The Lord shows that such unbelief justly and necessarily excludes itself, but not others, from blessing. Thus the old link with the flesh, with Israel, is now disowned; and the new relationships of faith, founded on doing the will of His Father (it is not a question of the law in any sort), are alone acknowledged. My wife has been freed. As I pointed out above (cf. They are hereby appointed; the church of Christ in the world exists most visibly in religious assemblies; it is the will of Christ that these should be set up, and kept up, for the honour of God, the edification of men, and the preserving of a face of religion upon the world. Believe Him and trust Him and He will work in you. In Matthew 12:1-50 we find not so much Jesus present and despised of men, as these men of Israel, the rejectors, in the presence of Jesus. The two blind men called upon Him as the Son of David; a sample this of what will be in the end, when the heart of Israel turns to the Lord, and the veil is done away. The violent man, Herod, guilty of innocent blood, then reigned in the land, in contrast with whom goes Jesus into the wilderness, showing who and what He was the Shepherd of Israel, ready and able to care for the people. He evinces, that at the very time when Peter forgot the vision and the Father's voice, virtually reducing Him to mere man, He was God manifest in the flesh. 1. That is specially so if he goes out from a protected home where no evil influence was ever allowed to play upon him. What is more, it speaks of tax-collectors and Gentiles as irreclaimable outsiders. If I have a problem with a brother in Dallas, it is not practical to travel or call up some members in ( universal Church) Philippines, Australia and Mongolia etc.,to talk about the issue. Then comes the boast of Peter, though for others as well as himself. No doubt the ship was covered with the waves; but how could that imperil the Lord of all? Peter goes forth, but losing sight of the Lord in the presence of the troubled waves, and yielding to his ordinary experience, he fears the strong wind, and is only saved by the outstretched hand of Jesus, who rebukes his doubt. If He offers to go to his house, it was to bring out the faith that He had created in the heart of the centurion. In Matthew we have no distinction of their call from their mission. The angels, who are watching over our little children, their faces are before the Father continually there in heaven, beseeching the Father for these precious little ones.This business of, if thy hand offend thee and all, is something that Jesus meant to be repugnant. At its widest what Jesus was saying was, "If anyone sins against you, spare no effort to make that man admit his fault, and to get things right again between you and him." My wife doesn't know it, and I just don't know what to do about it, and all." In most situations the scope of public announcement would be a local church congregation, the particular collection of disciples of which the wayward brother is a part. Private admonitions must always go before public censures; if gentler methods will do the work, those that are more rough and severe must not be used, Titus 3:10. The motives of the natural heart are laid bare. I'm curious about the phrase "tell it to the church." The overall emphasis seems to be, "don't make the correction any severer or more public than it has to be." The situation is this: a "brother" (or member of your congregation) commits a sin that only you are aware of. Jesus tells his disciples that what they bind or loose on earth is also bound or loosed in heaven. The Lord has nothing for them, or for Him, but to go right on to the end. We are, in fact, in the presence of that which John so loves to dwell on Jesus viewed not merely as Son of David or Abraham, or Seed of the woman, but as the Father's Son, the Son as the Father gave, sent, appreciated, and loved Him. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. Those that will be reasoned out of their sins, need not be shamed out of them. [1.] 17 And as Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples aside, and on the way he said to them, 18 "See, we are going up to Jerusalem. 14. y Ib. Whereas, on the contrary, there are other kinds of order that call for more profound thought and enlarged views, if we may speak now after the manner of men; and, indeed, I deny not that these the Holy Ghost employed in His own wisdom, though it is hardly needful to say He could, if He pleased, demonstrate His superiority to any means or qualifications whatsoever. God is not willing that any should perish and thus provides ample opportunity for restoration. You say," Lord, problems." Give to me forgiveness in my heart. St. Paul speaks in the person of Christ, when he saith, To whom ye forgive any thing, I forgive also,2 Corinthians 2:10. This step calls for the matter to be brought before the church. He will remember the genuine love of his spiritual family. 15If your brother or sister[a] sins,[b] go and point out their fault,(A) just between the two of you. "I will build my church." The church belongs to Jesus. & Moses Kotsensis Mitzvot Tora, pr. Perhaps they thought He was referring to a Jewish assembly, a synagogue. To lose a hand, to lose an eye by my own doing is just a horribly repugnant thought. for if the mighty works, which were done in you, had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. The picture is of a great royal court where only the most favoured courtiers and ministers and officials have direct access to the king. What do Jesus words in Matthew 16:18 mean with respect to his Church never being defeated by the powers of hell? By his common presence he is in all places, as God; but this is a promise of his special presence. (iii) It has a warning to silence all evasion. He tells them that they should not have gone over (or finished) the cities of Israel till the Son of man be come. We can imagine how the other shepherds would return with their flocks to the village fold at evening time, and how they would tell that one shepherd was still out on the mountain-side seeking a wanderer. I believe Jesus is teaching us to set healthy and compassionate boundaries in our relationships and releasing us to move on from intractable situations or irreconcilable relationships (rather than obsessing with fixing what we cant repair). He didnt blackball them. He had a baby son who was his heir; and, before he departed, he made his barons and nobles come and swear fealty to the little infant, in the event of anything happening to himself They came with their waving plumes and their clanking armour and knelt before the child. 