Update complete 7/31/18
Matthew 18:1
Remember, Context, context, context! Before we can consider the implications of this passage, we must first consider the context of the passage. In the previous chapter, the parting thought was that Yeshua was the rightful King of the earth. He was established earlier in the chapter as the God of the Old Testament who had taken on flesh. His position was validated by Elijah, Moses and the Father. The disciples understood that He was soon to step into His kingdom. The caveat to the situation was that Yeshua explained to them that He must die and rise from the dead. This had to confuse the disciples a bit.
There were a lot of things that had just happened where the disciples started feeling that they had rank in the Kingdom. One of the things was the privilege of being at the transfiguration; another was because of the illustration that Jesus used regarding the temple tax (Matt 17:24-27). It was implied that they were exempt from the temple tax since they were following the King. It was only natural for them to carry the thought one step further and start wondering about rank.
Matthew 18:2-6
Yeshua said that if we “are converted”, an ominous term which gives all sorts of applications, in English Bibles. Perhaps the literal Greek meaning should be considered rather than the traditional English translation. The literal Greek would be worded like this, “unless you turn around and become like little children, you absolutely will not ever enter into the kingdom of heaven.”
First, let’s talk about turning around. The meaning of the word “repent” is not to make a “u-turn” as many state. Rather, it is to return, or to turn back to the instructions of God. If a person never followed the instructions of God before, repentance would not mean making a u-turn, but rather making a turn toward God’s instructions. This is the idea behind this word. It is a redirection that moves a person from one position or perspective to another. Yeshua always taught Torah, or the instructions of God. His teaching was radical since it threw off rabbinnics and looked at pure Torah, as God originally intended it. His message was simply to turn to the instruction of God.
Second, let’s talk about “becoming like little children”. I raised six children. I am sure that everyone is aware of how children think. When a child is told something by someone they consider to be an authority, they believe it. They welcome it and believe it wholeheartedly. To try to change their mind on a fact taught by one they have learned to trust is quite a task. Early in my Christian walk we had a saying, “God said it, I believe it, and that settles it.” This came from a radical bunch of military believers who fellowshipped at Hansen Christian Center in Okinawa, Japan. I am certain that the saying did not originate with us. The point is that simple childlike faith takes God’s word and puts it at first priority.
Third, let’s talk about “you will not enter”. The word in the Greek language is a double negative, meaning “you absolutely will not enter”. This tells us that this is very important to Jesus. He is telling them that if they do not turn to the instructions of God as believing as little children do, they will be unable to enter into the Kingdom. These are pretty frightening words. Especially for those who think that any good life will land them in heaven.
Fourth, let’s talk about “the kingdom of heaven”. Contrary to what many may believe, the kingdom of heaven is not in heaven. It is on earth. When we become believers we gain citizenship in heaven. For all practical purposes, we live on earth. Later when we see Paul discuss the body of the Messiah this becomes crystal clear. The body of believers who follow our Messiah are all alive on earth. Once we die, we are immediately taken out of this earthly body and taken to dwell in heaven.
The disciples understood that the Messiah would set up the earthly kingdom on earth when the Messiah claimed his earthly throne. They understood from the previous chapter that Yeshua was certainly the Messiah. Now they were jockeying for position in the Kingdom. Their understanding was that now that the kingdom was set up, they would fall into different roles in the kingdom.
Matthew 18:5-6: Yeshua brings the illustration home. One who becomes like a child and turns to Him for instruction becomes a prized possession for Yeshua. That person is so valuable that when they are received, it is just like receiving Jesus! Let’s step forward to Paul’s illustration of the body of Messiah again. This is where we put this passage into shoe leather. When we turn toward the Messiah and accept the instructions of Jesus in our lives, we become part of His body. We literally take on His being, and His life is lived through our lives (Col 1:13-29).
