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Verse 1:"In that hour the disciples came to Jesus, saying, Who then is greatest in the kingdom of the heavens?" "In that hour" can be translated "at the same time." It is connected with the fishing in the preceding portion. The fishing there indicates that the Lord covers His own glory and manifests His own grace. The first section of chapter eighteen indicates how the believers in the present life should imitate the Lord in hiding their own glory, manifesting grace, and giving up their privileges. "Who then is greatest in the kingdom of the heavens?" The disciples argued concerning this matter several times. It was truly an unsolvable problem to them. Even on the night the Lord was betrayed, they were still arguing. On this occasion the disciples were arguing because: (1) nine people had been left at the foot of the mountain (17:1); (2) Peter was called Petros (16:18), the rock for the building; (3) the keys of the kingdom of the heavens were placed in Peter's hands (16:19); and (4) the Lord had paid the temple tax for Peter (17:27). All men like to be great; no one likes to be small. Men aspire to great achievements within their limits. There is not one person who does not desire to be great.
Verse 2:"And He called a little child to Him and stood him in their midst." The Lord used not only parables but also demonstrations. He called a little child to stand among the disciples, to make a comparison with them. One can know a child by a glance; there is no need to ask. Concerning many matters, there is no need to ask; one only needs to look.
Verse 3:"And said, Truly I say to you, Unless you turn and become like little children, you shall by no means enter into the kingdom of the heavens." "Turn" indicates regeneration; it is to begin a new life. "Become like little children." This does not mean that we should behave like children, but that we should become children; it is not to be childish like a child. One who can pretend to be a child is surely not a child. (Only a wise man can pretend to be a fool.) Everyone who lives in this world must pass through the stage of being a child. Likewise, everyone who enters into the kingdom of the heavens must pass through the stage of being a child. There are three explanations concerning the kingdom of the heavens: it is (1) the realm of Christianity, (2) the church, and (3) the millennium. Here it refers to the second. This does not mean that to enter into the kingdom of the heavens one must be a child physically; it means that one must become like such. The actual child is only used as an illustration. Otherwise, Nicodemus could not have been regenerated. One who is not regenerated cannot understand the matter of regeneration. "Become like little children." This means to be selfless, dependent, and humble.
Verse 4:"He therefore who will humble himself like this little child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of the heavens." Verse 3 deals with the problem of entering in. Verse 4 deals with the problem of being great or small. After regeneration, if a person remains humble and always like a little child, this one is the greatest. Unfortunately, the conditions are here, yet most men reject them and do not care for them. There are some infants who act too much like an adult. They think that they have been pastors for sixty years or have been elders for twenty years, yet in reality they are still infants (1 Cor. 3:1). "Become like little children" is the condition for entering into the kingdom. If one can always keep this condition, he will become great. When the Lord was paying the temple tax, He was humble like a little child. It is right for believers to progress in knowledge and to teach and help other people. The humility here refers to the attitude. One should have a humble attitude like a little child who does not look at himself and who does not try to compare himself with others. (The worst thing is to compare in spiritual matters.) Paul considered himself the least of the apostles (1 Cor. 15:9). He did not come to this conclusion by comparison. For the salvation of Israel, he would rather be separated from Christ (Rom. 9:3). He was altogether selfless, not looking at himself; he was the best child. Paul ran the race and did not look at Peter or John; he cared only for the things that were before that he might gain the prize from above (not from below) (Phil. 3:13-14). To be humble is to be without pride. It does not mean that one should not conduct revival meetings or preach the word. Even a little child can have pride. It is only when one is humble and "becomes" a little child that he can be without pride. "He who humbles himself shall be exalted" (Luke 18:14).
Verse 5:"And whoever receives one such little child because of My name, receives Me." "Because of My name" is deeper than "for my sake." To receive "one such little child" is to be humble. With him there is the glory and honor of Christ. Therefore, to receive him is to receive Christ. The saints should love not only Christ but all the saints as well (see Philem. 5). Hence, he who humbles himself should at the same time regard others highly.
