Revived by His Word Meditation of Wednesday, November 19, 2014 Matthew Chapter 18 Instruction About Humility Mark 9:33–37; Luke 9:46–48 18 At athat time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” 2 Then Jesus called a little bchild to Him, set him in the midst of them, 3 and said, “Assuredly, I say to you, cunless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 dTherefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 5 eWhoever receives one little child like this in My name receives Me. Punishment of Offenders Mark 9:42–48 6 f“Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea. 7 Woe to the world because of 1offenses! For goffenses must come, but hwoe to that man by whom the offense comes! 8 i“If your hand or foot causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life lame or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet, to be cast into the everlasting fire. 9 And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into 2hell fire. 10 “Take heed that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that in heaven jtheir angels always ksee the face of My Father who is in heaven. 11 lFor 3the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost. Parable of the Lost Sheep Luke 15:4–7 12 m“What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them goes astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine and go to the mountains to seek the one that is straying? 13 And if he should find it, assuredly, I say to you, he rejoices more over that sheep than over the ninety-nine that did not go astray. 14 Even so it is not the nwill of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish. The Offended Brother 15 “Moreover oif your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, pyou have gained your brother. 16 But if he will not hear, take with you one or two more, that q‘by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.’ 17 And if he refuses to hear them, tell it to the church. But if he refuses even to hear the church, let him be to you like a rheathen and a tax collector. 18 “Assuredly, I say to you, swhatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. 19 t“Again 4I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, uit will be done for them by My Father in heaven. 20 For where two or three are gathered vtogether in My name, I am there in the midst of them.” Instruction About Forgiveness 21 Then Peter came to Him and said, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? wUp to seven times?” 22 Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, xup to seven times, but up to seventy times seven. 23 Therefore the kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. 24 And when he had begun to settle accounts, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. 25 But as he was not able to pay, his master commanded ythat he be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and that payment be made. 26 The servant therefore fell down before him, saying, ‘Master, have patience with me, and I will pay you all.’ 27 Then the master of that servant was moved with compassion, released him, and forgave him the debt. 28 “But that servant went out and found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii; and he laid hands on him and took him by the throat, saying, ‘Pay me what you owe!’ 29 So his fellow servant fell down 5at his feet and begged him, saying, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you 6all.’ 30 And he would not, but went and threw him into prison till he should pay the debt. 31 So when his fellow servants saw what had been done, they were very grieved, and came and told their master all that had been done. 32 Then his master, after he had called him, said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you zall that debt because you begged me. 33 Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you?’ 34 And his master was angry, and delivered him to the torturers until he should pay all that was due to him. 35 a“So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother 7his trespasses.” Comments For many of us, life is very busy, a hurried daily struggle. We have many priorities to consider and often have to rush through our daily routine. In verses 1-5, Jesus urges us to return to a much simpler, unaffected life of trust, innocence, compliance, and contentment. He reminds us to rely completely on Gods kindness, comply with His will, and to find contentment in heavens many blessings. He calls us back to the innocent perspective of a little child. If we can embrace an uncomplicated, uncluttered, childlike view of lifes priorities we are much better able to embrace the things of God. This isnt a call to childishness, but an invitation to a Christ-like simplicity often seen in little children. In verses 6-9, Jesus gives us a warning. He wants us to ask ourselves: Are we in any way misleading others spiritually? Are you encouraging your spouse, children, friends, fellow church members to blend their allegiance to God with the pleasures of this world? What a terrible thing it will be in the judgment day if you have contributed to even one person’s spiritual loss. If you are in a position of leadership, the risks and responsibility of misleading others is even greater. This is not a literal command to amputate and remove body parts. It means we must separate ourselves from that which influences us and influences others to do wrong. In the next three verses (15-17) we are told that if a brother sins we are to tell him his fault; and in Luke 17:3 it says to “rebuke our brother for his sins. This is a strong word. The concept to be conveyed is actually one of accountability and responsibility for each other’s wayward behavior. This includes kindly, thoughtfully, and very carefully pointing out sinful behavior in a most redemptive manner. The method of properly admonishing others needs to be prayerfully conceived and delicately delivered. The lesson in verses 21-35 is twofold. First we are reminded that Gods capacity for forgiveness is immense and all inclusive. In turn, we are entrusted with the responsibility and privilege of sharing an attitude of forgiveness toward others just as we have been forgiven over and over again by our loving and compassionate God. A dear friend pointed out to me that when Jesus spoke of forgiving others seventy times seven He was speaking of a continual attitude and willingness to forgive. When we consider the number of times God is willing to forgive, we should present a forgiving spirit towards others. Let us remember that an end of God’s forgiveness will come (Daniel 5:26, 27 and Revelation 22:11), but the righteous will shine as the stars forever and ever (Daniel 12:3 and Matthew 13:43). Leo Van Dolson, Jr., M.D., MPH California, U.S.A.
Posted on: Wed, 19 Nov 2014 20:09:19 +0000
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