they were very sorry, and came and told unto their lord all that was done.

³²Then 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:

³³Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee?

³⁴And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him.

³⁵So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.

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Historical context

The narrator gives no name for the child or its age beyond little child, and does not say whose child it is. Jesus' phrase these little ones which believe in me widens the reference beyond the one child set in the midst. The sayings about cutting off hand, foot and eye repeat sayings given in chapter 5, and the binding and loosing promise repeats in the plural what chapter 16 gave to Peter in the singular. The word church appears in Jesus' instructions for a trespassing brother, and the text does not describe how such a body is organized. The two or three witnesses recalls a principle of establishing every word by witnesses, which Jesus states as the reason for the step. The parable's sums, ten thousand talents and a hundred pence, are given without conversion; the text makes the contrast by the numbers alone. The king's sentence includes selling the man's wife and children, and the final punishment is delivery to the tormentors. Jesus applies the parable directly to his hearers, and the narrator does not soften the ending.

Cited passages: Matthew 18:2, Matthew 18:6, Matthew 18:9, Matthew 5:29, Matthew 18:18, Matthew 16:19, Matthew 18:17, Matthew 18:16, Matthew 18:24, Matthew 18:28, Matthew 18:25, Matthew 18:34, Matthew 18:35

Literary context

The chapter is one continuous discourse triggered by two questions, the disciples' about greatness and Peter's about forgiveness. The answer to the first inverts the question: greatness is measured by becoming small. The word offend links the warnings about causing others to stumble with the sayings about one's own hand and eye. The lost sheep story sits between the warning against despising little ones and the rule for a brother who sins, so that seeking the strayed and confronting the sinner stand side by side. The unforgiving servant's parable is built on repetition: the fellow servant's plea repeats the first servant's own plea almost word for word, and the lord's question repeats his own compassion back to the servant. The parable ends with a punishment that answers the earlier release, and Jesus' closing sentence removes any distance between the story and the hearers.

Cited passages: Matthew 18:4, Matthew 18:6, Matthew 18:8, Matthew 18:10, Matthew 18:13, Matthew 18:15, Matthew 18:26, Matthew 18:29, Matthew 18:33, Matthew 18:27, Matthew 18:34, Matthew 18:35

Key moments

A child in the midst (Matthew 18:2). Jesus answers the question about greatness by setting a little child among the disciples.
The millstone warning (Matthew 18:6). Jesus says offending one of the little ones is worse than drowning with a millstone.
One sheep astray (Matthew 18:12). Jesus tells of a man who leaves ninety-nine sheep to seek the one that strayed.
Tell him alone (Matthew 18:15). Jesus gives the first step for a brother who trespasses.
Seventy times seven (Matthew 18:22). Jesus answers Peter's question about how often to forgive.
The debt forgiven (Matthew 18:27). The lord is moved with compassion and forgives the servant ten thousand talents.
Delivered to the tormentors (Matthew 18:34). The lord punishes the servant who would not forgive a hundred pence.

For reflection

The fellow servant's plea repeats, almost word for word, the plea the first servant had made and been granted. What does the parable suggest about hearing one's own words spoken back by someone in need?