Matthew 18:10-20

Matthew 18:10-14 God seeks out the little ones who stray from his ways

In verse 10, Jesus describes the little ones as having angels in heaven.  The Jews of Jesus’s time thought that nations and individuals had guardian angels and that angels presented people’s prayers to God.  We can see this in the books of Daniel and Tobit.  This verse reflects that thinking.

Verse 10 seems unrelated to the verses that follow, but maybe it’s not.  What does it tell us about the importance of the little ones, and the importance of saving any who are lost, if their angels stand before the face of God and therefore are in the direct presence of God?

Most modern Bibles skip verse 11, because it is not in the oldest manuscripts.  Some manuscripts insert here: “For the Son of Man has come to save what was lost.”  Many scholars see it has having been added by a copyist, who took it from Luke 19:10.  As later copyists copied that copy, that addition was preserved, even while the older versions without it were still being copied and handed down.  Verse 11 might have been seen as a useful link connecting verse 10 to the parable of the lost sheep.

In the parable of the lost sheep, who does the owner of the sheep represent?  The 99?  The one?

What is the meaning of the parable?

How does the shepherd feel about those who have been led astray or wander off from his flock?

What does he do about it?

What does this tell us about the shepherd?

He knows when even one of the 100 is missing.  And he cares enough to go after those who are missing in order to bring them back.

How does he feel about them when they are found and returned?

What does this parable tell us about the love of God?

This parable indicates that God cares for each one of as an individual.  How should that affect the way you live or the way you think about yourself or others?

There are significant differences between Matthew’s version of the parable and the version told in Luke’s Gospel (see Luke 15:3-7).  In both versions, the sheep owner is joyful; but in Luke that joy is the main point, whereas in Matthew the main point – the point the parable ends with – is different.  What is the point made in verse 14?

God does not want anyone to perish.

This chapter is not primarily about us as individuals; it is about the church.  What does it say to us as church?

If the church is called to be the Body of Christ, how should the church view someone who strays?

If we are to be like God, how should we think about someone who has strayed from the faith or are doing wrong?  Should we condemn them, and, if not, how should we think about them?

How should we feel when they return?

What should we do about it when someone strays from the faith?

Matthew 18:15-20 When a church member does wrong; and agreeing in prayer

This section begins with a scenario where a “brother” has wronged you.  In the context of Jesus’s teaching to his disciples, a “brother” was a fellow disciple of Jesus.

Translating this story to our time, who would a “brother” be?

In Matthew’s time, and in ours, a “brother” would be a fellow member of the local church community.

In our time, what might be some examples of a “brother” sinning against another brother?

This could be lying or saying unkind things about another, treating another unkindly, not living up to one’s commitments, not doing one’s share of the work, flirting with another’s spouse, owing money and not paying it back, pushing ahead of others – the list of problems that could arise in a church is endless.

Jesus lays out a series of steps for dealing with an offense.

Step 1

What is the first approach to dealing with a situation where someone has done you wrong (verse 15)?

Why would Jesus want us to start here?  What is the value or benefit in approaching the matter in this private way?

What happens if we don’t start with this first step?

What is the significance of Jesus saying that if you succeed you have “regained” the brother?  What was lost and now is re-gained?

How is this language of “gaining” the offending brother connected to the previous passage about the “lost” sheep?

Step 2

What is Jesus’s second step for dealing with a case where someone has wronged you (verse 16?)

Sometimes, what we think is an offense against us is actually a misunderstanding or might even be our own sin.  What are some possible examples of that?

What is the value in this second step where we bring someone else into the dialogue?

Why does Jesus say it is useful “so that every word may be confirmed by the evidence of two or three witnesses”?  What is the “evidence” that is provided if other Christians are willing to support you in confronting the person who has done you wrong?

If other members of the Christian community don’t agree with your interpretation of the situation and don’t see the need to confront the person you think has done you wrong, what might that tell you?

This might be a sign that you have misunderstood the situation, or that you are as much at fault as the other person, or that you are making too big a deal out of a little offense and should just let it go and leave the situation to God to deal with.

What is the goal of this intervention, where others join you in talking with the person who offended you?  Is it the same as in verse 15?  If so, what attitude should we have?

Step 3

What is the third step Jesus offers if a person who has done you wrong does not come around in your first two efforts (verse 17)?

Who is the “church” in this verse?

The local assembly, i.e., your local church, congregation, or parish.

What is the goal of bringing the sinning person to the whole community?  Is it the same goal that was sought in verse 15?  If so, what attitude should we have?

Note that this strategy presumes that the church at large will agree with you.  If there is wide disagreement in the church, it doesn’t really work.  How do you think we should situations where the church is divided over whether something wrong has been done?  Is the goal still the same (to re-gain a “brother”)?

If the church is in agreement and the offender still won’t listen, what does Jesus say to do?

Why might it be necessary to impose this kind of social discipline on a person when they have refused to listen to the entire church? 

In light of verses 14 and 15, what do you think the goal of spurning the sinning person is?  And therefore, what attitude do you think must accompany this action?

It may sound odd to us when Jesus tells his disciples to treat the offending or sinning member of the church like a Gentile or tax collector, given that he spent time with Gentiles and welcomed tax collectors who repented and followed him.  The point may be that, just as Gentiles and tax collectors did not have a place in the Jewish religious community, a person who has taken a stand against the entire church after having been found guilty of a significant offense does not fit in the local church.  This language may have sounded perfectly normal among the significant Jewish population in Matthew’s community.

Verses 18-20

Verse 18 takes some of the broad authority to bind and loose that was given to Peter in Matthew 16:19, and delegates it to all of the disciples and, by implication, to those who follow in subsequent generations.  What does that say to you?

In what sense does the Christian community have power to bind and loose in a way that will be honored in heaven?

How should the Christian community use this authority?

Verses 19-20 are ordinarily thought of as being primarily about prayer.  But Matthew has placed those verses here for a reason.  In the context of verses 15-18, Jesus could be indicating that it is important to collaborate with fellow believers and not try to deal with the matter alone, when we want to address a situation where we have been wronged.  Why is it important to involve others?

This connection between verses 15-18 and verses 19-20 also suggests that when we are wronged, our responses need to be immersed in prayer.  Why is that so important?

Why is important that Christians “agree” with others in prayer, in cases involving church discipline?

What does this passage say to you about anything you or your church community should be doing differently?

Take a step back and consider this:

When we look at the overall sweep of these passages and how they are interconnected, we see some themes:

• God does not want to lose anyone – not those who have strayed from the church community and not those who have stayed among us but are doing wrong.  He wants all of them, together.

• God asks the church to be involved in addressing the interpersonal conflicts that arise in the local church.

• God calls us to join together in agreeing on any consequences imposed on those who do wrong, and also to agree in prayer.

These observations suggest that God has a mindset we often lack.  When someone does wrong to us, we see it as setting up an interpersonal battle that we want to win.  When God sees someone doing something that wrongs another member of the church community, he sees it as a moment where the church needs to come together and agree on a way forward.

For us, the focus is often on the point of division.  For God, the focus is on the route to unity.

How can we cultivate God’s focus on unity and agreeing together whenever possible, in situations where it may be more in nature to focus in the hurt and division?