Verse 6:"And whoever stumbles one of these little ones who believe in Me, it is more profitable for him that a great millstone be hung around his neck and he be drowned in the open sea." In dealing with people, a believer either receives them or stumbles them. To cause others to stumble is worse spiritually than to become a murderer in the flesh. A person who stumbles others shakes their faith in Christ and affords them the opportunity to rebel against God. Christ paid the temple tax. On the one hand, He was humble, and on the other hand, He did not want to offend others. If a person does not want to offend others, he must be humble and must lower himself.
Verse 7:"Woe to the world because of stumbling blocks! For it is necessary for stumbling blocks to come, but woe to that man through whom the stumbling block comes." There are many offenses in the world. "Woe to that man through whom the stumbling block comes," especially if he is a Christian. Although he will not lose eternal life, he will suffer much loss in the millennium.
Verse 8:"If your hand or your foot stumbles you, cut it off and cast it from you; it is better for you to enter into life maimed or lame than to have two hands or two feet and be cast into the eternal fire." How can a person not be stumbled? First he should mind himself. If he will not stumble, others will not be stumbled by him. If he is stumbled, others also will be stumbled because of him. (If you gamble, others will be stumbled, and they will gamble as well or will begin to despise Christ.) If the conduct of your hand and the action of your foot cause you to stumble, you should rather pay the greatest price to cut them off. If you retain them, you will stumble others. If one keeps himself from any acts of stumbling, he will not be touched by the eternal fire, though such fire is eternal.
Verse 9:"And if your eye stumbles you, pluck it out and cast it from you; it is better for you to enter into life with one eye than to have two eyes and be cast into the Gehenna of fire." The "eye" here refers to the lust of the eye. Those who lust after a woman by looking at her (see the interpretation in Matthew 5:27-30) should pay the price to cut such conduct off. There are two reasons for stumbling: (1) a person is stumbled in himself; (2) a person despises others. Therefore, in order for one not to stumble others, he must not be stumbled himself, and he must not despise others.
Verse 10:"See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that their angels in the heavens continually behold the face of My Father who is in the heavens." We should not despise anyone but should treasure their souls. The "little ones" refers to those who are worthless materially or physically. The "angels" are the "ministering spirits" (Heb. 1:14) (Scofield, Kelly, and other Brethren groups all said that the "angels" here refer to man's spirit (Acts 12:15). If that is the case, unless the little child dies, how can he always behold the face of the heavenly Father?) On the ladder the angels are ascending and descending (John 1:51). They ascend with prayers and descend with gifts. Therefore, we should not allow our angels to become idle. Today we have the Holy Spirit in our hearts; hence, the ministering of the angels is rarely seen.
Verse 11:"For the Son of Man has come to save that which is lost." Not only do their angels always behold the face of the Father in heaven, but the Lord's coming is to save them also. Therefore, we should not despise the little ones.
Verses 12-13:"What do you think? If any man has a hundred sheep and one of them goes astray, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go and seek the one that has gone astray? And if it so happens that he finds it, truly I say to you that he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine which have not gone astray." The explanation of this parable is similar to that of the parable in Luke 15:1-7, but the implications are different. The parable in the Gospel of Luke tells sinners the matter of salvation. Here it tells saved believers the intention of salvation. "Any man" refers to the Lord Jesus. The Lord does not want to lose any believer. "Goes astray." A sheep is naturally dumb; if it goes astray, it cannot return (see Isa. 53:6). "Ninety-nine which have not gone astray." This is only an assumption; it surely does not refer to the righteous man, because there is not one righteous man in the world. "Go." This means that the Lord went Himself. He did not entrust this work to the angels. The Good Shepherd is willing to give His life for the sheep.
Verse 14:"In the same way, it is not the will of your Father who is in the heavens that one of these little ones perish." Even so, the heart of the heavenly Father is unwilling that one of these little ones should perish. How can we offend others or cause others to perish? God takes pleasure in salvation. Although believers on the earth cannot enjoy the pleasure of this world, they should seek for their joy through saving others. Since the Lord is not willing to lose a little sheep, and since God rejoices in granting salvation to others, believers should not stumble others. But if a person sins and offends you, what should you do? We need to consider verse 15.