For argument’s sake, let’s look at little children for a moment: They are absolutely trusting, and completely believing. If you tell a child that Santa Claus is real, they believe it, tell them that Easter bunny is real, they believe that too, now let’s add the tooth fairy, and the cupid Valentine are real, and at the same time we tell them about Jesus. The first four prove to be a lie, what are they to think? In many of our churches we promote these characters and play upon their powers. When the child matures we tell them that it was a fable. Children are quick to connect the dots and realize that they have been scammed. Why should they believe in a Jesus that adults talk about but do not truly follow? Many times Christians acknowledge Yeshua as Messiah in their lives but live like everyone else. No turning has taken place at all. The point is that little children believe what they are told and they act upon what they are told. That child-like belief and faith is what is required to enter the Kingdom of heaven. Nothing else is required.
Why not cut to the meat of the matter? Rather than teach children fables, let’s start at a young age to teach them only Jesus. Expose the myths when the children hear about them and explain them as teachings that unbelievers pacify their children with. Jesus said that the little child’s faith is sacred, and woe to the man who destroys it. The four fables was just an example; the other ways that we destroy our children’s faith is by divorce, abuse, and double standards in our own lives. I don’t think many consider the impact that our lives are having our kids. I think we should consider a different path.
Matthew 7:6: We almost always abandon the context of the passage and focus on how if a person causes a child to stumble they would be better with a millstone around their neck and drowned. We righteously raise our fist against those who take advantage of the gullibility of children. Unfortunately we miss the context of the passage. The child who stumbles is any believer at any age who believes in Yeshua and is stumbled by someone else.
This leads us to an application that all believers should take to heart. False teachers who promote unbiblical teaching should be removed from their post or abandoned. The Old Testament teaches that if you have a prophet that does not speak the truth, he is to be stoned (Deut 13:5). The message from that passage is that the instructions of the prophet are to be called into question according to God’s instruction (Deut 13:4). The Lord God must be followed with childlike belief, everything that God says we take to heart (Deut 13:4).
The problem with Christians today is that many do not know the Word of God. Therefore when they hear a teacher who is declaring teaching that does not line up with the context of the Word, they are not able to discern this. These Christians soon stumble and follow the false teacher with childlike faith believing that the scriptures that the teacher quotes are accurate. Very soon they fall into false teaching that is not consistent with the truth of the Word. They are children who have been led astray.
It is up to the churches to police this problem. The unfortunate thing is that many of these problems go forward unchecked due to a number of reasons. First, it may be denominational error that was taught from seminary. In this case the teacher is parroting error that he has been taught. Second, it may be that the church leadership does not have the depth to pursue the problem. Third, it may also be that even if the church is aware of the problem they will not address it, possibly due to the popularity of the teacher or in an effort not to make waves. As the end times draw near, each of us must focus on retuning our swords to accurately handle the Word of Truth (2 Tim 2:15).
Matthew 18:7-9
Almost anyone who has little children understands that there are always stumbling blocks left for the adults. The adult teaches the child to pick up their blocks so that later the children (and adults) do not trip over them. As an interesting note on a personal level, I originally wrote this section in the waiting room while my wife was undergoing her first brain surgery in 2004. It offered a much needed distraction from the emotions and fears that were raging through my body and mind. The effort was good, but the outcome was quite bad as I read over my notes. This section certainly needed rewriting!
It also marked a new era in our lives were everything that we had hoped for was dashed and our lives was turned upside down. At the time we had worked out a plan to enter the ministry, God had different plans at the time. We were not aware of the messianic and needed to be moved into areas where we would be exposed to it. Recovery was hard, long and intense. But Yeshua got us over every stumbling block that came in our way and sent us to the right healers to bring my wife to complete healing.
