Kingdom Community

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In Matthew 18 we come to the fourth major teaching section in this Gospel.38 One commentator has referred to this as "the single greatest discourse our Lord ever gave on life among the redeemed people in His church" (MacArthur, Matthew 16-23, 94). These instructions from Jesus span an entire chapter and they are very important, but they've also been severely misunderstood. Because many of these verses have been abused in a number of ways, we need to recover the riches that are contained here, particularly as they apply to the local church. For the second time in Matthew's Gospel, Jesus explicitly refers to the church (see also 16:18), and this time it comes in the context of church discipline and restoration. Nothing short of our commitment to one another as fellow members of God's family is at stake, as well as our witness to a watching world.

Becoming a Christian

Matthew 18:1-4

The first four verses of Matthew 18 set the stage for the rest of the chapter. Jesus uses an analogy to illustrate what it means to be a Christian. The rest of the chapter then unpacks how we as Christians should relate to one another in the church. Jesus is clearly concerned that His followers be marked by humility, love, and a willingness to grant lavish forgiveness to one another.

Matthew begins in verse 1 by saying, "At that time," cluing us in to the place in the narrative where this chapter starts and the previous chapter left off. In the previous two chapters, we've seen Peter's confession of Jesus as the Christ (16:16) as well as Jesus' transfiguration before237 Peter, James, and John on the mountain (17:1-2). These significant events seem to be at least a part of the reason for the disciples' question to Jesus in verse 1: "Who is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?" Perhaps some thought that the greatest was Peter, the disciple who was singled out by Jesus in the institution of the church (16:18) and who was also permitted to see Jesus' glory on the mountain. However, Peter was also rebuked for standing in the way of Jesus' path to the cross (16:22-23), not to mention the fact that James and John were also allowed to accompany Jesus on the mountain. So who, after all, is the greatest disciple?

Amid the discussion of greatness in the kingdom of heaven, Jesus called a child and put him in the middle of the disciples. He told His disciples that they must be "converted and become like children" (v. 3). That is, to be a citizen of the kingdom, you must become a child of the King. This is the essence of what it means to be a Christian. Jesus is pointing to the necessity of conversion. The language of turning and becoming like a child means that Jesus is calling His disciples to a fundamental change. In order to become a citizen of the kingdom, you must turn from yourself and trust in the Father. Like a child, you thrust yourself upon God and confess your need for Him. I'm reminded of my own children wanting and needing to be held, fed, read to, loved, and provided for. I know that when they run up to me with their arms in the air and a smile on their face, that's a picture of conversion. We too must humble ourselves like that before God.

A necessary clarification may be helpful at this point. We can take this imagery further than Jesus intends, equating all kinds of characteristics of children with what it means to be a Christian. But remember that Jesus calls His disciples to humility of heart, not childishness of thought. Children have many characteristics that the people of God are not to copy: they don't know a lot, they can't focus very well on things for a long period of time, and they make all kinds of poor decisions out of ignorance. We are not to be childish in these senses. The emphasis in this passage is on humility, so that the smartest, most intelligent, most successful, most noble, or most gifted person might come to Jesus with humility of heart, turning from themselves and trusting completely in the Father.

In light of these truths in verses 1-4, each of us is faced with the question, Are you a child of the King? Have you come to the point where you've realized that God is holy, you are sinful, and therefore you desperately need a Savior? Have you, like a child, left behind all you were holding on to, and have you run to God the Father through Jesus as the238 only One whom you can trust with your life, both now and forever? This is the essence of what it means to be a Christian, to be a child of the King. And it sets the stage for the rest of this chapter, where Jesus talks about the Father's love for His children and how this love affects the way we love one another in the church.