Verse 15:"Moreover if your brother sins against you, go, reprove him between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother." We should still have a heart to recover such a one, as we would in saving a lost sheep. In this verse the Lord did not correct the wrong and sinning brothers, but He corrected those who are not wrong. Every time a man corrects others, he should realize that he also is in the wrong. Therefore, it is easy to deal with a righteous person, but it is difficult to deal with an evil person. It is easy for men to deal with proper things having an improper attitude. Moses failed in this point; the Israelites erred, but Moses dealt with such a proper matter with improper words. Do not become wrong just because others are wrong. Do not help others and in the process become one who needs help yourself. If you do, you also will fall into sin. When that happens, the only difference between you and them will be a matter of time — one sins sooner and the other sins later. "Between you and him alone." This is with no other people present; this means that one should hide evils. "Reprove him." This is not to demonstrate one's prowess or dignity, nor to rebuke; rather, this is humility, which is the greatest in the kingdom of the heavens. If you rebuke such a brother, you consider yourself better than he. That is the self-boasting of the Pharisees (Luke 18:11). "You have gained your brother." The purpose of a rebuke is to turn others through love.
Verses 16-17:"But if he does not hear you, take with you one or two more, that by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. And if he refuses to hear them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to hear the church also, let him be to you just like the Gentile and the tax collector." "If he does not hear you." You must exhaust all means — the testimony of two or three witnesses, the arbitration of the church — before you can deem him (1) a Gentile, with whom you cannot associate, and (2) a tax collector, who is despicable. (There is no need to excommunicate this kind of person, because most of their sins involve merely being too strong in the will. However, if a person sins as in 1 Corinthians 5:11, he needs to be put away immediately.)
Verse 18:"Truly I say to you, Whatever you bind on the earth shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on the earth shall have been loosed in heaven." The meaning of this verse is similar to that of Matthew 16:19, which is a kind of indirect forgiveness. God would bind or loose through the church or through Peter. "You" here is plural; it refers to the church. When a person requests that he be allowed to break bread or be baptized, the church has the authority to arbitrate in the matter. Therefore, one should not harden his heart, because the One in heaven will also bind and loose accordingly. The binding and the loosing must be under the control and authority of the Holy Spirit. (See John 20:22-23.) One will surely fail if he relies on himself.
Verse 19:"Again, truly I say to you that if two of you are in harmony on earth concerning any matter for which they ask, it will be done for them from My Father who is in the heavens." Who has this authority? Does the Roman Catholic Church or the pope have this authority? No, they do not. The word "again" connects this verse with the preceding portion and adds new meaning to it: the binding and the loosing not only involve brothers but also involve prayers. "On earth" corresponds to "in heaven." Two persons constitute the least among the plurals, but they are enough. Verse 19 refers especially to the corporate prayer. There are two kinds of corporate prayers: (1) those that loose God's power, gifts, and the door of preaching, and that loose from sufferings, the burdens of sin, etc.; and (2) those that bind Satan, evil men, unforeseen disasters, etc. The word "harmony" is from a word whose Anglicized form is symphony. It is most difficult to pray in harmony. For example, in praying for healing, one may pray for God to heal the sick one (the "for" stand), whereas another may pray that God's will be done (the "neutral" stand); at the same time, a third one may pray that God would chasten the sick one through the illness (the "against" stand). In this way, there is no harmony. Harmony means that everyone has the same view and the same mind.