Yeshua took the little truth about children’s stumbling blocks and expounded upon it… Stumbling blocks will come. Some stumbling blocks are like children’s toys, they are of our own making. Others are imposed upon us from the outside, and we are caught often by surprise. Yeshua said that stumbling blocks are inevitable. They will happen. Yeshua said “woe to that man”. The word “woe” carries the idea of horror. It is the opposite of happy. This does not say that it is devastating. Let’s return to Yesua’s basic line of teaching for a moment, then we will continue with the discussion:
He expected everyone to make every effort to follow Him completely. That means that we embrace His teachings and abandon the worldly ideas that we were raised with. Some Christians today ignore commitment to purity in our Christian walk, claiming that they are “no longer under the law, but under grace.” Few realize that “law” in the Old Testament was the word “Torah” which means instructions. What they are saying is we are no longer under God’s instructions but are under His unmerited favor (grace) to do whatever they wish. Without the instructions of God to set morality, it must set morality by societal standards. This stumbling block has tripped up many Christians today before they even get started. According to Yeshua, we must return to the purity of the instructions from the Word. Failing to understand this undermines any effort to walk the Christian walk.
Matthew 18:8 Yeshua teaches that we must be proactive in dealing with stumbling blocks. First, He addressed stumbling blocks that come as a result of our own work or effort. This gives us the impression that the blocks are results of our own making. Perhaps it is a personal goal in our lives that does not line up with God’s purpose. Perhaps this is a personal “sin” that we have kept in the closet. This is some distraction that we have in our lives that is of our own making. The applications of this is innumerable. All of us have things which are not ordained by God that keeps us from serving God completely. Some things we do enhance serving God by placing us in community with others. This is talking about a stumbling block that is bringing each of us down personally. The application is up to you. The answer, cut off the hand or foot! Get proactive and eliminate this stumbling block from your life. You have to make a personal decision to overcome the personal distraction that has drawn you away from your perfect walk with God.
Matthew 18:9 The second type of stumbling block that He addresses is that of the lust of the eyes. This application is also broad and varied. This focuses upon the idea of our goals or desires that are not focused upon following Yeshua. Again, the solution is to be proactive. Is this goal or desire going to move me to a closer relationship and a better walk with Yeshua? I will wager that if we ask that question, over ninety percent of our goals will change.
In both verses the warning is interesting. The result of not dealing with these sins, distractions or goals has the potential of landing one in eternal fire, or fiery hell. I am not arguing a case for the loss of salvation. Rather, this stumbling block takes place before a person makes commitment. The failure to commit or turn our lives over to Yeshua will result in hell. It comes down to personal choice. We choose life as we have lived it or choose to make the change to follow Yeshua.
The transformed life is a life that has been redirected or turned back to the kingdom of heaven (Matt 18:3). The stumbling block is that which stops us from turning or redirecting our lives to Yeshua’s way. This takes place prior to salvation as each of us are making the decision of commitment. It also takes place after salvation where we are making the decision to continue walking with the Messiah.
Matthew 18:10 Yeshua warns us that when we see others stumbling, we are not to look down on them. Each of them has an angel in heaven who is working hard to help them move toward righteousness. This idea is verified with Job as he lived the perfect life. Disaster came in his life as a result of the reports of the angels and Satan propositioning the Lord to sift him (Job 1-2). The rest of the book of Job is a diary that builds upon the efforts of holy men to direct him back to the correct path. Worldly wisdom was given and rejected by Job who was being slowly changed to become a more righteous man.
I also believe that Yeshua was giving a double message here. He cared deeply about the little children. The Greek word for despise could also be translated “to think little of”. Referring back to verses 1-6, where it speaks of receiving a little child, the thought is to treat a child lightly, as in insignificant. Look at some of the ways that this word is used further in the New Testament, (Ro 2:4; 1 Cor 11:22; 1 Tim 4:12; 1 Tim 6:2; Mt 6:24; 2 Pet 2:10). Even though Jesus was teaching about the new faith of the disciples, He still wanted them to understand that little children are very important to Him. God has special consideration for children, so special that He has assigned angels to watch over and to intercede for each child. God cares for us much more than we give Him credit for. In the ancient Hebrew, the study of angels was much more focused upon. A few of examples (Psalm 91:11; Acts 12:15; Hebrews 1:13-14).