Loving the Church

Matthew 18:5-35

Continuing to talk about children, Jesus shifts the conversation to talk about receiving children in His name. Many people have misunderstood what He says here in verses 5-6. Some people interpret these verses to mean that we should not cause children to sin, and that because Jesus loved children, we should too. Obviously there's some truth to that interpretation—we should love children and we should never lead them into sin—but that's not the point of this passage. Remember that Jesus has just equated all of His followers with children, sons and daughters of His heavenly Father (vv. 3-4). He did this by using an actual child to illustrate a spiritual reality. Therefore, whenever we see "child" or "little one" in the rest of this passage, the reference is not to physical children but to the spiritual children of God the Father. Child refers to Christian in Matthew 18. Therefore, when Jesus says in verse 5, "And whoever welcomes one child like this in My name welcomes Me," He's not equating Himself with children. He's equating Himself with Christians (with children of the Father), as in, "When you receive a Christian (a child of the Father), you are receiving Me." When someone causes a spiritual child of the King to sin, on the other hand, this is a serious offense. It would be better for such a person if a "heavy millstone were hung around his neck and he were drowned in the depths of the sea!" (v. 6).

Most of the remainder of chapter 18 deals with how God's children (i.e., Christians) are to be cared for. Realizing the focus of the chapter makes the imagery of children in this text very powerful. For example, if you're a parent or if you've had a loving parent in your life, you know that it's one thing for someone to offend or hurt you, but it's even harder to deal with when someone hurts your child. You can offend me all day long, but if you hurt my daughter, things will not go well for you! That is the kind of zealous affection that our heavenly Father has for His children, and it speaks to the concern we should have for our fellow believers.239

We Protect One Another (18:7-9)

As children of God who are part of the same spiritual family, we protect one another from sin and temptation. Jesus speaks solemnly here of the danger of temptations to sin. As followers of Christ committed to one another, we are selflessly concerned about each other's holiness. We don't want to cause another brother or sister to sin. There will continue to be temptations in the world as long as there is sin in the world; this is expected. However, we must not add to the world's temptations by leading one another to sin in the church. For instance, don't gossip to me when I am already fighting off that tendency in my own heart. Don't lead me astray in the name of your supposed Christian liberties when I'm fighting every day not to turn those liberties into license to sin. Both materialism and sexual temptations also come to mind in our culture, as it is all too easy to lead others astray in these areas without even realizing it. It would be better for you, Jesus says, if you would put a stone around your neck and throw yourself down into a watery grave (v. 6).

Christians are not only committed to the holiness of other believers; we are radically committed to our own holiness. Jesus speaks of cutting off our hands and feet and tearing out our eyes if necessary in order to fight sin (vv. 8-9). This is obviously strong figurative language aimed at making us realize that drastic action is necessary to overcome temptation. Jesus isn't literally calling us to get rid of body parts, since that would fail to deal with the root of sin in the heart. He's emphasizing the seriousness and violence that should characterize our battle with sin. Instead of flirting with sin, we should destroy it. If something is leading us to sin, we should get rid of it. See, then, how this point fits with the previous point: when we are zealous about holiness in our own lives, we will be zealous about protecting one another from sin. In turn, when we are zealous about protecting one another from sin, we will be all the more careful about sin in our own lives. If we're casual about our own sin, on the other hand, we will lead others to be casual about their sin. This is why we must be intentional about protecting one another.

We Love One Another (18:10-14)

Jesus teaches us that as His followers we love one another. He uses a parable about lost sheep to make the point. We shouldn't despise, look down on, or treat other believers with contempt. Instead, we should treat one another with love and care. This command may not sound240 new, but Jesus' reasoning for it may surprise us. He says that we should love one another in light of the Father's angelic provision for His children. The angels "continually view the face of My Father in heaven," Jesus says (v. 10). People have taken this passage to mean that each child in the world, or even each Christian in the world, has a guardian angel assigned to him or her. While the Bible has much to say about angels and the roles they play in God's purposes, it never says that the number of angels corresponds to the number of Christians in such a way that each one of us has a guardian angel assigned to protect us. Angels certainly protect God's children in Scripture: an angel rescued Peter out of prison in Acts 12, and angels shut the mouths of lions in order to protect Daniel (Dan 6:22). A number of other examples could be cited,39 as angels carry out God's work in a variety of ways. In fact, it's likely that God is using angels to do the same sorts of things in the lives of His people today. Nevertheless, we are never told of a guardian angel assigned to each believer. Instead, the Bible speaks in more general terms about angels, as in Hebrews 1:14, where they are referred to as "ministering spirits sent out to serve" God's people. To use a basketball analogy, we might think of angels as providing "zone coverage" rather than "man-to-man" marking.

