It was not more truly Christ's kingdom as man than He was God's own Son, His beloved Son, in whom He was well pleased, who was now to be heard, rather than Moses or Elias, who disappear, leaving Jesus alone with the chosen witnesses. Let them recognize the power that banished the leprosy, and the grace withal that touched the leper. Although this passage is certainly not a correct report of what Jesus said, it is equally certain that it goes back to something he did say. Take a leader or two along. Take away this unforgiving spirit that I have." We have here. "Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou Son of David!" That may well be the meaning. It is bound to happen. Most churches today take a more grace-based approach to sin. Matthew 1:18-19. 16 But if they will not listen, take one or two others along, so that 'every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.' let him be to thee as an heathen man and a publican. [3.] You may unsubscribe from Bible Gateways emails at any time. Conflict resolution is never easy. There will be differences at the close. In his defilement he came to Jesus and sought to be cleansed, before the delivery of the sermon on the mount. Henceforth, too, He forbids the disciples to proclaim Him as the Messiah. 1:11) concerning the behavior of people in the congregation in Corinth. Thus Matthew, called at the very receipt of custom, follows Jesus, and makes a feast for Him. "And He entered into a ship, and passed over, and came into His own city." Deuteronomy 19:15 has it: "A single witness shall not prevail against a man for any crime or for any wrong in connection with any offence that he has committed; only on the evidence of two witnesses or of three witnesses, shall a charge be sustained." Matthew 18:17 "the church" does that mean elders/overseers or the church body? We can imagine how the other shepherds would return with their flocks to the village fold at evening time, and how they would tell that one shepherd was still out on the mountain-side seeking a wanderer. Proud member Since the Protestant Reformation in the 16 th Century, a plethora of interpretations have developed surrounding the famous passage of Matthew 16:18-19, where Christ declares that Peter is the "rock" upon which He will found His Church and is the one to whom He will give the . such a one is incurably diseased. He said. The child's humility is the pattern of the Christian's behaviour to his fellow-men, and the child's dependence and trust are the pattern of the Christian's attitude towards God, the Father of all. What does the Bible mean when it says, Do not judge. It is worth more than having a whole body.As we were talking to you last Sunday about the trapping of muskrats, how that if you catch them by their paws, they turn around and gnaw their leg off and leave the paw in the trap. This verse is a tough pill for Protestants to swallow. It's just ripping me apart; it's tearing me up. (Matthew 18:15-17 KJV) William Burkitt's Commentary In these words our Saviour gives us an excellent rule for the duty of fraternal correction, or brotherly admonition. He was not called. Jesus reply shows that the severe action was not intended to be an alternative to forgiveness. She is a literary agent for Wordwise Media Services and a certified writing coach. He never thinks in terms of crowds; he thinks in terms of persons. I have to thank you for your blog and books. Most times if a Christian leader is living in sin but that sin is not against you, the appropriate step is not Matthew 18:15-20. [1] For a fuller treatment of this topic see: The Rescue of Matthew 18 available at Amazon.com in softcover and Kindle format. Or thou mayest, if thou wilt, break off thy friendship and familiarity with him; though thou must by no means study revenge, yet thou mayest choose whether thou wilt have any dealings with him, at least, in such a way as may give him an opportunity of doing the like again. "Blessed are the merciful," said Jesus, "for they shall obtain mercy" ( Matthew 5:7). Deuteronomy 19:15. So many times you probably wish, "Oh, if I could only be at Capernaum, and Jesus was there, and if I could only have Him lay His hands on me. When Jesus said, "Tell it to the church (assembly)," the disciples probably heard, "Tell it to all the other disciples, not just the two or three witnesses." It is an awful thing to receive a reproof from a church, from a minister, a reprover by office; and therefore it is the more regarded by such as pay any deference to an institution of Christ and his ambassadors. Note, The converting of a soul is the winning of that soul (Proverbs 11:30); and we should covet it, and labour after it, as gain to us; and, if the loss of a soul be a great loss, the gain of a soul is sure no small gain. 690-94.] Receiving a little child in Jesus' name refers to complete