Matthew 18:11 This verse is a direct quote from Luke 19:10, it is not included in the earliest manuscripts of Matthew. Hard to say if it was later added by a scribe as he copied the scriptures, or whether God had intended for the verse to be inserted in this chapter. Either way, it is still the inspired word of God. What it does is to point us back to the nature of Yeshua. His name literally means “salvation”, He came to set people free from their infirmity or sin.
Matthew 18:12–14 (NLT)
12 “If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them wanders away, what will he do? Won’t he leave the ninety-nine others on the hills and go out to search for the one that is lost? 13 And if he finds it, I tell you the truth, he will rejoice over it more than over the ninety-nine that didn’t wander away! 14 In the same way, it is not my heavenly Father’s will that even one of these little ones should perish.
We think of the parable of the sheep as a new idea. That is because we do not understand the nature of the YHVH God that we follow. This is the name translated as “Lord” in the Old Testament. God cared for His people deeply and made every effort to comfort and care for his flock.
Yeshua taught the people to return to Torah, to return to the instructions that God gave in the Old Testament. The greatest Psalm in the Bible that spoke exclusively of the benefits of Torah is Psalm 119. Wrapping up the Psalm, these verses capture the essence of Yeshua naming Him by name:
Psalm 119:174–176 (KJV)
174 I have longed for thy salvation, O LORD; and thy law is my delight. 175 Let my soul live, and it shall praise thee; and let thy judgments help me. 176 I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek thy servant; for I do not forget thy commandments.
Note: The word “salvation” is the word “Yeshua”. The word “law” is the word “torah”.
We get the message that after 176 verses, the psalmist wraps up his thought by appealing to the YHVH God of Salvation to bring him back to the fold like a lost sheep. He wished to return to the instructions of God. Isaiah said that all of us have gone astray and the Lord (YHVH) must find each of us for salvation (Isa 53:6). Ezekiel gives a more specific prophecy:
Ezekiel 34:12–16 (KJV)
12 As a shepherd seeketh out his flock in the day that he is among his sheep that are scattered; so will I seek out my sheep, and will deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day. 13 And I will bring them out from the people, and gather them from the countries, and will bring them to their own land, and feed them upon the mountains of Israel by the rivers, and in all the inhabited places of the country. 14 I will feed them in a good pasture, and upon the high mountains of Israel shall their fold be: there shall they lie in a good fold, and in a fat pasture shall they feed upon the mountains of Israel. 15 I will feed my flock, and I will cause them to lie down, saith the Lord GOD. 16 I will seek that which was lost, and bring again that which was driven away, and will bind up that which was broken, and will strengthen that which was sick: but I will destroy the fat and the strong; I will feed them with judgment.
Read the entire passage to get context!
Ezekiel 34:28–31 (KJV)
28 And they shall no more be a prey to the heathen, neither shall the beast of the land devour them; but they shall dwell safely, and none shall make them afraid. 29 And I will raise up for them a plant of renown, and they shall be no more consumed with hunger in the land, neither bear the shame of the heathen any more. 30 Thus shall they know that I the LORD their God am with them, and that they, even the house of Israel, are my people, saith the Lord GOD. 31 And ye my flock, the flock of my pasture, are men, and I am your God, saith the Lord GOD.
Jeremiah tells of how the people of God have drifted away like lost sheep (Jer 50:6). Yeshua was not teaching a new warm fuzzy teaching about a shepherd searching out the one lost sheep. He was explaining that as the YHVH, He will certainly look for the lost sheep and bring them back to the fold. He used an illustration that they understood and applied it to the biblical truth that the Messiah will certainly round up the lost sheep.
Matthew 18:14: Yeshua explained through this illustration that the desire of the Father was to gather up all the little ones who are lost. This is not the children, although it includes them. The little ones are all who set their faith in Jesus the Messiah.
Matthew 18:15–20 (NET)
15 “If your brother sins, go and show him his fault when the two of you are alone. If he listens to you, you have regained your brother. 16 But if he does not listen, take one or two others with you, so that at the testimony of two or three witnesses every matter may be established.17 If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. If he refuses to listen to the church, treat him like a Gentile or a tax collector. 18 “I tell you the truth, whatever you bind on earth will have been bound in heaven, and whatever you release on earth will have been released in heaven. 19 Again, I tell you the truth, if two of you on earth agree about whatever you ask, my Father in heaven will do it for you.20 For where two or three are assembled in my name, I am there among them.”