You may wonder why the Bible's teaching on angels is important. Consider: if the Father has angelic attendants that He sends out to serve and protect His children, then how much more should we love His children? That is, if God cares enough about His children to command angels to attend to their needs, how can we remain indifferent to our fellow believers? Jesus' parable of the lost sheep in verses 12-14 drives home a similar point. We are to love one another in light of the Father's individual pursuit of His children. When even one out of a hundred sheep goes astray, God pursues that one. Jesus says that the Father is not willing that "one of these little ones perish" (v. 14; emphasis added). If you're a child of God, take a minute and let that truth soak in. The Father cares for you. And He is committed to pursuing you as His child. We're reminded of Jesus' words in John's Gospel:

These are rock-solid promises for the child of God. And if this is how the Father loves His children, then this is how we must love one another. We must pursue one another, particularly when one among us wanders, because this is what God does.

We Restore One Another (18:15-20)

So far we've seen that those in God's family protect and love one another. In verses 15-20 we're told that we restore one another. This passage is foundational for understanding church discipline and restoration, something that is essential to the health of a church. Church discipline sounds legalistic and unloving to many people in our day, but the Bible has a different perspective. Of course, we want to show each other grace, but this must be a grace defined by Scripture. Pastor Mark Dever writes,

Imagine this church: It is huge and is still growing numerically. People like it. The music is good. The people are welcoming. There are many exciting programs, and people are quickly enlisted into their support. And yet, the church, in trying to look like the world in order to win the world, has done a better job than it may have intended. It does not display the distinctively holy characteristics taught in the New Testament. Imagine such an apparently vigorous church being truly spiritually sick, with no remaining immune system to check and guard against wrong teaching or wrong living. Imagine Christians, knee-deep in recovery groups and sermons on brokenness and grace, being comforted in their sin but never confronted. Imagine those people, made in the image of God, being lost to sin because no one corrects them. Can you imagine such a church? Apart from the size, have I not described many of our American churches? (Dever, 9 Marks of a Healthy Church, 186)

Similarly, J. Carl Laney writes,

The church today is suffering from an infection which has been allowed to fester.... As an infection weakens the body242 by destroying its defense mechanisms, so the church has been weakened by this ugly sore. The church has lost its power and effectiveness in serving as a vehicle for social, moral, and spiritual change. This illness is due, at least in part, to a neglect of church discipline. (Laney, A Guide to Church Discipline, 12)

This passage lays out four steps in the process of church discipline and restoration, and we'll consider each of them below.

Step 1: Private correction

Verse 15 begins, "If your brother sins against you." Scholars are not sure whether the words "against you" are original, as there are variants in the early manuscripts. Jesus is either referring to confronting a brother who sins in general, or to a brother (or sister) who sins specifically against you. As always, the difference is very minor, for even if the words "against you" are included in this passage, Galatians 6:1 gives us the following general admonition: "Brothers, if someone is caught in any wrongdoing, you who are spiritual should restore such a person." Paul makes no specific reference to whether or not you as an individual are directly affected by that sin, but he still commands you and other believers to address it. So whether Jesus is referring to a brother caught in sin or a brother who sins "against you," a follower of Christ should address that sin with the person. Jesus says, "Go and rebuke him in private" (Matt 18:15). The goal is to keep the circle as small as possible as long as possible, rather than talking about the sin with someone else, which is often our first tendency.

