The Gospel According to St. Matthew

⭑ Berean Study Bible :: World English Bible Catholic ⭑

- Chapter 18 -

(Mark 9:33–41; Luke 9:46–50)

At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who then is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”

Jesus invited a little child to stand among them.

“Truly I tell you,” He said, “unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

And whoever welcomes a little child like this in My name welcomes Me.

Temptations and Trespasses

(Mark 9:42–48; Luke 17:1–4)

But if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.

Woe to the world for the causes of sin. These stumbling blocks must come, but woe to the man through whom they come!

If your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life crippled or lame than to have two hands and two feet and be thrown into the eternal fire.

And if your eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell.(a)

The Parable of the Lost Sheep

(Luke 15:1–7)

See that you do not look down on any of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of My Father in heaven.(b)

What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them goes astray, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go out to search for the one that is lost?

And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he rejoices more over that one sheep than over the ninety-nine that did not go astray.

In the same way, your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should perish.

A Brother Who Sins

(Deuteronomy 19:15–21)

If your brother sins against you,(c) go and confront him privately. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over.

But if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’(d)

If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, regard him as you would a pagan or a tax collector.

Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.

Ask in My Name

(John 16:23–33)

Again, I tell you truly that if two of you on the earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by My Father in heaven.

For where two or three gather together in My name, there am I with them.”

The Unforgiving Servant

(Romans 12:14–21)

Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother who sins against me? Up to seven times?”

Jesus answered, “I tell you, not just seven times, but seventy-seven times!(e)

Because of this, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants.

As he began the settlements, a debtor was brought to him owing ten thousand talents.(f)

Since the man was unable to pay, the master ordered that he be sold to pay his debt, along with his wife and children and everything he owned.

Then the servant fell on his knees before him. ‘Have patience with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’

His master had compassion on him, forgave his debt, and released him.

But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii.(g) He grabbed him and began to choke him, saying, ‘Pay back what you owe me!’

So his fellow servant fell down and begged him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you back.’

But he refused. Instead, he went and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay his debt.

When his fellow servants saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed, and they went and recounted all of this to their master.

Then the master summoned him and declared, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave all your debt because you begged me.

Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant, just as I had on you?’

In anger his master turned him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should repay all that he owed.

That is how My heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart.”

Footnotes

(a)18:9 Or the hell of fire; Greek the Gehenna of fire

(b)18:10 BYZ and TR include 11 For the Son of Man came to save the lost; see Luke 19:10.

(d)18:16 Deuteronomy 19:15

(e)18:22 Or seventy times seven; see Genesis 4:24 LXX

(f)18:24 A talent was worth about twenty years’ wages for a laborer.

(g)18:28 A denarius was customarily a day’s wage for a laborer; see Matthew 20:2.

(Mark 9:33–41; Luke 9:46–50)

In that hour the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who then is greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven?”

Jesus called a little child to himself, and set him in the middle of them

and said, “Most certainly I tell you, unless you turn and become as little children, you will in no way enter into the Kingdom of Heaven.

Whoever therefore humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven.

Whoever receives one such little child in my name receives me,

Temptations and Trespasses

(Mark 9:42–48; Luke 17:1–4)

but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to stumble, it would be better for him if a huge millstone were hung around his neck and that he were sunk in the depths of the sea.

“Woe to the world because of occasions of stumbling! For it must be that the occasions come, but woe to that person through whom the occasion comes!

If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life maimed or crippled, rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into the eternal fire.

If your eye causes you to stumble, 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 the Gehenna (a) of fire.

The Parable of the Lost Sheep

(Luke 15:1–7)

See that you don’t despise one of these little ones, for I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven.

For the Son of Man came to save that which was lost. (b)

“What do you think? If a man has one hundred sheep, and one of them goes astray, doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine, go to the mountains, and seek that which has gone astray?

If he finds it, most certainly I tell you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine which have not gone astray.

Even so it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.

A Brother Who Sins

(Deuteronomy 19:15–21)

“If your brother sins against you, go, show him his fault between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained back your brother.

But if he doesn’t listen, take one or two more with you, that at the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. (c)

If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the assembly. If he refuses to hear the assembly also, let him be to you as a Gentile or a tax collector.

Most certainly I tell you, whatever things you bind on earth will have been bound in heaven, and whatever things you release on earth will have been released in heaven.

Ask in My Name

(John 16:23–33)

Again, assuredly I tell you, that if two of you will agree on earth concerning anything that they will ask, it will be done for them by my Father who is in heaven.

For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there I am in the middle of them.”

The Unforgiving Servant

(Romans 12:14–21)

Then Peter came and said to him, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Until seven times?”

Jesus said to him, “I don’t tell you until seven times, but, until seventy times seven.

Therefore the Kingdom of Heaven is like a certain king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants.

When he had begun to settle, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. (d)

But because he couldn’t pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, with his wife, his children, and all that he had, and payment to be made.

The servant therefore fell down and knelt before him, saying, ‘Lord, have patience with me, and I will repay you all!’

The lord of that servant, being moved with compassion, released him and forgave him the debt.

“But that servant went out and found one of his fellow servants who owed him one hundred denarii, (e) and he grabbed him and took him by the throat, saying, ‘Pay me what you owe!’

“So his fellow servant fell down at his feet and begged him, saying, ‘Have patience with me, and I will repay you!’

He would not, but went and cast him into prison until he should pay back that which was due.

So when his fellow servants saw what was done, they were exceedingly sorry, and came and told their lord all that was done.

Then his lord called him in and said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me.

Shouldn’t you also have had mercy on your fellow servant, even as I had mercy on you?’

His lord was angry, and delivered him to the tormentors until he should pay all that was due to him.

So my heavenly Father will also do to you, if you don’t each forgive your brother from your hearts for his misdeeds.”

Footnotes

(a)18:9 or, Hell

(b)18:11 NU omits verse 11.

(d)18:24 Ten thousand talents (about 300 metric tons of silver) represents an extremely large sum of money, equivalent to about 60,000,000 denarii, where one denarius was typical of one day’s wages for agricultural labor.

(e)18:28 100 denarii was about one sixtieth of a talent, or about 500 grams (1.1 pounds) of silver.