There is a lot to cover in this passage. First though, let’s discuss “sin”. The basic idea of sin is “missing the mark”. If you are “missing the mark”, there must be a mark or target! The Old Testament target that was set for man was the instructions of God (Torah). The Hebrew understanding of “sin” was not a social deviation from societal normality’s. It was failing to meet or follow the instructions of God. The standard was set for man by God. It is interesting when you look at the instructions of God. He said that His instructions was not to difficult for us to follow (quoting from the Complete Jewish Bible):
Deuteronomy 30:10–14 (CJB)
10 “However, all this will happen only if you pay attention to what Adonai your God says, so that you obey his mitzvot and regulations which are written in this book of the Torah, if you turn to Adonai your God with all your heart and all your being. 11 For this mitzvah which I am giving you today is not too hard for you, it is not beyond your reach. 12 It isn’t in the sky, so that you need to ask, ‘Who will go up into the sky for us, bring it to us and make us hear it, so that we can obey it?’ 13 Likewise, it isn’t beyond the sea, so that you need to ask, ‘Who will cross the sea for us, bring it to us and make us hear it, so that we can obey it?’ 14 On the contrary, the word is very close to you—in your mouth, even in your heart; therefore, you can do it!
The idea of sin is failing to follow Torah and make it the guiding instruction in one’s life. Now, let’s return to the Passage in Matthew and discuss it further.
The popular way to translate the passage personalizes the idea of sin, translating the context “sins against you”, when in reality, the passage should be simply “sin” or as an action “sins”. Since King James translated it “against you”, people are familiar with that translation and expect to see the verse translated that way. Two Bibles that I found that translate it correctly are the New American Standard and the Net Bible. I quoted from the NET Bible above. When we add “against you”, it changes the target of the passage entirely. Sin is not “against you”, it is “against God”. You did not write God’s instructions.
When the target of the passage is changed, it unwittingly undermines the message of the text. The context of the entire passage is drawing back the sheep that have strayed from the flock. It covers drawing the little children into the pure “truth” of God so that what they believe is absolutely correct. Failure to teach the Word correctly is abhorrent, God said it would be better for a millstone to be tied to the teachers neck and thrown into the sea. Context teaches us that this is not personal sin but rather sin against God.
In the English we have the illusion that Jesus switches gears in the middle of the story here. In context the thoughts are continuing. How often have you seen an argument where the adults in the argument are acting like children? Or another way to look at this is that when we sin, we are acting like little children by wanting our own way. A child will go for what he values as important, as adults, when we choose sin we are telling God that my way is better than His. I am speaking of willful sin here, accidental sin is something else entirely. Most sin is on the willful side of the scale, even if it seems to be accidental. This passage focuses on sin that is willful, yet accidental. It is accidental in that the brother is not aware that he is sinning. In today’s terminology, this sin is more often referred to as a blind spot rather than an intentional sin. It is willful because the person makes a decision to continue in the sin, it is accidental because he doesn’t realize that it is sin.
The job of the church, or the fellowship of believers that surround him is to point out his sin and demand correction. Notice the progression of rebuke, first it is done privately, second two or three witnesses are taken along, and third, the entire church body becomes involved (Deut 19:15). This involves judging our brothers and sisters using the Word of God as our standard of rule. It also involves the church becoming vulnerable by taking a stand on correctly interpreting God’s Word.
The admonition in Verse 15 is important. If the brother listens to you, then you have won that brother as a closer friend. You have also rescued the one sheep that has strayed from the flock. You are a hero! Failure on the brother’s part to turn back to God’s instructions demonstrates an interesting trend. If a person goes through this entire three step phase without admitting fault, then he is considered to be worse than the absolute worst pagan or corrupt tax collector. In other words, break fellowship with him completely.