9. Only tradition will not do this work, nor will human thoughts or feelings. I am so thankful I have discovered your site and books. In todays context, in our own various models of ekklesia, Matthew 18 models for us Christs personal humility and call to love one another, its not about bringing the muscleits about dialing down the energy. Gehenna ( G1067) was the valley of Hinnom, a valley below the mountain of Jerusalem. This as yet draws out wonder, at least from the witnessing multitudes, that God had given such power unto men. ", 2. It is not a statement that some men are hopeless; it is a statement that Jesus Christ has found no man hopeless--and neither must we. Matthew 18:15), "He cannot be treated as a spiritual brother, for he has forfeited that position. If he doesn't pay attention even to the church, let him be like a Gentile and a tax collector to you. Those letters were sent to church leaders, but also circulated among the church as a whole. I have to thank you for your blog and books. of The "church" of Matthew 16:18 is the Messianic Church, Jews who had recognized Jesus as Messiah, Christ, the Son of Godthe profession that Peter made in verse 16. The priest, in chap. Christians, however, fail to use this approach. It was approximately one five-hundred-thousandth of his own debt. It does not say, that " then there came a leper," or " immediately there came a leper." "For if two of you shall agree on earth as touching anything that they shall ask, it will be done for them by my Father which is in heaven." Even so it is not the will of the Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish ( Matthew 18:12-14 ). Then, after the parable of the mustard seed (ver. [3.] (2.) It is not a mandatory judicial protocol for every circumstance of conflict in community life. "Neither do men put new wine into old bottles, else the bottles break, and the wine runneth out, and the bottles perish; but they put new wine into new bottles, and both are preserved." Such is the perversity of man, that he who is not called thinks he can follow Jesus whithersoever He goes. This passage presents us with a whole scheme of action for the mending of broken relationships within the Christian fellowship. It is more particularly sin, viewed as guilt, and consequently as that which absolutely breaks and destroys all power in the soul towards both God and man. In the evening multitudes are brought, taking advantage of the power that had so shown itself, publicly in the synagogue, and privately in the house of Peter; and the Lord accomplished the words ofIsaiah 53:4; Isaiah 53:4: "Himself," it is said, "took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses," an oracle we might do well to consider in the limit of its application here. Video for Matthew 18: Matthew 18:15-20 - Agreement in Prayer. To maim my own body, to me is a very repugnant idea. 18 we read: 15: If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. , Synagoga Judaica, de Judaeorum fide, ritibus, ceremoniis, tam publicis et sacris quam privatis, Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers. For instance, the Boy Scouts of America has the right as a private group to dismiss a . And I've found, to my shame and chagrin, that the school's misuse of Matthew 18 is far from unusual. Thanks to your prophetic mind seminar, I now understand why people respond to me the way they do. But whereas Gentiles are such by birth, tax collectors are such by choice. In the next discourse we may hope to have the rest of his gospel. This will spare that person any humiliation or embarrassment when it comes to someone pointing out their sin. - Matthew 18:15-17 NIV. What an anticipation of the walk by faith, not by sight, in which the Gentiles, when called, ought to have glorified God, when the rejection of the Messiah by His own ancient people gave occasion to the Gentile call as a distinct thing! "Now that is heavy. I love that. The woman of Canaan, out of the borders of Tyre and Sidon, appeals to Him; a Gentile of most ominous name and belongings a Gentile whose case was desperate; for she appeals on behalf of her daughter, grievously vexed with a devil. Especially is this situation true in the case of a new convert. Since he was quite unable to pay, his master ordered him to be sold, together with his wife and children, and all his possessions, and payment to be made. [1.] They have treated the Bible either with levity, or as too awful a book to be apprehended really; not with the reverence of faith, which waits on Him, and fails not in due time to understand His word. This is not a form of excommunication to be used among Christians, nor was there ever any such form among the Jews; nor could Heathens or publicans, especially such publicans as were Gentiles, be excommunicated, when they never were of the Jewish church. The design is, I think, manifest: the Spirit of God is here giving a vivid picture of the manifestation of the Messiah, of His divine glory, of His grace and power, with the effect of this manifestation. And besides, this is given, not as a rule to the church, but as advice to the offended person, how to behave towards the offender: after he has come under the cognizance, reproof, and censure of the church, he is to look upon him as the Jews did one that disregarded both private reproof by a man's self, and that which was in the presence of one or two more, (twxp rbx) , "a worthless friend", or neighbour; as a Gentile, with whom the Jews had neither religious nor civil conversation; and a "publican", or as Munster's Hebrew Gospel reads it, (hrbe leb) "a notorious sinner", as a publican was accounted: hence such are often joined together, and with whom the Jews might not eat, nor keep any friendly and familiar acquaintance: and so such that have been privately admonished and publicly rebuked, without success, their company is to be shunned, and intimate friendship with them to be avoided. 