Daily Bible Reading (Wednesday, January 24th)
16Matthew 18 (ESV)
Who Is the Greatest?
At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” 2 And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them3 and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
5 “Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, 6 but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin,[a] it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.
Temptations to Sin
7 “Woe to the world for temptations to sin![b] For it is necessary that temptations come, but woe to the one by whom the temptation comes! 8 And if your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life crippled or lame than with two hands or two feet to be thrown into the eternal fire. 9 And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into the hell[c] of fire.
The Parable of the Lost Sheep
10 “See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven.[d] 12 What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray? 13 And if he finds it, truly, I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray. 14 So it is not the will of my[e]Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.
If Your Brother Sins Against You
15 “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. 16 But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. 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. 18 Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed[f]in heaven. 19 Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. 20 For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.”
The Parable of the Unforgiving Servant
21 Then Peter came up and said to him, “Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?” 22 Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy-seven times.
23 “Therefore the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his servants.[g] 24 When he began to settle, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents.[h] 25 And since he could not pay, his master ordered him to be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and payment to be made. 26 So the servant[i] fell on his knees, imploring him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.’ 27 And out of pity for him, the master of that servant released him and forgave him the debt. 28 But when that same servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii,[j] and seizing him, he began to choke him, saying, ‘Pay what you owe.’ 29 So his fellow servant fell down and pleaded with him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you.’ 30 He refused and went and put him in prison until he should pay the debt. 31 When his fellow servants saw what had taken place, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their master all that had taken place. 32 Then his master summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. 33 And should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?’ 34 And in anger his master delivered him to the jailers,[k] until he should pay all his debt.35 So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart.”
Footnotes:
- Matthew 18:6 Greek causes… to stumble; also verses 8, 9
- Matthew 18:7 Greek stumbling blocks
- Matthew 18:9 Greek Gehenna
- Matthew 18:10 Some manuscripts add verse 11: For the Son of Man came to save the lost
- Matthew 18:14 Some manuscripts your
- Matthew 18:18 Or shall have been bound… shall have been loosed
- Matthew 18:23 Or bondservants; also verses 28, 31
- Matthew 18:24 A talent was a monetary unit worth about twenty years' wages for a laborer
- Matthew 18:26 Or bondservant; also verses 27, 28, 29, 32, 33
- Matthew 18:28 A denarius was a day's wage for a laborer
- Matthew 18:34 Greek torturers
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16 Comments
Arturo Jan 24, 2018 @ 8:36 pm
Lord God, forgive me when I’ve sinned against you and you only. In remembrance of Psalm 51.
Tyler T. Bull Jan 24, 2018 @ 8:30 pm
Verses 21-35. A good reminder to be forgiving of others. I've been forgiven a lot more than anyone could ever wrong me. There's no room for grudges, or unforgiveness because Christ has forgiven us far more. And yet immediately preceding this passage, is a strict warning against sin. It is necessary that I take sin seriously, for the offense it is to God. The seriousness of hell, but not to take offense myself, or succumb to self preservation when wronged.
Arturo Jan 24, 2018 @ 3:18 pm
Amen Sarah. What a heartfelt confession.
Noah Tiemeyer Jan 24, 2018 @ 10:39 am
Great reminder that the Christian should be defined by humility, hatred of sin and forgiveness. Easy to get caught up thinking its about outward behavior instead of where our hearts are. Praying God would use his word today to fix our hearts on Him.
Chance Hunt Jan 24, 2018 @ 10:36 am
I love the window into the Father's heart we get through vv. 13-14: "And if he finds it, truly, I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray. So it is not the will of my[e]Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish." Praying we would be a church that exemplifies this same heart!
Dawn Brooks Jan 24, 2018 @ 10:30 am
I too, cry out to be more convicted of my sin and for a childlike dependence on God in all things. Thank you also Sarah for your comments on "radical reactions": pulling out.....avoiding....putting on, taking off. Great reflections. I am also thankful for a God who goes after wandering souls, and lovingly brings them home with great rejoicing. What a beautiful picture!!
Ben Tiemeyer Jan 24, 2018 @ 8:33 am
The parable at the end shows clearly how ridiculous it must seem to Christ when His forgiven people refuse to forgive others, Lord please remind me of the great debt I owed from my sin so that I can be truly forgiving to others!
Mason Pilkinton Jan 24, 2018 @ 8:18 am
The last words of the chapter stand out to me. From your heart. Forgiveness is not just words but actually forgiving from your heart. I struggle with that. Letting bitterness hold on to my heart even if I have said "I forgive you". Lord please help me truly forgive, because you have forgiven me. Help me take my eyes off of myself and put them on you. May you be the desire of my heart and not self preservation. Thank you Lord for your mercies and grace.
Bruce Blakey Jan 24, 2018 @ 7:58 am
I am always struck by the significance of verses 15-35. This passage makes a strong statement about holiness, true fellowship, and real forgiveness. If we don't care about sin on the personal level then we can preach whatever we want and it will not make any difference. I must care about the purity of the church enough to help my brothers and sisters see sin and I must be known as a forgiver if I am to even call myself a Christian. This is serious stuff that I need to pay attention to every day.
Tommy Hard Jan 24, 2018 @ 7:53 am
Theme summary: The one who will enter and be greatest in the kingdom of God will turn and have the humble faith of a child, and God guards their purity and faith ferociously. We too should guard ourselves from temptation to sin, go all out in seeking to be reconciled with our brothers the way the Father goes after us, and forgiving as we have been forgiven. Great punishment awaits any who are faithless and do not act this way.
Sarah Birch Jan 24, 2018 @ 7:41 am
There is so much to this chapter's reading that is so applicable to my life! However, I think Christ's admonishment on temptations is the one that hits me the hardest. Christ commands a 'radical' reaction to the sin/temptations in our life. We are to fight these things hard when we see them in our life. Yet so often I just want to take it rather complacently by simply confessing my sin and praying next time will be better. That is not enough! I'm called to pull out the roots of sin in my life, avoid the things I know will tempt me, put on the things of Christ in place of the things I'm taking off, and be firm in the word. I pray that Christ will help this become a habit in my life.
Arturo Jan 24, 2018 @ 7:24 am
Amen Jason.
Jason Adam Jan 24, 2018 @ 6:48 am
I pray that the Holy Spirit will show me what "feet", "arms", and "eyes" I need to cut off or pluck out in my life, so that I can be an effective image bearer.
Art Wachdorf Jan 24, 2018 @ 6:33 am
Verses 8 - 9 remind us, remind me, of the need to be radical about sin in our lives. We must flee youthful lusts and remove the source of temptation from our lives. Jesus makes it clear how much we must hate our sin.
Colin Bradley Jan 24, 2018 @ 6:07 am
There is a lot in this chapter that I can practically apply to my daily walk with Christ. For me, the highlights include the warning against temptation and sin, which is a strong reminder of how we are to combat our flesh. Not through idle awareness but instead through intentional action! Furthermore, the parable of a lost sheep encourages me to think how much more would Christ do to seek out his lost! I am thankful he called me when I was lost. Finally, my lesson learned from the parable of the unforgiving servant is forgiveness...imagine that! Jesus gave up his life as an atonement for our sins. When our relationship is right with Christ we are able to freely forgive those who have wronged us. God I ask that you would convict me of my sin and help me fight it intentionally, I pray that you would use me as a shepherd to the lost sheep at work, and that you would give me a humble spirit of forgiveness so that I may share Christ’s love with others.
Keagan McLeese Jan 24, 2018 @ 5:57 am
I must become completely God-reliant. Jesus tells us to become like a child in our faith and dependence on Him in order to be great in His Kingdom. This goes along so well with Romans 8:15 and Galatians 4:6 where we cry, “Abba! Father!” because of the Spirit He has placed within us. To this I say, “Amen! Abba! Father! Please give me more childlike faith!”