The thought continues… Breaking fellowship with the person carries a legal stand for the church. It also carries a legal stand in the heavenlies. Since two or three have bonded together as a company of believers to address the problem child, the results have spiritual power. The caveat here is that the ones doing the rebuking are standing on correct ground! This is where we must be certain that the scriptures we are making a standard are correctly understood in context of the passage.
This is probably why error on this scale is not addressed. First, the definition of sin is wrong in our society since we attribute sin to a social error. Secondly, the standard of Scripture is not adhered to since adhering strictly to the scriptures is seen as offensive. Yes, I did say that. Most churches would rather allow you to believe any way you wish as long as you stick to the core principles of the denomination and by all means, put money in the basket!
Verse 18: This verse is often pulled out of context to give the reader the idea that anything that we believe will be done. If two or three pray for a sick person they will be healed. This is out of context! The context teaches that if a person is in error and two or three agree that he is in error then their judgment stands. How does this apply? Let’s look at the way that Paul applied this principle to ones who obviously violated the instructions of God for a moment. When he dealt with an incestual situation where a man was going to bed with his father’s wife he delivered the one over to Satan (1 Cor 5:1-5). Since Hymenaeus and Alexander did not comply with the scriptures they were handed over to Satan for blasphemy (1 Tim 1:18-20). The purpose of breaking fellowship is not to punish the person but to place them under God’s thumb for discipline (Heb 12:5-13).
I realize that the binding has been taught by many teachers to show that we have power over the world through Christ. Some claim that only Peter had this unique privilege, others say that it was only the apostles. Jesus made it clear that where two or three are gathered, or are in agreement on the scriptures, it will be bound or loosed on earth or in heaven. In the context of the passage it is speaking of a fellow believer acting childishly and living in sin. It is speaking of a fellow believer who refuses to repent of a sin that they are involved in. It is important that we don’t abuse this privilege. This is addressing the case of an unwillingness to repent, a brother who flat refuses to bring his life into compliance with the Scriptures.
The contextual progression of this passage is extremely important. It ties all the concepts together. If context is ignored, then each verse becomes a stand alone proverb that allows for all kinds of error. Progression: Little children believe what they are taught. Some children have been deceived by bad teaching. God seeks out the ones who are lost to return them to the fold. God uses believers of an assembly to teach and direct the paths of those in the assembly. If they fail to redirect toward God’s instructions, then they are to be banished. Agreement of the believers delivers a person over to banishment.
Matthew 18:21-22
Up to this point Yeshua is giving instructions involving the assembly of believers as a whole. His called ones would have trouble at which time they were given instruction regarding discipline. Peter took the idea and personalized it. “How often shall I forgive my brother if he sins against me?”
Personalization of the concept was welcomed. I believe that this was for a couple of reasons. First, Peter took ownership of his role as a leader in the messianic community. Therefore, when a believer went against his instructions, they were in effect sinning against him. The flip side of this coin is that we can say that a person has wronged Peter in some way. Look at Yeshua’s answer to Peter. He is to forgive the person seventy times seven, 490 times? Or was there a deeper meaning?
The Rabbi’s taught that you should forgive a person three times. Yes, they invented the rules of baseball. Three strikes and you were out. Peter was generous by perfecting the number by rounding it to seven times. This was twice what the rabbi’s allowed plus one! Yeshua’s answer reflected back to the Old Testament when Lamech claimed that he sinned more than Cain so his vengeance (protection) would be seventy-seven fold (Gen 4:15, 24). It is interesting that Yeshua referred to this passage by saying seven times seventy. The idea of forgiveness that He was giving was for a single offense, you are to forgive a person every single time. Always forgive.
Does forgive mean forget? This is a problem that many have with the idea of forgiveness. They have it in their mind that forgiving someone means that we forget the sin or offense that the person did. Quite on the contrary, we forgive the sin, but do not forget the offense. In the following parable, you can be certain that the one loaning the money will not loan it a second time. In context with the passage, we have been talking about breaking fellowship with a person who refuses to live according to God’s instructions. If we were to forget the offense, breaking fellowship would not be necessary. Forgiveness does not mean forgetting. When a person sins, we forgive them for the sin. We do not hold it against them. We also do not forget that the person is likely to do it again.
