Matthew 18
18
Chapter 18
Who is important in God's kingdom?
1Soon after this, the disciples came to Jesus and they asked him, ‘Who is the most important person in the kingdom of heaven?’
2Jesus called a child to come to him. He made the child stand in the middle of them all. 3He said, ‘I tell you this: You must change and become like little children. If not, you will never come into the kingdom of heaven. 4This little child does not think that he is very important. You must also think as he does. Whoever does this will be the most important person in the kingdom of heaven. 5If anyone accepts a child like this because of me, that person also accepts me.’
6Jesus said, ‘A person who believes in me may not seem important. But you should never make that person do wrong things. #18:6 The person might be someone who does not believe well in God. Or he may be a child. It would be better to die than to cause someone to stop obeying God. Do not do that! It would be better for you if someone tied a big stone round your neck. Then you would sink deep down into the sea and die. 7Some things in this world will cause people to do wrong things. You can be sure that bad things will happen. But it will be very bad for the person who makes these things happen.
8If your hand or your foot causes you to do wrong things, you should cut it off. You should throw it away. It is better to have only one hand or one foot and to have God's true life. It will be much worse to keep both your hands and both your feet and still do wrong things. Then God will throw you into hell, where the fire always burns. 9If your eye causes you to do wrong things, then you should take it out. You should throw it away. It is better to have only one of your eyes and to have God's true life. It will be much worse if you keep both your eyes but then God throws you into hell. There the fire always burns.
10Be careful! Do not think that any of these little people are not important. I tell you this. They have angels who watch over them. Those angels are always standing in front of my Father in heaven. #18:10 God's word teaches us that there are angels. And these angels are servants of God, who watch over his people.
11[I, the Son of Man, came to look for those who are far away from God.] #18:11 Verse 11 is in old Bibles. Many Bible students think that someone put it into Matthew's book later.
12Think about a man who has 100 sheep. He discovers that one of his sheep is not there with the others. What does he do? He leaves all his other sheep on the hills. He goes to look for the one lost sheep. 13And I tell you this: If he finds that lost sheep, he will be very happy. All the other sheep are safe together. But they do not make him as happy as this one sheep does. 14God, your Father in heaven, is like that shepherd. He does not want any of these little people to be lost, not even one of them.’ #18:14 In this story, God is like the man who takes care of the sheep. The lost sheep is like a person who is not obeying God. God cares that he is lost. He wants to bring him back to himself.
A friend does wrong things against you
15Jesus said, ‘If your Christian friend has done something wrong against you, you must go and speak to him. When you are alone with him, tell him what he has done that is wrong. He may agree with what you say. If he does, then you can call him your friend again.
16But maybe he does not want to listen to you. Then take one or two other people with you to speak to him. They will then know what wrong things your friend has done. Remember what the Bible says: “There must be two or three people to say certainly that another person has done something wrong. Two or three people must agree what has happened.” 17If your friend still will not agree that he has done something wrong, then go and tell the church leaders. #18:17 The word ‘church’ means a group of Christians. They meet together because they are obeying Jesus. It does not mean the building where they meet. If he does not agree with the leaders, stop being his friend. He is like somebody who refuses to obey God. #18:17 This does not mean that we should only be friends with other Christians. We can be friends with other people too. But perhaps a person says that he follows Jesus. But he does not obey Jesus. Then we should not be a special friend of that person.
18I tell you this: You will tell people here on earth what is right for them to do. And you will tell them what is not right for them to do. God in heaven will give you this authority. He will agree with what you say.
19Two people may agree together to ask God for something. If they agree like that, then my Father in heaven will give them what they ask for. #18:19 People must ask God for the right things. They must be things that God wants to give to them. 20Two or more people may meet together because they believe in me. If they do that, I will be there with them.’
Jesus tells the people about the servant who did not forgive
21Then Peter came to talk to Jesus. He asked, ‘Lord, if my friend does wrong things against me many times, how many times should I forgive him? Must I forgive him as many as seven times for the wrong things that he has done against me?’
22Jesus replied, ‘I do not say only seven times. I say you should forgive him 77 times!’ #18:22 Jesus is saying that we must continue to forgive people many, many times.
23Jesus then said, ‘I will tell you a story to show what the kingdom of heaven is like. A king wanted to check how much money his servants should give to him because of their debts. 24So the king began to check. His men led a servant to him who had a big debt. He must pay back 10,000 gold coins to the king. #18:24 This was a very large amount of money. No man could ever pay all this money to the king.
25The servant could not pay his big debt to the king. So the king said to his men, “Sell the servant and his wife and his children and all his things. Then I will keep the money to pay his debt.”