As a word of warning, we will find ourselves in sin if we talk about a brother or sister in a way that doesn't build them up in Christ Jesus (see Eph 4:29-32). We must zealously guard and protect the character of fellow believers, both for their good and for the glory of Christ. The more a person's sin is known and discussed by others, no matter how well-meaning they may be, the easier it is for the one who is in sin to become resentful, and the harder it may be for repentance and restoration to take place. So don't fish around with hints to try to find out who knows what. Go directly to your brother or sister.

Remember, as we talk about confronting people in their sin in the context of church discipline and restoration, the implication is that a243 brother or sister is continuing in that sin and refusing to turn from it, i.e., they are unrepentant. That's the key. We're not talking about bringing the hammer down on someone for each and every sin. This passage is speaking of a situation where a brother sins directly against you and doesn't come to you for forgiveness, or he is caught in sin and is refusing to turn from it; in such situations, love him (or her) enough to privately address the sin. Love him enough not to talk to everyone in the world about it. Love him enough not to sit back and watch him wander deeper and deeper into sin. If the person responds rightly, Jesus says, "you have won your brother" (v. 15). Your communion in Christ may even be that much deeper as a result.

One final reminder for this first step in the process of church discipline: This step doesn't involve any kind of official organization or any leaders in the church. It begins between you and the other person, which is where most church discipline is intended to happen. This kind of interaction is supposed to happen all the time in the context of our relationships with one another. If we would only get this first step right, we might find that about 95 percent of the work of church discipline and restoration has been taken care of before anyone else becomes involved.

Step 2: Small group clarification

Next, Jesus addresses the second step in the church discipline and restoration process, the step that becomes necessary for a brother "if he won't listen" (v. 16). If a brother refuses to listen to loving confrontation, Jesus says to "take one or two more with you" (v. 16). He cites the Old Testament requirement for two or three witnesses to establish a fact (Deut 19:15). In the context of the church, this step of discipline involves one or two others—the circle remains really small here—and these should be believers who are gentle, humble, loving, and willing to go with you to speak to an unrepentant brother or sister. The point of this step is to broaden the circle slightly so that one or two others get involved in the situation, but not to begin ganging up on that brother or sister with people whom you can build a case with. Instead, these other believers can help you think through the situation better. A church leader does not necessarily need to be involved at this point, though he could be. Oftentimes it's best to involve someone else who knows and cares for that particular brother or sister. This increases the chances that the confrontation will be humble and gracious.244

Step 3: Church admonition

In verse 17 the word "church" (ekklesia) appears for the second time in Matthew's Gospel. At this third step, the circle of involvement in church discipline grows to include the gathering of believers in a local church, as they are made aware of the brother or sister's unrepentant sin. This step may sound unloving or even embarrassing, but we need to feel the tone behind what Jesus is saying here. We're tempted to think, "Why tell a whole group of people about this brother and his sin?" In reality, however, the entire church is saying together, "We love you, and we want you to come back to Christ." God loves us so much that if we are caught in sin, He will send an entire army of believers to us as a demonstration of His love and mercy.

Step 4: Church excommunication

In the remainder of verse 17, Jesus lays out the consequences for a person who refuses to repent after being confronted by the entire church body. He says to consider the person "like an unbeliever and a tax collector." In other words, treat him like he is no longer your brother in Christ or part of the church body. He must be excommunicated, or expelled, from the church.

While this fourth step may sound extreme in our day, keep in mind that it is not optional. This is a command from Jesus, so that a failure to do this in the church is sin. If we're honest, excommunication is a difficult step for everyone involved. Some people struggle to understand why we do it at all. Isn't the church supposed to be welcoming? Though it may be difficult, church discipline is what Jesus calls us to do, a point we see played out in the early church. For example, in 1 Corinthians 5 Paul instructed the Corinthians to remove a man from the assembly for gross sexual immorality. Again, the goal in church discipline and restoration is that people will see their sin and return to Christ and that sin will not spread further like leaven (1 Cor 5:5-6). This is for the good of that individual and the protection and purity of the church. Ultimately, it's for the glory of God in the body of Christ.