I often use the analogy of rattlesnakes. Rattlesnakes have the nature to bite. You may have one that you are feeding, familiar with, and may have made it a pet. But, at any given time, it has the potential to bite you. No need to be angry with the snake when it bites you, that is its nature. Those who show a tendency for repeated offenses fall into this category. Forgiving is one thing, forgetting can be foolish.
Jesus addresses the brother who repent of his sin, and ask for forgiveness, then does it again. Notice that Jesus does not say that we are only to forgive them the first time they repent of their sin; but in every case that they repent of their sin. In this way we mirror Messiah in our lives. Our Messiah always covers our sin since He offered the final sacrifice for sin (Heb 10:17-18). Look at the Parable that Yeshua gave us in the following verses. It is necessary to read the passage because I am going to refer to it and not go verse by verse on this one.
Matthew 18:23-35
God feels strongly about forgiveness. This was the very purpose that Yeshua came to earth for. He came to forgive sin and to purchase man back through His blood. According to the Bible Knowledge Commentary, the value of 10,000 talents came out to around 58 to 60 pounds of gold, which would equal several million dollars. It makes you wonder how a slave could accrue so much debt. The fellow servant’s debt would come out to about 16 dollars.[1] The illustration is clear in it’s meaning, when we as God’s children are forgiven for the massive amount of sin that we have accrued in our lives. We need to follow suit and forgive those who wrong us. He forgave us of an unbelievable amount of sin, the debt was so great that we can’t even fathom the amount of sin we have committed. Very few realize the impossibility of living life completely sinless. God forgave us for all of them through the blood of Jesus. With that in mind, the insignificant wrongs that our brothers or fellow human beings commit against us should be forgiven instantly. In the view of the immense debt that we have been forgiven, we should forgive others in the same way (Romans 3:9-31).
One parting thought, what good is it to read scripture like this, contemplate the platitudes of the thought and never put it into action? On the railroad we are good at hating other people, we hold grudges and work hard at making sure that those who have wronged us will never do it again. The employees are much like elephants, we never forget wrongs suffered, and eventually will pay back with vengeance. When we are dealing with our employer, experience has taught us it is necessary for us not to forget contract violations, or they will run roughshod over us. When dealing with fellow employees, isn’t it time to shake off the bondages of hate, discontent and slighting others? I can’t count the number of times that I have heard fellow employees talked about because of their personality quirks and offenses. I also can’t help but wonder at how that the hostility which permeates the air at work is working on each and every employee on a spiritual and physical level.
We as believers are to hold to a higher standard, and to set the example by forgiving our fellow employees. Yeshua taught that we are not to be a stumbling block to those who are of little faith. I promise you that each one of you who are professing Christians are being carefully watched by the other employees. They are watching your actions in the crew rooms as well as on the trains. We are living epistles, and either we will demonstrate the gospel through our lives, or we will prove to be stumbling blocks to those who have not met Yeshua yet (2 Cor 3:2-3).
Forgiveness is a very small part of what Christianity is all about, yet it is the most vital part. It is time that we demonstrate this through each one of our lives. I would encourage you to spend the time talking to someone who you have been wronged by, make every effort to repair the relationship. It is time to restore relationships at home and at work.
Matthew 18:35: I believe this is the most staggering verse in the passage. What does it mean that if we do not forgive, God will do the same to us? We could get into a very long discussion on that one. Unforgiveness wreaks havoc on the body and mind. It literally causes sickness, cancer, and mental problems. Not to mention the destruction of our relationships with others and with God. It is much better to forgive than to be held in debt by our Father for unforgiveness.
This marks the end of this chapter. All comments are welcomed.
Joe Turner.
[1] Louis A. Barbieri, Jr., “Matthew,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 62–63.