Verse 20:"For where there are two or three gathered into My name, there am I in their midst." The word "for" is very precious because it indicates that the following passage is an example. It explains why they receive an answer to their prayer. "Gathered into My name." This does not necessarily mean a prayer meeting. No one can have a meeting by himself; all are called to meet in Christ's name. We are like iron, and the Lord is like a magnet. The magnet attracts iron but does not attract brass. The Lord's life in the Body urges us to meet together and to come under the name of the Lord; this is not to come under the name of any denominational church. There is no such thing in the Bible as "joining a religion." The Lord does not want us to belong to any other name. When a woman marries, she accepts her husband's name and can no longer have another name. Christians today have so many other names besides the name of Christ. A man would not allow his wife to take any other name; similarly, the Lord would not allow Christians to take any other name. If one does not belong under the name of the Lord, he is rebellious. If one belongs under the name of the Lord and then takes on another name, he or she has committed adultery. Christians are a bride, and as such, they must be chaste. The Lord praises the church in Philadelphia because she has not denied the Lord's name, but has kept the Lord's word of endurance. (The church in these three verses — verses 18-20 — is the local church. It is but the embryonic form of the whole church in Ephesians 5:23. The church in Matthew 16 is the whole church.) Some people tolerate the reviling of Christianity or Christians but will not tolerate the reviling of their denominational churches or the members of their churches. To them it is acceptable to put Christ to shame, but it is not acceptable to put their denominations to shame.
Verse 21:"Then Peter came and said to Him, Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to seven times?" The preceding portion speaks of the relationship between committing sins and the church. This portion speaks of the relationship between committing sins and the kingdom of the heavens. The preceding portion mentions the matter of forgiveness; therefore, Peter asked this question here. Perhaps this question is based on Luke 17:3-4. Peter assumed that seven times was the most generous. (At that time there were two famous rabbis who had set down a rule that it was enough to forgive three times a day.) "Seven times" is more than double three times already.
Verse 22:"Jesus said to him, I do not say to you, Up to seven times, but, Up to seventy times seven." The phrase "I do not say to you" shows clearly the Lord's authority and power. "Seventy times seven" refers to infiniteness; however, if one can forgives seventy times seven, it is good enough. Seven (perfection) times seven (perfection) times ten (man's perfection) equals four hundred ninety (perfect perfection).
Verse 23:"For this reason the kingdom of the heavens has become like a king who desired to settle accounts with his slaves." "The kingdom of the heavens has become like a king." This refers to the Lord, who is God. "His slaves" refers to the saved believers. Some have said that it refers to the unsaved sinners, but that is impossible. This is because: (1) They are called slaves. (2) They deal with God directly and do not come through the Lord's blood. (3) The slave here refers to Peter. Peter asked, "How often shall...I [one already saved] forgive him [a saved brother]?" (4) Verse 35 reads "So also will My heavenly Father do to you [saved ones]." "Settle accounts with his slaves" (v. 23) indicates that God never forgets and is never confused about the believers' shortcomings. Therefore, the believers should realize that if they have come short of God at ordinary times, sooner or later God will reckon their account with them. The time of reckoning is in the present life; God will give them a serious illness or allow them to encounter dangers or inflict serious chastening upon them. Some have said that this reckoning will happen in the coming age, before Christ's judgment seat (1 Cor. 3:10-15). This is impossible, because: (1) the one who owes ten thousand talents can never be raptured; (2) at that time there will be no grace, only righteousness; therefore, the lord of the slaves will not be moved with compassion; (3) in the kingdom of the heavens one cannot take his brother by the throat and cast him into prison; and (4) verses 23-31 concern the present age, while verse 32-34 indicate the time before the judgment seat in the coming age. Therefore, the teaching in verse 35 is that if one does not forgive his brother in the present life, he will be dealt with in the same way by the One in heaven in the life to come.
Verse 24:"And when he began to settle them, one who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him." To "owe" speaks of the believers' indebtedness to God. We do not know if the "ten thousand talents" is gold or silver, but we know that it is an enormous amount. The slave can never pay back the whole sum. (One gold talent equals 1,152 ounces of gold; one silver talent equals 1,152 ounces of silver. Therefore, ten thousand talents equals 1,152 times 10,000 which equals 11,520,000 ounces.) Believers owe debts (in relation to God), while sinners commit sins. What the believers owe in their daily life may be more than this amount. In this reckoning, the Lord must have suffered quite a loss.
Verse 25:"But since he did not have the means to repay, the master commanded him to be sold, as well as his wife and children and all that he had, and repayment to be made." This does not mean that the master actually wanted the man to sell his wife, children, and all that he had; it indicates that God wants to deprive man of all that he has.