Because church discipline can be difficult, we must trust Jesus in this process and obey what He says. It is good, therefore, to reflect on God's promises amid church discipline and restoration.

First, He has given us His authority. In verse 18 Jesus says, "I assure you: Whatever you bind on earth is already bound in heaven, and245 whatever you loose on earth is already loosed in heaven." This language is very similar to Matthew 16:19. Again, Jesus is not giving some special authority to us outside of Himself, but rather it is attached to Him and His Word. He is saying that what we do as a church in His name, with His authority, is a reflection of what He does in heaven. So, if someone comes to the church and says, "I am living in sin and I am unrepentant—I will not turn to Christ," then we can say to that person with authority, "You are living bound in sin and your sin is not forgiven." To be clear, their sin is not unforgiven because we said so; their sin is unforgiven because Christ has said so in His Word. Similarly, if someone says that they are willing to turn from their sin, then we can say to them with full confidence that their sin is forgiven and they are now free from it. Jesus has given us the privilege of proclaiming what He has said to be true.

The fact that Christ has given us His authority is important to remember as we carry out the work of excommunication. Someone might ask, "By whose authority are you doing this?" According to Matthew 18:18, we are doing this by Jesus' authority. One writer said, "Never is the church more in harmony with heaven and operating in perfect accord with her Lord than when dealing with sin to maintain purity" (MacArthur, 1 Corinthians, 126). There is a humble confidence that comes with knowing that Christ has given us His authority to speak against sin in the church.

A second promise we can take comfort from in this passage appears in verse 19. Jesus says that if we "agree about any matter you pray for," the Father will do it. He has granted us His support. This is another verse that has often been abused. Jesus is not giving us a blank check whereby we simply find someone else who agrees with us, and then God automatically responds by giving us whatever we want. Remember the context: Jesus has just finished talking about the scenario when two or three believers confront a brother in sin (vv. 15-16). He's saying that we have the full support of the Father in heaven when we gather together in unison to confront sin in the church. Jesus knows that church discipline is not easy, and that we will be tempted to shy away from it and not carry it out. He's encouraging us with the resources of heaven.

Related to God's promised support is a third promise in this passage: He has guaranteed us His presence. This is probably the most abused verse in this passage. If you've been a Christian for any length of time, you've likely heard the idea that where two or three believers are gathered, Jesus is there. But what about when you were in your prayer246 closet alone today—does that mean Jesus was waiting for someone else to show up before He came into the picture? No, definitely not (Matt 6:6). Jesus is not saying, "Once you've got two or three together, count Me in." Instead, in this context He's talking about the difficult work of church discipline when two or three believers are gathered to address a brother or sister living in unrepentant sin. When we do the tough work of gentle, loving confrontation, we can be assured that Christ's presence, which is always with us (Matt 28:20), will be especially real and strong in the middle of that situation. This should give us great confidence.

We Forgive One Another (18:21-35)

This is the last exhortation for the church in Matthew 18. The point of the parable of the Unforgiving Servant is fairly self-explanatory, and it relates to Jesus' discussion in the previous section. Although the conversation has moved on from church discipline, the way in which we treat one another's sin is still the issue at hand.

In those days, it was common among rabbis to encourage people to forgive a brother for repeated sin up to three times, after which there would be no more forgiveness. So Peter, thinking he had a really big heart, asked Jesus how often he should forgive his brother, possibly even seven times. Jesus responds by saying, "70 times seven" (v. 22). Then, in what can only be labeled an extreme illustration, Jesus tells the story of a man who owed upwards of what today could be labeled millions if not more than a billion dollars, clearly an amount of money that this servant could never repay to the king. And yet the king, out of sheer compassion for the servant, forgave the entire debt.

