Humility Devotional

18:1 the greatest in the kingdom of heaven In the parallel passages of Mark and Luke, this question arises out of an argument among the disciples (Mark 9:33–37; Luke 9:46–48).

18:2 a child Illustrates humility and dependence. For Jesus’ audience, a child represented someone completely reliant on others—perhaps even a burden. Children were without status in the ancient world and at the mercy of adults.

18:3 become like young children Describes a change in attitude. Jesus contrasts the disciples’ pride with the humility of children. Unlike children, who had no status, the disciples were expecting to be honored in God’s kingdom.

18:4 greatest in the kingdom of heaven Paradoxically, humility leads to greatness.

18:6 little ones Refers to status, not age (compare 10:42). Rather than indicating actual children, this description likely points to new or immature believers, or perhaps humble or lowly disciples of Jesus.

large millstone Donkeys turned millstones to grind grain.

he be drowned Jesus frequently uses hyperbole for the sake of making a point (see note on vv. 6–9).

18:8 cut it off and throw it from you Another use of hyperbole for the sake of making a point, not advice that should be taken literally. See note on vv. 6–9.

better for you to enter into life Refers to eternal life (compare John 3:16–17).

eternal fire A common symbol for divine judgment. See note on Luke 3:9.

18:9 tear it out and throw it from you The seriousness of sin requires radical action (see note on Matt 18:6–9).

thrown into fiery hell Refers to the experience of God’s wrath and ultimately destruction. See note on 5:30.

Parables of Jesus Table

18:10 one of these little ones See note on Matt 18:6.

their angels The concept of guardian angels for individuals as well as nations pervades Jewish writings of this period (e.g., Dan 10:13; Acts 12:15). By connecting these little ones to guardian angels, Jesus communicates their infinite worth; they mean so much to the Father that His angels watch out for them. See Heb 1:14.

18:12 wanders away The Greek verb used here, planaō (“to go astray” or “wander away”), is often connected to people who abandon the faith (see Matt 24:4, 5, 11, 24; compare Luke 15:3–7).

18:14 one of these little ones See note on Matt 18:6.

perish Indicates being lost and ultimately destroyed.

18:15 between you and him alone Approaching the offender in private would avoid bringing shame on that person. It also would minimize the opportunity for misunderstanding and gossip.

18:16 the testimony of two or three witnesses This emphasizes the importance of the issue and provides the benefit of others’ wisdom. It is unclear if these additional witnesses are meant to verify the original charge, as people who witnessed the wrongdoing, or to witness that the person has been charged of a wrongdoing. Either way, they become witnesses of the efforts to resolve it. See Deut 19:15.

18:17 the church The Greek word used here, ekklēsia, means “assembly.” It occurs in other nt writings in reference to the corporate body of all believers (the body of Christ; e.g., Acts 9:31; 1 Cor 15:9; Eph 5:23; Col 1:18) as well as to a local congregation (e.g., Acts 13:1; 14:23; Rom 16:1,4–5). The ekklēsia as the body of Christ became a reality only in the wake of Jesus’ ascension and Pentecost (Acts 1–2). While this reference was probably to a general assembly of Jewish people, it can be understood in retrospect as a reference to a gathering of Christians.

The Church Devotional

Ekklēsia Word Study

if he refuses to listen Reconciliation is the goal of Jesus’ instruction; the entire assembly must try to bring the straying brother or sister back to the fold.

as a Gentile and a tax collector In the narrative’s Jewish context, Gentiles and tax collectors would be regarded as outsiders (see note on Matt 5:46; note on 5:47). This instruction to cut ties with the unrepentant sinner is intended to remove sin from the local group of believers.

18:18 whatever you bind on earth See 16:19 and note.

18:21 Up to seven times A generous offer, but not enough for Jesus (see v. 22). In Luke 17:4, Jesus suggests unlimited forgiveness by using the number seven, which often represents totality or completeness.

18:22 seventy times seven Represents an unlimited amount. Jesus tells Peter and the rest of His disciples that they should forgive continuously and without limit, just as God forgives them. The lavish nature of divine forgiveness requires the same response in human relationships—the point of Jesus’ parable in Matt 18:23–35.

18:24 ten thousand talents The servant owes roughly 150,000 years’ worth of wages—an absurdly insurmountable debt intended to shock Jesus’ listeners and pale in comparison to the much smaller amount demanded by the servant in v. 28. The Greek text’s reference to 10,000 talents represents the largest number used in ancient calculations and the highest monetary unit at that time (one talent was equivalent to 15 years’ worth of wages).

18:25 to be sold Being forced into slavery to settle a debt was common in the ancient world (e.g., Exod 22:3; 2 Kgs 4:1; Neh 5:1–5).

18:26 I will pay back everything to you An impossible undertaking, given the absurd amount.

18:28 a hundred denarii Equal to 100 days’ wages—a paltry sum in comparison to the servant’s debt.

Pay back everything that you owe An astonishing turn of events. The servant, who received a far greater pardon, should have readily extended forgiveness to the debtor.

18:33 Should you not also have shown mercy Since God has lavishly forgiven Jesus’ disciples, they should continuously extend that same forgiveness. This is the point of Jesus’ parable and relates back to Matt 18:15, 21–22.

18:34 until he would repay everything that was owed The man’s debt was insurmountable; once in jail, he would not be able to make restitution.