Matthew 18

1 In that hour the disciples came to Jesus, and said [saying], Who, guessest thou, is [the] greater in the kingdom of heavens?

2 And Jesus called a little child, and put him in the middle of them; [And Jesus, calling a little child, set him in the midst of them;]

3 and said, I say truth to you [and said, Truly I say to you], but ye be turned, and [be] made as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heavens.

4 Therefore whoever meeketh him[self] as this little child, he is [the] greater in the kingdom of heavens. [+Therefore whoever shall meek himself as this little child, he is the greater in the realm of heavens.]

5 And he that receiveth one such little child in my name, receiveth me.

6 But whoso causeth to stumble one of these small [+Forsooth who shall offend one of these little], that believe in me, it speedeth to him that a millstone of asses be hanged in his neck, and [that] he be drowned in the deepness of the sea.

7 Woe to the world, for causes of stumbling; for it is need that causes of stumbling come; nevertheless woe to that man by whom a cause of stumbling cometh. [Woe to the world, for offences; truly it is need, that offences come; nevertheless, woe to that man by whom an offence cometh.]

8 And if thine hand or thy foot cause thee to stumble, cut it off, and cast it away from thee. It is better to thee to enter to life feeble, either crooked, than having twain hands or two feet to be sent into everlasting fire. [+Forsooth if thine hand or thy foot offend thee, cut it off, and cast it away from thee. It is good to thee to enter into life feeble, or crooked, than having two hands or two feet to be sent into everlasting fire.]

9 And if thine eye cause thee to stumble [And if thine eye offend thee], pull it out, and cast it away from thee. It is better to thee with one eye to enter into life, than having twain eyes to be sent into the fire of hell [than having two eyes to be sent into hell fire].

10 See ye, that ye despise not one of these little. For I say to you, that the angels of them in heavens see evermore the face of my Father that is in heavens [Truly I say to you, for the angels of them in heavens see ever the face of my Father which is in heavens].

11 For man's Son came to save that thing that perished.

12 What seemeth to you? If there were to a man an hundred sheep, and one of them hath erred, whether he shall not leave ninety and nine in desert [whether he shall not leave ninety and nine in the hills], and shall go to seek that that erred?

13 And if it fall that he find it, truly I say to you, that he shall have joy thereof more than on ninety and nine that erred not. [And if it befall that he find it, truly I say to you, for he shall joy thereon more than of ninety and nine that erred not.]

14 So it is not the will of your Father that is in heavens [+which is in heavens/that is in heaven], that one of these little perish.

15 But if thy brother sinneth against thee, go thou, and reprove him, betwixt thee and him alone; if he heareth thee, thou hast won thy brother. [+Forsooth if thy brother shall sin against thee, go thou, and reprove him, or snub, between thee and him alone; if he shall hear thee, thou hast won thy brother.]

16 And if he heareth thee not, take with thee one or twain, that every word stand in the mouth of twain or three witnesses. [Truly if he shall not hear thee, take with thee one or two, that every word stand in the mouth of two or three witnesses.]

17 And if he heareth not them, say thou to the church. But if he heareth not the church, be he as an heathen and a publican to thee. [That if he shall not hear them, say thou to the church. Forsooth if he shall not hear the church, be he to thee as an heathen man and a publican.]

18 I say to you truly, whatever things ye [shall] bind on earth, those shall be bound also in heaven; and whatever things ye [shall] unbind on earth, those shall be unbound also in heaven. [I say to you truly, whatever things ye shall bind on earth, shall be bound also in heaven; and whatever things ye shall unbind on earth, shall be unbound also in heaven.]

19 Again I say to you, that if twain of you consent on earth, of every thing whatever they ask, it shall be done to them of my Father that is in heavens. [+Again I say to you, that if two of you shall consent on the earth, of each thing whatever they shall ask, it shall be done to them of my Father which is in heavens.]

20 For where twain or three be gathered in my name, there I am in the middle of them. [For where two or three be gathered in my name, there I am in the midst of them.]

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

22 Jesus saith to him, I say not to thee, till seven times; but till seventy times seven times.

23 Therefore the kingdom of heavens is likened to a king, that would reckon with his servants.

24 And when he began to reckon, one that owed to him ten thousand talents, was brought to him [+one was brought to him, that owed to him ten thousand bezants, or talents].

25 And when he had not whereof to yield, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all things that he had, and to be paid.

26 But that servant felled down, and prayed him, and said [saying], Have patience in me, and I shall yield to thee all things.

27 And the lord had mercy on that servant, and suffered him to go, and forgave him the debt. [+Forsooth the lord of that servant having mercy, let go him, or suffered him/delivered him, and forgave to him the debt.]

28 But that servant went out, and found one of his even-servants, that owed him an hundred pence; and he held him, and strangled him, and said [saying], Yield that that thou owest.

29 And his even-servant fell down, and prayed him, and said [saying], Have patience in me, and I shall requite all things to thee.

30 But he would not; but went out, and put him into prison [but went and sent him into prison], till he [had] paid all the debt.

31 And his even-servants, seeing the things that were done, [were] sorrowed greatly. And they came, and told to their lord all the things that were done.

32 Then his lord called him, and said to him, Wicked servant, I forgave to thee all the debt, for thou prayedest me.

33 Therefore whether it behooved not also thee to have mercy on thine even-servant [on thy even-servant], as [also] I had mercy on thee?

34 And his lord was wroth, and took him to tormentors [And his lord wroth, betook him to tormentors], till he [had] paid all the debt.

35 So [and] my Father of heaven shall do to you, if ye forgive not every man to his brother, of your hearts.

Matthew 18 Commentary

Chapter 18

The importance of humility. (1-6) Caution against offences. (7-14) The removal of offences. (15-20) Conduct towards brethren, The parable of the unmerciful servant. (21-35)

Verses 1-6 Christ spoke many words of his sufferings, but only one of his glory; yet the disciples fasten upon that, and overlook the others. Many love to hear and speak of privileges and glory, who are willing to pass by the thoughts of work and trouble. Our Lord set a little child before them, solemnly assuring them, that unless they were converted and made like little children, they could not enter his kingdom. Children, when very young, do not desire authority, do not regard outward distinctions, are free from malice, are teachable, and willingly dependent on their parents. It is true that they soon begin to show other dispositions, and other ideas are taught them at an early age; but these are marks of childhood, and render them proper emblems of the lowly minds of true Christians. Surely we need to be daily renewed in the spirit of our minds, that we may become simple and humble, as little children, and willing to be the least of all. Let us daily study this subject, and examine our own spirits.

Verses 7-14 Considering the cunning and malice of Satan, and the weakness and depravity of men's hearts, it is not possible but that there should be offences. God permits them for wise and holy ends, that those who are sincere, and those who are not, may be made known. Being told before, that there will be seducers, tempters, persecutors, and bad examples, let us stand on our guard. We must, as far as lawfully we may, part with what we cannot keep without being entangled by it in sin. The outward occasions of sin must be avoided. If we live after the flesh, we must die. If we, through the Spirit, mortify the deeds of the body, we shall live. Christ came into the world to save souls, and he will reckon severely with those who hinder the progress of others who are setting their faces heavenward. And shall any of us refuse attention to those whom the Son of God came to seek and to save? A father takes care of all his children, but is particularly tender of the little ones.

Verses 15-20 If a professed Christian is wronged by another, he ought not to complain of it to others, as is often done merely upon report, but to go to the offender privately, state the matter kindly, and show him his conduct. This would generally have all the desired effect with a true Christian, and the parties would be reconciled. The principles of these rules may be practised every where, and under all circumstances, though they are too much neglected by all. But how few try the method which Christ has expressly enjoined to all his disciples! In all our proceedings we should seek direction in prayer; we cannot too highly prize the promises of God. Wherever and whenever we meet in the name of Christ, we should consider him as present in the midst of us.

Verses 21-35 Though we live wholly on mercy and forgiveness, we are backward to forgive the offences of our brethren. This parable shows how much provocation God has from his family on earth, and how untoward his servants are. There are three things in the parable: 1. The master's wonderful clemency. The debt of sin is so great, that we are not able to pay it. See here what every sin deserves; this is the wages of sin, to be sold as a slave. It is the folly of many who are under strong convictions of their sins, to fancy they can make God satisfaction for the wrong they have done him. 2. The servant's unreasonable severity toward his fellow-servant, notwithstanding his lord's clemency toward him. Not that we may make light of wronging our neighbour, for that is also a sin against God; but we should not aggravate our neighbour's wronging us, nor study revenge. Let our complaints, both of the wickedness of the wicked, and of the afflictions of the afflicted, be brought to God, and left with him. 3. The master reproved his servant's cruelty. The greatness of sin magnifies the riches of pardoning mercy; and the comfortable sense of pardoning mercy, does much to dispose our hearts to forgive our brethren. We are not to suppose that God actually forgives men, and afterwards reckons their guilt to them to condemn them; but this latter part of the parable shows the false conclusions many draw as to their sins being pardoned, though their after-conduct shows that they never entered into the spirit, or experienced the sanctifying grace of the gospel. We do not forgive our offending brother aright, if we do not forgive from the heart. Yet this is not enough; we must seek the welfare even of those who offend us. How justly will those be condemned, who, though they bear the Christian name, persist in unmerciful treatment of their brethren! The humbled sinner relies only on free, abounding mercy, through the ransom of the death of Christ. Let us seek more and more for the renewing grace of God, to teach us to forgive others as we hope for forgiveness from him.