Daniel P. Barron

Matthew 18

Sunday, July 4, 2021 

1 In that hour the disciples came to Joshua, saying, "Who then is greatest i in the kingdom of the heavens?" 2 And Joshua summoning a child, stood him in their midst, 3 and said, "Truly I say to you, unless you turn ii and become as the child, iii you will by no means enter into the kingdom of the heavens. 4 Whoever therefore will humble himself as this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of the heavens. 5 And whoever receives such a child in my name, receives me."


6 "And whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to stumble, iv it is better for him that a millstone be hung on v his neck and he were drowned vi in the depths of the sea. 7 Woe to the world because of offenses! vii For it is necessary for offenses to come, viii but woe to that man through whom the offense comes! 8 And if your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it from you. ix It is better for you to enter in the life lame or crippled, than having two hands or two feet be cast into the eternal fire. 9 And if your eye causes you to stumble, take it out and throw it from you. It is better for you to enter into the life one-eyed, than having two eyes to be cast into the fiery hell." x


10 "See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I say to you that their messengers xi in heavens always see the face of my father who is in heavens. 11 For the son of the man came to save that which was lost." xii


12 "What do you think? If some man has a hundred sheep, and one of them wonders, will he not, leaving the ninety nine, going to the hills, seek the wondering one? 13 And when he finds it, truly I say to you that he rejoices over it more than over the ninety nine who had not wondered. 14 Thus, it is not the will before your father who is in heavens that one of these littles ones perish." xiii


15 "And if your brother sins against you, xiv go and rebuke xv him between you and him alone. If he hears you, you gained xvi your brother. 16 But if he does not hear, take with you one or two more, that upon the mouth of two or three witnesses every word might be established. xvii 17 But if he refuses to hear them, tell the assembly. xviii But if he refuses to hear even the assembly, let him be to you as the heathen xix and the tax collector. xx 18 Truly I say to you, whatever you bind upon the earth shall be bound in the heaven, and whatever you loose upon the earth shall be loosed in the heaven. xxi 19 Again I say to you that if two of you agree upon the earth about anything which if they ask, it shall be to them from my father who is in heavens. xxii 20 For where two or three are gathered in my name, there I am in their midst."


21 Then coming to him Peter said, "Lord, how many times shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?"


22 Joshua says to him, "I do not say to you up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven. xxiii 23 For this reason, the kingdom of the heavens is like a certain king who desired to settle a matter xxiv with his servants. 24 And when he began to settle it, xxv one was brought to him owing ten thousand talents. xxvi 25 And having nothing of which to repay, his Lord ordered him to be sold, and his wife and children and all that he had, and to be repaid. 26 Then the servant falling down was worshipping xxvii him, saying, 'Lord, have patience with me, and I will repay all.' 27 And the Lord of that servant felt compassion, released him, and forgave him the debt."


28 But that servant, going out, found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii. xxviii And seizing him, he was choking him, saying, 'Repay me what you owe!' xxix 29 Then his fellow servant, falling down to his feet, was begging him, saying, "Have patience with me, and I will repay you.' 30 And he was unwilling, but departing, he cast him into prison until when he repaid what was owed. 31 And his fellow servants, seeing what he did, were exceedingly grieved, and going, they reported to their Lord all the things that were done."


32 "Then his Lord summoning him said to him, 'You evil servant! I forgave you all that debt, because you begged me. 33 Should you not also have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I also had mercy on you?' xxx 34 And being angry, his Lord delivered him to the torturers xxxi until when he repaid all that was owed him. 35 So also will my heavenly father do to you if you do not forgive, each his brother, from your heart, their transgressions."