There are a number of takeaways from this parable. In Christ, we have received extravagant grace. To use the analogy of the debt this servant owed, there is no price-tag that you or I could ever put on our sinfulness before an infinitely holy God. When you and I think, "Well, I haven't sinned as much as this person or that person," we show that we have no clue as to the extent of our own sin. Our debt is deep—infinitely deep. But Christ has paid it. Out of sheer compassion, the Father sent His Son to endure the wrath you and I deserve, and now we are free from sin's penalty—free not only as a servant, but as a son!

Because we have received extravagant grace in Christ, as Christians, we now extend extravagant grace. How harsh for this servant who was forgiven a large fortune to go to a man who owed him a tiny fraction247 of that amount and put him in prison for failure to pay. That's outlandish! Yet for a Christian not to forgive is to do the exact same thing. The Bible is not saying that it's easy to forgive or that it's natural to forgive; however, it's Christian to forgive. In fact, the Christian has no other option. We forgive not because we have to, but because in love we are compelled to.

Only Jesus can enable the kind of forgiving heart this passage calls for. Gratefully, He reminds us of the extravagant compassion He has shown to us as the least deserving sinners, and by His grace, He enables us to extend that same extravagant compassion to those whom we would label as the least deserving. This kind of forgiveness should characterize the church.

How Shall We Respond?

There are a number of ways to respond to a text like Matthew 18. As a part of a local church, we must care for every individual member. This is a challenge for all churches, and larger churches face some especially thorny questions in this regard; nevertheless, this is a challenge we must take up. One way to begin is by elevating church membership. Being a member of a local church is not very important to most professing Christians today. Church hopping and shopping are common in much of evangelicalism, as people are wary of committing themselves to a church. If this passage teaches us anything, it teaches us that it's important for every Christian to be committed to a church. By doing so, we say to the church body, "If you wander from the Lord, I'm coming after you, and if I wander from the Lord, I want you to come after me." This is the kind of care Jesus calls us to.

Matthew 18 should also lead us to respond on a more personal level. Here are some helpful questions for application. As Christians:

• Are you causing, leading, or enabling a brother or sister to sin?
• Are you guarding, protecting, and nurturing your own personal holiness?
• How can you more clearly express the love of the Father to the church around you?
• Is there anyone you need to humbly confront concerning sin for their good and for the Father's glory?
• Are you harboring any bitterness or unforgiveness toward someone else?248

These are not easy questions to deal with in our lives, and these are not easy issues to deal with in the church. It would be easier, or so we think, just to sit back and ignore these questions. That's the tack that many churches have taken today. But as followers of Christ, we don't have the option of ignoring these issues. Why not? Because of how we have been loved: the Father has protected us, pursued us, restored us, and forgiven us. How, then, can we not pursue others as individuals and as churches with this kind of love? Obedience is not an option when it comes to church discipline, and we shouldn't want it to be. May the love of the Father through Christ compel the love of His children in the church.

Reflect and Discuss

1. What does it mean to become like children in verse 3? What is the difference between having childlike faith and being immature in your faith?
2. How does the requirement of humility in verses 1-4 compare with our culture's view of greatness?
3. Explain how a biblical view of the church goes against a culture that prizes independence?
4. How should the parable of the Lost Sheep in verses 10-14 inform our view of church discipline?
5. Respond to the following objection to church discipline: If our church disciplines members, then unbelievers will be turned off and discouraged from coming.
6. What is the ultimate goal of church discipline?
7. What does Matthew 18 have to add to our view of church membership?
8. List things that should and should not be matters of church discipline.
9. What is the main point of the parable of the Unforgiving Servant (vv. 23-35)?
10. If you aren't showing mercy to others, how might that be an indication that you are not being shaped by the gospel?