Matthew 18

Matthew 18:1-5:
At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” Then Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them, 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. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me.

The Greek word Jesus uses for converted here means “a sharp twist.” Christ was telling these men, “You must undergo a sudden turning, a sharp twist, in your theology. You have to quickly turn away from all your thoughts of how to become special in my kingdom through your own works. That is the old way of doing things—and it is about to pass away.” David Wilkerson writes: “Likewise, Jesus is telling the church today: “Woe to any preacher, teacher or witness who puts a stumbling block before any of these baby converts. They come to me in simple faith and repentance. And you will incur my wrath if you offend them by saying, ‘Jesus is not enough. If you really want to be saved, you’ve got to do more. Here are the specific doctrines and guidelines of our church….’” Pastors, evangelists, teachers—let the seriousness of Jesus’ harsh words sink into your soul. “…Better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.

The Bible does not glorify war in itself, nor does it value the powerful over the weak. However, it recognizes the reality of war and the necessity of power: our world is shaped by conflict. The people of God are compared to sheep and the paradigmatic person at the heart of the kingdom is the little child, weak, defenceless, dependent, and vulnerable. Those who value vulnerability and weakness in a deeply hostile world must be prepared to defend it. The priesthood is charged with this task. The shepherd who loves his sheep and tenderly carries them in his bosom must be prepared and equipped mercilessly to fight the wolves, the bandits, the thieves, the bears, and the lions. He must be prepared to lay down his life in their defence. Those who perform this calling are servants of the sheep, not lords over them. The shepherd must put his life in jeopardy for the sake of the lives of his sheep, valuing them above himself. In a strange inversion of values, some Christians seem to have the notion that being a priest somehow means that you are greater than others.

This model of priesthood is a profoundly masculine one, involving combat and guarding at its heart. The association between martial virtues and masculinity is a close one. It doesn’t merely arise from the fact that men are generally more powerful, physically stronger, more combative, and that they naturally possess a greater drive and aptitude for the exercise of dominance and mastery, although these are all part of the picture.
--Alastairs Adversaria

Matthew 18:8-9:
If they hand or they foot offend thee, cut them off....and if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out

In context, this is a rebuke about self effort. If your hand tries to work out your problems, then stop it immediately. If your eye looks to someone else, then stop. It may mean you end up broken-hearted or emotionally lame. But it is either that or hell.

Jesus promised: "If two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven" (Matthew 18:10). One of the most powerful ways we can pray as intercessors is together with others. Consider forming an intercessory prayer team.

Matthew 18:11:
For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost.

That which was lost - Απολωλος. In Revelation 9:11, Satan is called Απολλυων, Apolluon, the destroyer, or him who lays waste. This name bears a near relation to that state in which our Lord tells us he finds all mankind - lost, desolated, ruined. So it appears that Satan and men have the nearest affinity to each other - as the destroyer and the destroyed - the desolator and the desolated - the loser and the lost. But the Son of man came to save the lost. Glorious news! May every lost soul find it!

Matthew 18:15-17:
“Moreover if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother.
17 And if he refuses to hear them, tell it to the church. But if he refuses even to hear the church, let him be to you like a heathen and a tax collector.

In Matthew 18:15-17, Jesus prescribes three progressive steps for handling personal offenses within the local church:
1) a private confrontation,
2) a witnessed confrontation,
3) a wider confrontation before the church.
At each step, the goal is repentance by the offender as a basis for reconciliation with the offender, so that fellowship may be restored with the victim. If all three approaches are rebuffed, then the offender is no longer part of the fellowship on earth (Matthew 18:17b), becoming instead an object of evangelism.

A fundamental point that must be understood early on in this discussion is that the crime of child sexual abuse is not merely a personal offense, but rather it is a urgent public concern. Child sexual abuse does not even fit into the paradigm of which Jesus was speaking in Matthew 18. Jesus never intended his statements in Matthew 18 to be twisted into the required method for handling murder, rape, torture, kidnapping, or genocide. Child sexual abuse is not a private matter but rather a public and civic one, rightly under the sword of the civil authority. All are endangered by this crime against a little one.

Matthew 18 is important for local church life, because Jesus commands us there how to deal with sin. But it is not the only passage in which Jesus tells us how to deal with sin. It must be properly synthesized with others that address the same subject directly and/or indirectly. It is critical to remember that all passages are regulated and interpreted by the balance of Scripture.
--G.R.A.C.E.

Matthew 18:18-22:
Matt 8:18-22: Now when Jesus saw a crowd around him, he gave orders to go over to the other side.
19 And a scribe came up and said to him, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.” 20 And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” 21 Another of the disciples said to him, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” 22 And Jesus said to him, “Follow me, and leave the dead to bury their own dead.”

For the Christian, this life is a test as well as a proving ground in which God grows and matures those who belong to Him through pruning and removing what is not of Him in order that the believer will be humbled and, therefore, enter deeper into the process of becoming more Christlike. There is a cost of following Jesus, but if you listen to certain preachers and teachers in our time, this is not true at all. Instead, what they teach is that repentance is not a part of one’s salvation at all. However, repentance is a marker of Christian authentication. On the other hand, in the visible Church in our time there are many voices that seek to normalize homosexuality for instance. However, to make this claim they must ignore what the Bible clearly teaches about what constitutes marriage (Genesis 2:24;1 Corinthians 7:8-9). Those who truly follow Jesus must do so on His terms, not the terms of this lost and dying world.