23. We have noted that the terms "lord," "disciple," "apostle," and others came to have more specific meanings as Gods kingdom plan unfolded. Having said this, pointing out someone's sin or speaking the truth to them does not mean we can assassinate their character or use harsh comments under the guise of telling the truth.. More insights from your Bible study - Get Started with Logos Bible Software for Free! . On this the Lord proceeds to take a step farther, and makes a deeper inroad, if possible, upon Jewish prejudice. He knew this would be the church as we know it, but the disciples must have thought He meant just themselves in a collective sense. How little they had learnt the divine lesson of grace, not ordinances! Beyond the technicalities of the text, I think God is a realist when it comes to human beings and their interactions with each other. I am sure that he was stretching in his own mind his knowledge of his own ability to forgive. I feel like the past few years I am having to deprogram myself and relearn a lot. On the other hand, it is not too much to say, that the same Scriptures which convince one unbiassed mind that pays heed to these notes of time, will produce no less effect on others. I merely indicate by the way how the thorough increasing rejection of the Lord Jesus in His lower glory has but the effect of bringing out the revelation of His higher. You have put on paper what I have always thought in my heart. But if he neglect to hear the church: the advice they should give unto him, the reproof they should think proper for him, or the censure they should pass upon him. Christ will not own those as his, nor receive them to himself, whom the church has duly delivered to Satan; but, if through error or envy the censures of the church be unjust, Christ will graciously find those who are so cast out, John 9:34; John 9:35. He ate with them. Matthew 18:17. Have we, spite of superior privileges, such unwavering faith, that we can afford to treat the matter as incredible in John, and therefore only capable of solution in his staggering disciples? First of these comes the treasure hidden in the field, for which the man sells all he had, securing the field for the sake of the treasure. From the level of communication about issues in local church communities to and from Paul and so on, I'd say it was harder to imagine back then a great deal of difference between a local church congregation and the whole body of Christ - the Church. If not, then Jesus words would mean little. Let none suppose that, in giving my own convictions, I have the presumptuous thought of putting these forward as if they were the sole motives in God's mind. I forgave you all that debt when you besought me to do so. So, on the other hand, the centurion sets forth with no less aptness the characteristic faith that suits the Gentile, in a simplicity which looks for nothing but the word of His mouth, is perfectly content with it, knows that, whatever the disease may be, He has only to speak the word, and it is done according to His divine will. Reviewing, then, these closing incidents of the chapter (ver. This is the purpose of church discipline: to restore and show love (Matthew 18:15). Christian kindness and Christian forgiveness do not mean that a man who is in error is to be allowed to do as he likes. As we have often seen, it is Matthew's consistent custom to gather together the teaching of Jesus under certain great heads; he arranges it systematically. So take heed that you despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, That in heaven [and I love this] their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven ( Matthew 18:8-10 ). Josephus (Antiquities of the Jews 14. Far different this was from the errand on which He was intent; but He was there for faith. The apostles were then sent thus, no doubt, forerunners of those whom the Lord will raise up for the latter day. The sheep has no one but itself to blame for the danger it had got itself into. I do not pretend to say this was the only purpose served; far be it from me to think of restraining the Spirit of God within the narrow bounds of our vision. Thus, and after the tenderest sort, there is that which evidences the Messiah on earth present to heal His people who appeal to Him; and the Jew, above all counting upon His bodily presence demanding it, I may say, according to the warrant of prophecy, finds in Jesus not merely the man, but the God of Israel. The Father and the Son have their appropriate part, even as we know from elsewhere the Spirit sent down from heaven in due time was to have His. Well you file a malpractice suit against me for quackery for saying, "We'll, just let it go and see what happens".And I said, "You're coming to me with a spiritual malady that is more deadly then cancer. Neither is disagreeing with your pastor. Note: There is not a shred of indication in this passage that Matthew 18 is a biblically mandatory protocol for doctrinal disputes. The ignorance is wholly on our side: all they say or omit was owing to the far-reaching and gracious wisdom of Him who inspired them. In other words, the leper is here introduced after the sermon on the mount, though, in fact, the circumstance took place long before it. The first thing to be remarked is, that the leper was an early incident in the manifestation of the healing power of our Lord. This is fully explained by the apostle (1 Corinthians 6:1-20), where he reproves those that went to law before the unjust, and not before the saints (Matthew 18:1; Matthew 18:1), and would have the saints to judge those small matters (Matthew 18:2; Matthew 18:2) that pertain to this life, Matthew 18:3; Matthew 18:3. On this occasion Peter thought that he was being very generous. Thus the end is as the beginning, and even far, far worse. Jesus used the word Church only two times in the New Testament: once in Matt 16:18 (where Jesus builds the Church upon the rock of Peter), and once in Matt 18:18. Christ, having taught us to indulge the weakness of our brethren, here cautions us not to indulge their wickedness under pretence of that. Where note, 1. The Lord's Conflict Resolution Plan. The passage begins with these words: "If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone.