1At the same time came the disciples unto Jesus, saying, Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?
This verse begins with the words, “At the same time….” That means that the context of the question which the disciples asked is found in the previous chapter. In 17:24-28, Jesus stated by implication that He was the rightful King of Israel, not the invading Romans. The disciples’ question contains a little word which was not translated, the Greek word “αρα,” which means “then.” They asked Jesus, “Who then is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” That is, “If you are the rightful King of Israel, who is the greatest in your kingdom?”
2And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them, 3and said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.
Jesus’ answer to the disciples was abrupt. He said that unless they become as children, they would not enter the kingdom of heaven at all. It seems likely that Jesus had in mind Judas, who was one of the twelve disciples but not actually a believer at all. But for all of the disciples, His answer about the basis of entrance into His kingdom was the foundation of His answer about greatness in the kingdom. Unless we keep clear in our minds how we entered the kingdom, our service in the kingdom will always be marred by pride. Jesus will further explain the basis of entrance into the kingdom of heaven in the remaining verses of this chapter.
4Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
Jesus said, “Whosoever…shall humble himself as this little child….” The issue in childlikeness is status. Philippians 2:8 uses the same word when it says that Jesus humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Jesus laid aside His glory in order to obey His Father. He told His disciples that greatness in the kingdom of heaven is measured by the extent to which we lay aside the status and glory of our position in the world in order to obey our Father in heaven.
5And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me. 6But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.
These two verses contain a contrast of choice. Verse 5 says, “whoso shall receive one such little child in my name….” Verse 6 says, “whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me….” The first of these statements probably reminded the disciples of what Jesus had said to them when He sent them out to preach the nearness of the kingdom (10:7). He told them then, “He that receiveth you receiveth me, and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me” (Matthew 10:40). Thus, Jesus seems to be beginning to make a parallel between a child who believes in Him and believers in general. That comparison will be continued in verses 11-14.
One consequence of having no status is vulnerability. The vulnerability of a believing child, or indeed a believer of any age, can be rightly received for nurture in truth and righteousness, or it can be abused. Jesus said that to receive a little child in His name – or to receive one of the disciples He has sent – is counted as receiving Jesus Himself. Indeed, that will be the behavior that will mark those who are counted as His sheep when He returns in glory (25:31-46). Whenever we receive those who are without rank or place because they belong to Christ, we receive Him.
On the other hand, Jesus recognized that in the world there are people who disregard the value of a little one who believes in Him. The vulnerability of a child or of a young believer is sometimes taken advantage of. Parents or guardians of children sometimes live in and expose their children to sin. In sexual abuse, children are even dragged into the offender’s sin (though without guilt). But Jesus said that to harm the faith of a child, or indeed of any vulnerable believer, is an evil whose judgment will be very, very fearful. He said that it would be better for that offender if he or she had had a millstone of the type that donkeys pull (Greek: “μυλος ονικος”) hung on their neck and had been drowned in the depth of the sea. Such a death would be better than to be responsible for causing a believing child to stumble in their faith.
7Woe unto the world because of offences! for it must needs be that offences come; but woe to that man by whom the offence cometh! 8Wherefore if thy hand or thy foot offend thee, cut them off, and cast them from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life halt or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into everlasting fire. 9And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire.
In verse 7, Jesus pronounced two “woes.” The first woe is to the world. Then He said, “for it must needs be that offences come.” Stumbling blocks will come because such is the present spiritual condition of the world. John said that the whole world lieth in wickedness (I John 5:19). Then Jesus pronounced the second woe on the person who is the agent of the offense when it comes. It may be that Jesus had Judas specifically in mind; in 26:24 Jesus said concerning Judas, “The Son of man goeth as it is written of him: but woe unto that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! it had been good for that man if he had not been born.” Judas, in his betrayal of Jesus, also caused the rest of the disciples to stumble.
Verses 8 and 9 are different from verse 7 in that the cause for stumbling is self-inflicted. One’s own hand or foot or eye becomes the agent of their falling into sin. Jesus’ words here are similar to His words in 5:29-30. Did He really intend that people cut off a hand or foot or put out an eye to keep themselves from sinning? It seems clear that cutting off one hand would not solve the problem because the other hand could be an agent of sin, too. Eventually, a person would have no hands or feet or eyes left. But the real source of the problem would still remain because sin starts in a person’s heart. Probably that is the point that Jesus is making. Every person’s real need is for a new heart.