acceptance of a child-like believer because of his innocent and unrestrained trust in the Lord. For after this He sets forth the sign of the prophet Jonah, the repentance of the men of Nineveh, the preaching of Jonah, and the earnest zeal of the queen of the South in Solomon's day, when an incomparably greater was there despised. Do not stay till he comes to thee, but go to him, as the physician visits the patient, and the shepherd goes after the lost sheep." Should there still be no change, believers should treat the offender as if no longer part of their fellowship; though they should also desire the persons repentance and restoration (Matthew 18:15-18). That is an incredible debt. Yet is He the Son of man who hath power on earth to forgive sins; and He uses His authority. But it is expressly the pattern after which He was to deal, and will deal, with Israel. The Lord, however, in the same chapter, shows that it was not a question alone of what was to be done, or to be suffered, or is to be by-and-by, but what He was, and is, and never can but be. . Your book on healing has touched me in such a deep way. In our culture the closest equivalence would be civil or criminal offenses, not petty local church squabbles. The proper step is to tell the elders of the church directly to let them handle the situation since they are the authority over the pastor. Then the pitiable condition of the disciples at the foot of the hill, where Satan reigned in fallen ruined man, is tested by the fact, that notwithstanding all the glory of Jesus, Son of God and Son of man, the disciples rendered it evident that they knew not how to bring His grace into action for others; yet was it precisely their place and proper function here below. 2. It does not mean we treat people like moral contaminants. But observe, he doth not say, "Let him be to thee as a devil or damned spirit, as one whose case is desperate," but "as a heathen and a publican, as one in a capacity of being restored and received in again. "And forthwith when they were come out of the synagogue they entered into the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John; but Simon's wife's mother was sick of a fever, and anon they tell Him of her. Thank you. The woman at last meets the heart and mind of Jesus in the sense of all her utter nothingness before God; and then grace, which had wrought all up to this, though pent-up, can flow like a river; and the Lord can admire her faith, albeit from Himself, God's free gift. They said, "Lord when you come into your kingdom, would you let one of my sons be on your right hand? How difficult this must have been for Mary, her parents and Joseph. This as yet draws out wonder, at least from the witnessing multitudes, that God had given such power unto men. However, it seems that if the whole church gets involved in reproving the offender, some sort of communal, as well as individual, punishment would be involved. They forgot His glory in their own anxiety and selfishness. Read the Scripture: Matthew 18:20 Three of the vital areas of our lives are the church, the home and the nation. This ministry is sustained by the freewill offerings of those believe in the message of a radical grace in a new covenant understanding. Oh how the Lord loves the little children. The kingdom of heaven assumes a form unknown to prophecy, and, in its successive mysteries, fills up the interval between the rejected Christ's going to heaven, and His returning again in glory. It is clear that the unclean spirit, returning, brings idolatry back again. He doth not say, "If you shall agree to sentence and decree a thing, it shall be done" (as if ministers were judges and lords); but, "If you agree to ask it of God, from him you shall obtain it." He had been there before. I don't think the move from exegesis to application is that straightforward in this case. Nevertheless, the Lord did not withhold the infinite boon, though He knew too well their thoughts; He spoke the word of forgiveness, though He read their evil heart that counted it blasphemy. This is both a startling grant of authority and a warning to the disciples. This is fully explained by the apostle (1 Corinthians 6:1-20), where he reproves those that went to law before the unjust, and not before the saints (Matthew 18:1; Matthew 18:1), and would have the saints to judge those small matters (Matthew 18:2; Matthew 18:2) that pertain to this life, Matthew 18:3; Matthew 18:3. If you have any questions, please review our Privacy Policy or email us at privacy@biblegateway.com. To lose all for heavenly treasure, to come and follow the despised Nazarene here below what was it to compare with that which had brought Jesus to earth? The next chapter (Matthew 18:1-35) takes up the double thought of the kingdom and the Church, showing the requisite for entrance into the kingdom, and displaying or calling forth divine grace in the most lovely manner, and that in practice. It may be that what Jesus said was something like this: "When you have done all this, when you have given the sinner every chance, and when he remains stubborn and obdurate, you may think that he is no better than a renegade tax-collector, or even a godless Gentile. Woe unto the world because of offences! The Church or Ecclessia is a group of believers called out of the world and regenerated in their spirits. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and He prayed to be released from the dread situation which confronted him, he was not released from it; but he was given power to meet it, to endure it, and to conquer it. This made it to be plainly and only a difficulty for God to solve. Your blog on the cleansing of the Temple was EPIC in my life! Their angels hold their faces before the Father continually, and He isn't willing that any perish. Such a sinner shall suffer a fate worse than death. If men would accept the fact of their dependence on God, a new strength and a new peace would enter their lives. In the kingdom so much the less sparing is the retribution of those who despise or abuse grace. He also gives Peter the keys of the kingdom, as we see afterwards. Are all Christians hypocrites? They are hereby appointed; the church of Christ in the world exists most visibly in religious assemblies; it is the will of Christ that these should be set up, and kept up, for the honour of God, the edification of men, and the preserving of a face of religion upon the world. What it may well mean is that the relationships which we establish with our fellow-men last not only through time but into eternity--therefore we must get them right. And whenever there are two, there are always three, wherever there are three visibly present, there is always four. No law of heaven limits the number of petitioners. He who will not forgive his fellow-men cannot hope that God will forgive him. He is in the midst of them, that is, in their hearts; it is a spiritual presence, the presence of Christ's Spirit with their spirits, that is here intended. Site design / logo 2023 Stack Exchange Inc; user contributions licensed under CC BY-SA. I wish I would have seen all of that when I was younger. He was ignorant of himself, because ignorant of God, and imagined that it was only a question of man's doing good for God. Thank you. Get the BEST VALUE in digital Bible study as you prepare for Easter. The passage begins with Verse 15: Believe Him and trust Him and He will work in you. Christ, having cautioned his disciples not to give offence, comes next to direct them what they must do in case of offences given them; which may be understood either of personal injuries, and then these directions are intended for the preserving of the peace of the church; or of public scandals, and then they are intended for the preserving of the purity and beauty of the church. Verse 15: "And if your brother sins, go and reprove him in private; if he listens to you, you have won your brother.". My wife has been freed. It is not for us surely to think this impossible. [There is what I call a clear, unmistakable note of time.] So synagogue means congregation or assembly, which certainly fits the context of what Jesus told Peter in Matthew 16:18. The primacy of Peter is perhaps one of the strongest points of contention between Catholics and non-Catholics today. The Jews took the view that the most unforgivable of all sins is to teach another to sin; and for this reason--a man's own sins can be forgiven, for in a sense they are limited in their consequences; but if we teach another to sin, he in his turn may teach still another, and a train of sin is set in motion with no foreseeable end. 17 If they still refuse to listen, tell it to the church; and if they refuse to listen even to the church, treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector. God has given his people the responsibility to deal with such cases, and they must find out Gods will and do it. But I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the day of judgment, than for you . Or, Secondly, By constraint; when there are not more than two or three to come together, or, if there be, they dare not, for fear of the Jews, yet Christ will be in the midst of them, for it is not the multitude, but the faith and sincere devotion, of the worshippers, that invites the presence of Christ; and though there be but two or three, the smallest number that can be, yet, it Christ make one among them, who is the principal one, their meeting is as honourable and comfortable as if they were two or three thousand. Oh, boy how they longed for this. Here I close tonight. The Matthew 18 principle tells us the first step when someone sins against you or has offended you. It was the place into which