26Then the servant went down on his knees in front of the king. He said to the king, “Please, please give me some more time, then I will pay you everything.” 27The king felt sorry for his servant. He forgave him for all the debt and let him go free.
28But then that same servant went away and he met another servant of the king. This other servant had to pay back a debt of 100 silver coins to the first servant. The first servant took hold of the neck of the other servant to hurt him. He said, “Give me the money that is mine.”
29The other servant went down on his knees in front of the first servant. He said, “Please, please give me some more time, then I will give you the money.”
30But the first servant would not agree. He put the other servant in prison until he could pay his debt to him. 31The other servants of the king saw what had happened. They were very upset about it. So they went to see the king. They told him about everything that had happened.
32When the king heard this, he told the first servant to come to him. “You are a very bad person,” the king said to the servant. “I forgave you the whole of your big debt to me. I did this because you asked me very strongly. 33I was kind to you. You should have been kind to that other servant in the same way.” 34The king was very angry with the first servant. He told his men to put him in prison. They punished the servant there very much, until he could pay all his debt to the king.’
35Then Jesus finished the story and he said, ‘You must forgive your friends completely. If you do not agree to forgive them, then my Father in heaven will do like that king did. He will not forgive you.’
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Matthew 18: EASY
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MissionAssist 2018
Matthew 18
18
1In that hour the disciples came to Jesus saying, Who then is greatest in the kingdom of the heavens? 2And Jesus having called a little child to him, set it in their midst, 3and said, Verily I say to you, Unless ye are converted and become as little children, ye will not at all enter into the kingdom of the heavens. 4Whoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of the heavens; 5and whosoever shall receive one such little child in my name, receives me. 6But whosoever shall offend one of these little ones who believe in me, it were profitable for him that a great millstone had been hanged upon his neck and he be sunk in the depths of the sea.
7Woe to the world because of offences! For it must needs be that offences come; yet woe to that man by whom the offence comes! 8And if thy hand or thy foot offend thee, cut it off and cast it from thee; it is good for thee to enter into life lame or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into eternal fire. 9And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out and cast it from thee; it is good for thee to enter into life one-eyed, rather than having two eyes to be cast into the hell of fire. 10See that ye do not despise one of these little ones; for I say unto you that their angels in the heavens continually behold the face of my Father who is in the heavens. 11For the Son of man has come to save that which was lost. 12What think ye? If a certain man should have a hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray, does he not, leaving the ninety and nine on the mountains, go and seek the one that has gone astray? 13And if it should come to pass that he find it, verily I say unto you, he rejoices more because of it than because of the ninety and nine not gone astray. 14So it is not the will of your Father who is in the heavens that one of these little ones should perish.
15But if thy brother sin against thee, go, reprove him between thee and him alone. If he hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother. 16But if he do not hear thee, take with thee one or two besides, that every matter may stand upon the word of two witnesses or of three. 17But if he will not listen to them, tell it to the assembly; and if also he will not listen to the assembly, let him be to thee as one of the nations and a tax-gatherer. 18Verily I say to you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on the earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatsoever ye shall loose on the earth shall be loosed in heaven. 19Again I say to you, that if two of you shall agree on the earth concerning any matter, whatsoever it may be that they shall ask, it shall come to them from my Father who is in the heavens. 20For where two or three are gathered together unto my name, there am I in the midst of them.
21Then Peter came to him and said, Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? until seven times? 22Jesus says to him, I say not to thee until seven times, but until seventy times seven. 23For this cause the kingdom of the heavens has become like a king who would reckon with his bondmen. 24And having begun to reckon, one debtor of ten thousand talents was brought to him. 25But he not having anything to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and his children, and everything that he had, and that payment should be made. 26The bondman therefore falling down did him homage, saying, Lord, have patience with me and I will pay thee all. 27And the lord of that bondman, being moved with compassion, loosed him and forgave him the loan. 28But that bondman having gone out, found one of his fellow-bondmen who owed him a hundred denarii. And having seized him, he throttled him, saying, Pay me if thou owest anything. 29His fellow-bondman therefore, having fallen down at his feet, besought him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay thee. 30But he would not, but went away and cast him into prison, until he should pay what was owing. 31But his fellow-bondmen, having seen what had taken place, were greatly grieved, and went and recounted to their lord all that had taken place. 32Then his lord, having called him to him, says to him, Wicked bondman! I forgave thee all that debt because thou besoughtest me; 33shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellow-bondman, as I also had compassion on thee? 34And his lord being angry delivered him to the tormentors till he paid all that was owing to him. 35Thus also my heavenly Father shall do to you if ye forgive not from your hearts every one his brother.
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First published in 1890. This edition is maintained by the British and Foreign Bible Society.