Jesus may have spoken these words with regard to the abuse of children and others who are vulnerable. It may also be that He had Judas’ act of betrayal in mind. With Judas’ own hand, foot, and eye he coveted and received a payment of 30 pieces of silver to betray Jesus.
In verses 8 and 9, Jesus twice spoke of hell. In verse 8, He called it “everlasting fire.” In verse 9, He called it “hell fire.” Jesus said that there is a hell of fire and that it lasts forever.
10Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven. 11For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost. 12How think ye? if a man have an hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and goeth into the mountains, and seeketh that which is gone astray? 13And if so be that he find it, verily I say unto you, he rejoiceth more of that sheep, than of the ninety and nine which went not astray. 14Even so it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish.
A child who believes in the Lord Jesus may lack esteem in the eyes of the world but has great value in the eyes of God. The Father has angels ready at every moment to do His bidding to care for those children.
Verses 11-14 seem to extend the reference to children by comparing “one of these little ones” to one sheep that has left the flock of a hundred and gotten lost. These verses seem to broaden the meaning of “little one” to include any believer in Christ. Thus, the disciples, if they saw themselves rightly, should understand that they and other adult believers are also “little ones.”
The disciples would have understood and quickly agreed with Jesus’ illustration. They knew that one sheep out of a hundred is still valuable, so valuable that that one sheep would become the total focus of its owner’s concern until it was found. Jesus wanted the disciples and us to understand that every believer is of great worth in the eyes of God. It is sometimes our tendency to write off a brother or sister who leaves fellowship with God and His people, but God does NOT write them off. He may discipline them, but they are still His. He expects us to seek them until they are found. Jesus said, “it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish.”
In this illustration, Jesus spoke of the other ninety-nine sheep in the flock as those “which went not astray.” In using the same illustration with the Pharisees and scribes, He said, “I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance” (Luke 15:7). His unspoken message to the Pharisees and scribes was that the other ninety-nine persons were sinners, too, though they thought themselves to have no need of repentance. This part of Jesus’ illustration also bears on the disciples’ question concerning greatness in the kingdom of heaven. No one in the kingdom of heaven will be able to claim that they were allowed in because of their own goodness. As Isaiah wrote, All we like sheep have gone astray (Isaiah 53:6).
15Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother.
How does this word from Jesus to His disciples relate to the previous verses? On the surface, the topic seems to have changed, but probably it has not. A brother or sister who sins against another brother or sister in Christ is like the sheep mentioned in the previous verses who strayed from the rest. In Matthew 5:22-24, Jesus spoke to the one who did wrong. In the verse above, He’s speaking to the one who was wronged. Surely not every wrong needs to be pursued. Peter wrote, And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins (I Peter 4:8). But if a believer has been wronged by another brother or sister in Christ and feels that the wrong should be addressed, the first step is for the one who was wronged to approach the one who did the wrong to seek that the offender rightly acknowledge and face the wrong done. To do this is like seeking a lost sheep because the goal in the contact is to gain the brother. The goal is to seek the restoration of that brother or sister to fellowship with the one offended and also to fellowship with God. A motive of restoration is the antithesis of a motive of revenge.
16But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. 17And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as a heathen man and a publican.
Matthew 16:18 and verse 17 above contain the only references to the church in the four Gospel accounts. Jesus is looking ahead to the church that He will build (16:18). In order for there to be purity and peace in the church, there must be a procedure for dealing with wrongs that take place within the church itself. After the one-to-one contact described in verse 15, the circle of communication is to be widened to include one or two other witnesses of the wrong done. If that contact also is ineffective, the offense is to be brought before the whole church. If the offender still refuses to acknowledge and address the wrong that he or she has done, the one offended is right to treat the one who did the wrong as “a heathen man and a publican.” Verses 18-20 probably imply that this perspective is also to be that of the whole church.
What does it mean to treat a sinning brother or sister as a heathen and a publican? Certainly it implies a break in fellowship with that person. At the level of the church, it would mean that that person could no longer partake of the Lord’s Supper. But, this change does not mean that we should treat that person worse than we would treat an unbeliever. The “heathen man” (Greek: “εθνικος”) was a Gentile, a non-Jew. A “publican” was a tax-collector, a Jew who collected taxes for Rome. Publicans were considered to be traitors to Israel. But God said that Jesus was given “for a light of the Gentiles” (Isaiah 42:6), and even Matthew, the disciple of Jesus who wrote this Gospel account, had formerly been a tax-collector (Matthew 9:9). We are to love and seek out with compassion believers who have sinned and are under church discipline, just as we would love and seek out an unbeliever. But, we do not pretend that everything’s OK or allow them to partake of the Lord’s Supper unless and until they repent.
18Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. 19Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven. 20For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.
The topic in these verses is still church discipline of an offending believer. The authority for binding and loosing that Jesus gave to Peter in 16:19 is now extended to the churches. The agreement of two believers spoken of in these verses is agreement in a matter of discipline. Perhaps the two or three refer to elders within a church who come together to make decisions for the church. God does not always intervene in matters of sin within a church because He expects the church itself to address problems according to the procedure that Jesus specified.
21Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? 22Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.
Peter’s question about how many times to forgive is probably asked in response to Jesus’ words in verse 15, in which He said that we should seek to restore to fellowship a brother who has wronged us. Peter asked whether or not there was a limit to how many times we should be willing to forgive someone. Jesus’ answer implied that there is no limit to the number of times.
Luke records that Jesus said, “If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him. And if he trespass against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turn again to thee, saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him” (Luke 17:3-4). From these verses we understand that a prerequisite to the forgiveness is repentance on the part of the one who wronged us.
23Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king, which would take account of his servants. 24And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, which owed him ten thousand talents. 25But forasmuch as he had not to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made. 26The servant therefore fell down, and worshipped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. 27Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt. 28But the same servant went out, and found one of his fellowservants, which owed him an hundred pence: and he laid hands on him, and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me that thou owest. 29And his fellowservant fell down at his feet, and besought him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. 30And he would not: but went and cast him into prison, till he should pay the debt. 31So when his fellowservants saw what was done, they were very sorry, and came and told unto their lord all that was done. 32Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me: 33Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee? 34And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him. 35So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.
These verses contain the first parable that Jesus gave concerning the kingdom of heaven since chapter 13. He said that the kingdom of heaven was like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. The parable focuses on a servant who owed the king a huge amount of money. When the servant pleaded with the king for mercy, the king had compassion on him and forgave him the vast debt that he owed. But the same man went out and violently took hold of another man who owed him a small amount. The one who had been forgiven the huge debt showed no mercy on the other man who owed him only a little. When the king heard about this, he was angered and handed the unforgiving man over to tormentors to require of him the vast debt that he owed. Jesus said, “So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.” The “you” in Jesus’ words in verse 35 is plural; He is speaking not just to Peter who asked the question, but to the other disciples, as well.
This parable of the kingdom of heaven probably intentionally returns to the question that the disciples asked at the beginning of this chapter: “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” At that time Jesus said, “Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.” What is the relationship between becoming as a little child and forgiveness?
In speaking of one lost sheep, Jesus extended the meaning of “little one” to include anyone that belongs to Him. Next, in verses 15-20, He implied that the straying brother or sister may have done us wrong. In that case, we should seek to restore that person, which also means our being willing to forgive them. Finally, in the parable of the king and the unforgiving debtor, Jesus completed His answer to the disciples’ question about greatness in the kingdom.
The king in that parable, who represents Jesus Himself, called the debtor “wicked servant.” It seems significant that when this servant was forgiven his vast debt, there is no record of his having said, “Thank you.” He just walked out and began to try to strangle someone who owed him only a small amount. The wicked servant had no understanding or appreciation of the vastness of the debt he had been forgiven.
In order for a person to be great in the kingdom – indeed, in order for a person to enter the kingdom of heaven at all – he or she must first become small. That is, they must first recognize that they are small. They must first understand that their debt to the King is so vast that they could never pay it. Each one of us is the sheep that was lost. How can we not desire the restoration of another believer who sins against us? If we instead want to choke out of them the wrong they’ve done to us, aren’t we failing to recognize the debt that we were forgiven?
The willingness to forgive a repentant brother or sister is a mark of salvation. Unwillingness to forgive a repentant brother or sister is evidence of a failure to understand the nature of salvation at all. At the heart of a willingness to forgive is a recognition that the debt that I have been forgiven is greater than the debt that I am owed. And, the one greatest in the kingdom is the one who knows and takes his or her place as a debtor forgiven a debt of such magnitude that he or she could never claim any right to greatness at all. To embrace this mindset is also obedience to the Word of our Father in heaven.
Through all this chapter, both the issue of salvation and the issue of spiritual maturity are in view. Peter asked the question that Jesus answered with the parable, but we know that Peter was genuinely saved (16:16-19). Judas, however, though he walked among the disciples, was like the wicked servant in the parable who never understood his own need for a Savior.
Note: All Scriptures are quoted from the King James Version of the Bible.