everything that was useless was cast and there destroyed. Accordingly, notice that, in the manner in which the Holy Ghost introduces it, there is no statement of time whatever. Men are apt to have so little patience with the foolish ones. Jesus Christ teaches His disciples principles that will help them lead the Church. Nor is this all. The term "heathen" (that is, Gentile) refers to one who is steeped in paganism. A hook is cast into the sea, and the fish that takes it produces the required money for Peter as for his gracious Master and Lord. However large a family a parent has, he cannot spare even one; there is not one who does not matter. How often the heart shows itself, not merely by what we ask, but by the uncalled-for feelings we display against other people and their faults! List the following offenses on the board: being lied to; having something stolen; being betrayed by a friend. And when they came that were hired about the eleventh hour, they received every man a penny. And I encourage every one of you to have a prayer partner. Those letters were sent to church leaders, but also circulated among the church as a whole. It is the fine thing for you to enter into life with one eye, rather than to be cast into the Gehenna of fire with two eyes.". One thing is certain, in any person and in any Church, whatever is a seduction to sin must be removed, however painful the removal may be, for if we allow it to flourish a worse punishment will follow. But the great keynote of this passage is the terrible weight of responsibility it leaves upon every one of us. A similar principle applies to the little children, who are next introduced; and the same thing is true substantially of natural or moral character here below. Here is a warrant signed for the ratification of all the church's proceedings according to these rules, Matthew 18:18; Matthew 18:18. . their salvation. If I assume from the words "set forth in order," in the beginning of Luke's gospel, that therefore his is the chronological account, it will only lead me into confusion, both as to Luke and the other gospels; for proofs abound that the order of Luke, most methodical as he is, is by no means absolutely that of time. Then follows another incident, which equally proves that the Spirit of God is not here reciting the facts in their natural succession; for it is assuredly not at this moment historically that the Lord goes into the house of Peter, sees there his wife's mother laid sick of a fever, touches her hand, and raises her up, so that she ministers unto them at once. To satisfy the physical needs of a child, to wash his clothes and bind his cuts and soothe his bruises and cook his meals may often seem a very unromantic task; the cooker and the sink and the work-basket have not much glamour; but there is no one in all this world who helps Jesus Christ more than the teacher of the little child and the harassed, hard-pressed mother in the home. The plucking of the corn, and the healing of the withered hand, had taken place long before. That is the saying which Matthew has in mind. Note, The presence of Christ in the assemblies of Christians is promised, and may in faith be prayed for and depended on; There am I. If the answer is no, encourage them to go directly to that person in a private manner. He is not the slave of numbers. Those who depart from it, preferring some other way, do so at their eternal peril. They are hereby directed to gather together in Christ's name. As for the Gentile, the Lord's proffer to go and heal his servant brought out the singular strength of his faith. Silent Killers of Faith Oh my! This is one of the accusations against Jesus: He eats with sinners. This, of course, is not the moment to unfold it. So, when his fellow-servants saw what had happened, they were very distressed; and they went and informed their master of all that had happened. If we have a difference with someone, there is only one way to settle it--and that is face to face. (v) The love of God is a protecting love. Individualism is the reverse of Christianity. In the next discourse we may hope to have the rest of his gospel. 