Matthew 17 - Matthew 19


Translated by Darwin Fish. See original pdf. xxxii

  1. meizwn (meizôn) - "greatest" - can be translated either "greater" (e.g. Matthew 11:11) or "greatest" (e.g. 1 Corinthians 13:13). ^
  2. strafhte (straphête) - "turn" - used for turn position or direction (e.g. Matthew 5:39; 7:6; 9:22), turn in the sense of physical "change" (e.g. Revelation 11:6) or spiritual change (e.g. John 12:40). Used of God turning in Acts 7:42. ^
  3. Psalm 149:4 ^
  4. skandalish (skandalisê) - "causes . . . to stumble" ^
  5. eiv (eis) - "on" - more literally "into." Critical Text has peri (eis) "around." Received Text has epi (epi) "upon." ^
  6. katapontisyh (kataponisthê) - "drowned" - found only here and Matthew 14:30. ^
  7. skandalwn (skandalôn) - "offenses" ^
  8. Proverbs 16:4; Psalm 92:5-7; Romans 9:11-22 ^
  9. This is consistant with 1 Corinthians 10:14; 1 Timothy 6:11; 2 Timothy 2:22; Job 1:5. This is how a man of God lives. ^
  10. thn geennan tou purov (tên geennan tou puros) - "the fiery hell" - more literally, "the hell of the fire." ^
  11. Hebrews 1:14 ^
  12. Luke 9:56; 15; 19:1-10; John 3:17; 12:47 ^
  13. Can they perish? See Matthew 18:6-9. ^
  14. eiv se (eis se) - "against you" - Critical Text brackets these words within the text, yet NAS does not translate them even with brackets, but does footnote them. NIV translates them. For sin in general, see Galatians 6:1; 1 Corinthians 5. ^
  15. elegxon (elegxon) - "rebuke" - found also only in Luke 3:19 (“rebuked”); John 3:20 (“exposed”); 8:46 (“convicts”); 16:8 (“convicts”); 1 Corinthians 14:24 (“convinced”); Ephesians 5:11 (“expose”), 13 (“exposed”); 1 Timothy 5:20 (“rebuke”); 2 Timothy 4:2 (“convince”); Titus 1:9 (“convict”), 13 (“rebuke”); 2:15 (“rebuke”); Hebrews 12:5 (“rebuked”); James 2:9 (“convicted”); Jude 15 (“convict”); Revelation 3:19 (“rebuke”). The related noun, elegcov (elegchos), is found only in Hebrews 11:1 (“evidence”); 2 Timothy 3:16 (“reproof”). ^
  16. ekerdhsav (ekerdêsas) - "gained" - found also only in Matthew 16:26; 25:16-17, 20, 22; Mark 8:36; Luke 9:25; Acts 27:21; 1 Corinthians 9:19-22; Philippians 3:8; James 4:13; 1 Peter 3:1. See also Proverbs 11:30; 1 Timothy 4:16. ^
  17. Deuteronomy 17:6; 19:15; 2 Corinthians 13:1; 1 Timothy 5:19; Hebrews 10:28 ^
  18. ἐκκλησίᾳ (ekklêsia) - “assembly” - see footnote for Matthew 16:18. ^
  19. eynikov (ethnikos) - "heathen" - found also only in Matthew 5:47 (CT); 6:7; 3 John 7 ^
  20. Matthew was a tax-collector (Matthew 10:3), and so was Zacchaeus (Luke 19:1-10). ^
  21. See also John 20:21-23 & 1 Corinthians 5. ^
  22. 1 Corinthians 5:3-5 ^
  23. Proverbs 10:12; 17:9 ^
  24. logon (logon) - "a matter" ^
  25. autou (autou) - "a matter" ^
  26. talantwn (talantôn) - "talents" - found only here and in Matthew 25:15-28. There is also talantiaia (talantiaia) "weight of a talent," found only in Revelation 16:21. In 2 Samuel 12:30 (1 Chronicles 20:2) a crown weighs a talent. In 2 Kings 5:23 two talents are carried in two bags. Also, 1 Chronicles 22:14 mentions a million talents of silver. ^
  27. prosekunei (prosekunei) - "was worshipping" - This is the word for worship (e.g. Matthew 4:9-10; Acts 7:43; Revelation 9:20; 19:10; 22:8), used to Christ (e.g. Matthew 2:2; 8:2; John 9:38). It is used to men here, and also in Acts 10:25 and Revelation 3:9. For every reference of this word, see footnote for Matthew 2:2. ^
  28. dhnaria (dênaria) - "denarii" - see footnote for Matthew 20:2. ^
  29. He now has less reason for "needing" the money than before, yet he is without mercy (James 2:13). ^
  30. See Luke 7:41-47. This man was forgiven much, but did not love much in return. ^
  31. Revelation 14:11; 20:10 ^
  32. Mirrored here^

5 Responses

  1. "For the kingdom of the heavens is like a man, master of the house, who went out while yet early to hire workers for his vineyard. And agreeing with the workers on a denarius for the day, he sent them into his vineyard. -- dhnariou (dênariou) - "denarius" - This text gives the appearance of a denarius being a workman's average daily wage. Besides this chapter, this word can be found in Matthew 18:28; 22:19; Mark 6:37; 12:15; 14:5; Luke 7:41; 10:35; 20:24; John 6:7; 12:5; and Revelation 6:6.


    Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came to him with her sons, worshipping and asking something from him. -- See footnote for Matthew 18:26.

  2. And when that king heard, he was angry, and sending his armies, he destroyed those murderers and burned their city.” -- wrgisyh (ôrgisthê) - “angry” - same word as used e.g. in Matthew 5:22; 18:34; Luke 14:21; 15:28; Ephesians 4:26; Revelation 11:18; 12:17.

  3. “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because you shut up the kingdom of the heavens from before men. For you do not enter, nor do you allow those entering to go in.” -- “those entering” - this is the horrific work of false spiritual leaders. They even prevent “those entering” from going in, as in 2 Peter 2:18. Similar statement made in Luke 11:52. “those entering” depends the truth often reveal in the Word, people can be temporarily saved, yet never make it to heaven (e.g. Luke 8:13/Romans 11:22; 1 Corinthians 15:2; Matthew 18:21-35; John 15:1-6; Hebrews 6:4-8; 10:26-29; Revelation 22:18-19; etc.). Also, how does one enter? See Psalm 118:19-20.

  4. Again the Devil takes him to a very high mountain and shows him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. -- κοσμου (kosmou) - “world” - this is the more common word for “world.” It is found about 187 times in the NT (e.g. Matthew 5:14; 13:35, 38; 16:26; 18:7; 1 John 2:2, 15-16; 5:4-5, 19; etc.). See also Luke 2:1 and footnote for the “inhabited world.”


    And when Joshua heard that John had been delivered up, he departed to Galilee. -- παρεδοθη (paredothê) - “delivered up” (NAS footnotes “Lit. delivered up”) - from παραδιδωμι (paradidômi) - “to hand over,” “deliver” (e.g. Matthew 5:25; 10:17, 19, 21; 11:27; 18:34; 20:19; Romans 1:24, 26, 28; 4:25) also translated “betray” (e.g. Matthew 10:4; 17:22; 20:18). NKJV & NIV translate “had been put in prison,” KJV “was cast into prison,” NAS “had been taken into custody.” The Greek word for “prison” is not in this text as it is in Acts 8:3 (παρεδιδου εις φυλακην [paredidou eis phulakên]) and 22:4 (παραδιδους εις φυλακας [paradidou eis phulakas]) where the Greek words for both “delivered” and “prison” are found.

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