Verse 26:"Then the slave fell down and worshipped him, saying, Be patient with me and I will repay you all." Four matters are included here: (1) repentance (he fell down); (2) humility (he worshipped); (3) asking for mercy ("be patient with me"); (4) making a vow and a consecration ("repay you all").
Verse 27:"And the master of that slave was moved with compassion and released him and forgave him the loan." "Moved with compassion." This was because the slave repented, humbled himself, and asked for mercy, not because the slave was willing to pay back the debt. The master knew perfectly well that the slave could not repay; therefore, he forgave him the debt. "Released him" means set him free; this means that this takes place in this age. If the setting free and the exemption from debt were in the coming age, the Lord's righteousness would be damaged. In the present age God not only has patience toward us but also wipes away all our debts. God's grace always surpasses man's expectation.
Verse 28:"But that slave went out and found one of his fellow slaves who owed him a hundred denarii, and he took hold of him and began to choke him, saying, Repay me what you owe." "Went out" means to depart from God's reckoning of our account or to depart from the days of discipline. The "fellow slave" is another slave, one who is saved. "A hundred denarii" is a small sum; it denotes a small shortcoming. After a man sins, if he has not confessed his sin thoroughly before God, he will not have a deep impression of his wrong even though he has repented. This is why after a short while this slave quickly forgot the matter and became violent with his fellow slave. This slave repented first out of anxiety and not because he realized the hopelessness of his debt; he still hoped to pay back the debt. Therefore, although he was humble and although he repented, the impression was not deep. After a short while he quickly forgot the Lord's great mercy. David was also like this. He did not know his own sin and condemned the rich man in Nathan's parable.
Verse 29:"Then his fellow slave fell down and begged him, saying, Be patient with me and I will repay you." The debt was small, and his fellow slave made the same repentance, showed the same humility, asked for mercy, and vowed his vow.
Verse 30:"But he would not; instead, he went away and threw him into prison until he would repay what was owed." Although this one's plea for mercy was the same as his, he could not remember his own pleading at the beginning and his receiving mercy, for at that time all his pleading was out of his anxiety and not out of a realization of the desperateness of his debts. "Threw him into prison." This means to deal with the matter according to the law and to forget about grace. Although he did it according to righteousness, righteousness could not be applied to this case because he could not annul the mercy he himself had received at the beginning. If he had not received mercy at the beginning, then it would seem lawful for him to cast others into prison. But after he had received mercy, it became a matter of righteousness for him to show mercy to others.
Verse 31:"Then his fellow slaves, seeing what had taken place, were greatly grieved and came and explained fully to their master all that had taken place." The prayers of the saints reach God.
Verse 32:"Then his master called him to him and said to him, Evil slave, all that debt I forgave you, because you begged me." This verse can refer to this life, in which case it means that God takes a person away from the world. This verse can also refer to the coming age, in which case it refers to God's judgment in the future.
Verse 33:"Should you not also have had mercy on your fellow slave even as I had mercy on you?" The Lord rebuked him for forgetting the mercy he had formerly received. This verse is the center, focus, and lesson of this parable.
Verse 34:"And his master became angry and delivered him to the torturers until he would repay all that was owed." His master was not breaking his promise. Because of righteousness, he made void his former mercy. "Repay all" means to fulfill the punishment of the one thousand years.
Verse 35:"So also will My heavenly Father do to you if each of you does not forgive his brother from your hearts." Verse 35 is the summary. Verses 21 and 22 are the introduction. Verses 23-34 are the parable. Here, in the summary, it applies the lesson to men of the present age. From this we see that this parable concerns matters of the present age. "From your hearts." So many times one forgives in his face, by his mouth, or in his conduct, but not "from the heart." The Lord stresses the heart. If a believer does not forgive others, he will be cast into prison and will not be released until he repays all that he owes. Therefore, a believer who does not forgive others should not ask to be forgiven. There should not be a believer who is so stubborn as to refuse to move his head, speak to others, or communicate with others.