3. He "went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people." He had a baby son who was his heir; and, before he departed, he made his barons and nobles come and swear fealty to the little infant, in the event of anything happening to himself They came with their waving plumes and their clanking armour and knelt before the child. And I've found, to my shame and chagrin, that the school's misuse of Matthew 18 is far from unusual. II. Jesus called a little child and made him stand in the middle of them, and said, "This is the truth I tell you--unless you turn and become as children, you will not enter into the Kingdom of Heaven. But inasmuch as he did not have any money to pay, his Lord commanded him to be sold, his wife, and his children, and all that he had, in order that a partial payment might be made. You say things I have always felt, but never had the courage to speak them out. Answer (1 of 8): (1) Preliminary comment: Matthew 18:15-35 is often treated in isolation as the classic passage about church discipline, given to provide rules for running the church and principles for applying church discipline. Matthew 13:19-22), we find first of all the utter worthlessness of the flesh's readiness to follow Jesus. Why is this not taught or really used much in Catholicism as opposed to Protestantism, specifically Fundy Christian denominations who live by it? (ii) It can mean simply to welcome the child, to give him the care and the love and the teaching which he requires to make him into a good man. The disciples most inadequately perceive His glory; but the Lord acts according to His own mind. He asked Jesus how often he ought to forgive his brother, and then answered his own question by suggesting that he should forgive seven times. The true path to greatness is always the path of humility. If he hears (iii) There follows the quality of self-renunciation ( Matthew 18:8-10). There are no restraining walls. This is a sin-stained world and a tempting world; no one can go out into it without meeting seductions to sin. This is the opposite of the objective Matthew 18 seeks to achieve. If it be so, it is surely a ground of thankfulness to God; for it turns a stumbling-block into an evidence of the perfection of Scripture. Your email address will not be published. Sheep are proverbially foolish creatures. Not that "tell it to the church" would have meant to original audiences "send messages to every community of believers in the world", but it has to mean that the issue is now not something involving the personalities or experience level of a few people directly involved, but a decision by the church in general (probably communicated better/wider than in our Internet Age!). The motives of the natural heart are laid bare. Private admonitions must always go before public censures; if gentler methods will do the work, those that are more rough and severe must not be used, Titus 3:10. - Matthew 18:15-17 NIV. But that discipline is always to be given in humble love and not in self-righteous condemnation. Hence, lower down in the chapter, after the demon was cast out of the blind and dumb man before the amazed people, the Pharisees, irritated by their question, Is not this the Son of David? 23. I am sure that he was stretching in his own mind his knowledge of his own ability to forgive. We can imagine how the eyes of the people would turn ever and again to the hillside watching for the shepherd who had not come home; and we can imagine the shout of joy when they saw him striding along the pathway with the weary wanderer slung across his shoulder, safe at last; and we can imagine how the whole village would welcome him, and gather round with gladness to hear the story of the sheep who was lost and found. What Does It Mean That There Is No One Holy Like God? a. Then, with the addition of witnesses, it becomes semi-private. Thus the point that meets us in the conclusion of the chapter is, that while every character, every measure of giving up for His name's sake, will meet with the most worthy recompence and result, man can as little judge of this as he can accomplish salvation. In the chapter that follows we have a companion picture, carrying on, no doubt, the lord's presentation to Israel, but from a different point of view; for inMatthew 9:1-38; Matthew 9:1-38 it is not merely the people tried, but more especially the religious leaders, till all closes in blasphemy against the Holy Ghost. Follow Christ's journey to the Cross. Evidently it is the change of dispensation that is in question and at hand, the cutting off of the fleshly seed for their unbelief, and the bringing in of numerous believers in the name of the Lord from among the Gentiles. I'll bury the hatchet, but I leave the handle showing so I can grab it whenever I need it." But at the end, when His disciples are in the extremity of trouble, in the midst of the sea, the Lord walks on the sea toward them, and bids them not fear; for they were troubled and afraid. The shepherd was not content to wait for the sheep to come back; he went out to search for it. "Tell him his fault, elenxon auton--argue the case with him" (so the word signifies); "and do it with reason and argument, not with passion." Give to me forgiveness in my heart. Copyright 2023 | ScriptureCatholic.com | All rights reserved. By clicking Accept all cookies, you agree Stack Exchange can store cookies on your device and disclose information in accordance with our Cookie Policy.
A13 Speed Limit, Stringy Cm Before Bfp, Articles W
A13 Speed Limit, Stringy Cm Before Bfp, Articles W