Matthew 18

Who Is the Greatest?

18At that time the disciples came to Jesus, asking, "Who is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven?"G1722G1565G5610G4334G3101G2424G3004G5101G686G2076G3187G1722G932G37722So Jesus called a child to come and stand in front of them,G2532G2424G4341G3813G4341G2476G846G1722G3319G8463and said, "I assure you that unless you change and become like children, you will never enter the Kingdom of heaven.G2532G2036G281G3004G5213G3362G4762G2532G1096G5613G3813G1525G3364G1525G1519G932G37724The greatest in the Kingdom of heaven is the one who humbles himself and becomes like this child.G3748G3767G5013G1438G5613G5124G3813G3778G2076G3187G1722G932G37725And whoever welcomes in my name one such child as this, welcomes me.G2532G3739G1437G1209G1520G5108G3813G1909G3450G3686G1209G1691

Temptations to Sin

6"If anyone should cause one of these little ones to lose his faith in me, it would be better for that person to have a large millstone tied around his neck and be drowned in the deep sea.G1161G3739G302G4624G1520G5130G3398G3588G4100G1519G1691G4851G846G2443G3458G3684G2910G1909G846G5137G2532G2670G1722G3989G22817How terrible for the world that there are things that make people lose their faith! Such things will always happen - -but how terrible for the one who causes them!G3759G2889G575G4625G1063G318G2076G4625G2064G4133G3759G444G1565G1223G3739G4625G20648"If your hand or your foot makes you lose your faith, cut it off and throw it away! It is better for you to enter life without a hand or a foot than to keep both hands and both feet and be thrown into the eternal fire.G1161G1487G4675G5495G2228G4675G4228G4624G1581G846G1581G2532G906G575G4571G4675G2076G2570G4671G1525G1519G2222G5560G2228G2948G2228G2192G1417G5495G2228G1417G4228G906G1519G166G44429And if your eye makes you lose your faith, take it out and throw it away! It is better for you to enter life with only one eye than to keep both eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell.G2532G1487G4675G3788G4624G4571G1807G846G1807G2532G906G575G4675G2076G2570G4671G1525G1519G2222G3442G2228G2192G1417G3788G906G1519G1067G4442

The Parable of the Lost Sheep

10"See that you don't despise any of these little ones. Their angels in heaven, I tell you, are always in the presence of my Father in heaven.G3708G2706G3361G1520G5130G3398G1063G3004G5213G3754G1722G3772G846G32G1223G3956G991G4383G3450G3962G3588G1722G377211OMITTED TEXTG1063G5207G444G2064G4982G3588G62212"What do you think a man does who has one hundred sheep and one of them gets lost? He will leave the other ninety-nine grazing on the hillside and go and look for the lost sheep.G5101G1380G5213G1437G5100G444G1096G1540G4263G2532G1520G1537G846G4105G863G3780G863G1768G4198G1909G3735G2212G3588G410513When he finds it, I tell you, he feels far happier over this one sheep than over the ninety-nine that did not get lost.G2532G1437G1096G2147G846G281G3004G5213G3754G5463G3123G1909G846G2228G1909G1768G3588G4105G3361G410514In just the same way your Father in heaven does not want any of these little ones to be lost.G3779G2076G3756G2307G1715G5216G3962G3588G1722G3772G2443G1520G5130G3398G622

When Someone Sins

15"If your brother sins against you, go to him and show him his fault. But do it privately, just between yourselves. If he listens to you, you have won your brother back.G1161G1437G4675G80G264G1519G4571G5217G2532G1651G846G1651G3342G4675G2532G846G3441G1437G191G4675G2770G4675G8016But if he will not listen to you, take one or two other persons with you, so that 'every accusation may be upheld by the testimony of two or more witnesses,' as the scripture says.G1161G3362G191G3362G191G3880G3326G4675G1520G2228G1417G2089G2443G1909G4750G1417G2228G5140G3144G3956G4487G247617And if he will not listen to them, then tell the whole thing to the church. Finally, if he will not listen to the church, treat him as though he were a pagan or a tax collector.G1161G1437G3878G846G2036G1577G1161G2532G1437G3878G1577G2077G4671G5618G1482G2532G5057

Prohibiting and Permitting

18"And so I tell all of you: what you prohibit on earth will be prohibited in heaven, and what you permit on earth will be permitted in heaven.G281G3004G5213G3745G1437G1210G1909G1093G2071G1210G1722G3772G2532G3745G1437G3089G1909G1093G2071G3089G1722G377219"And I tell you more: whenever two of you on earth agree about anything you pray for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven.G3825G3004G5213G3754G1437G1417G5216G4856G1909G1093G4012G3956G4229G3739G1437G154G1096G846G3844G3450G3962G3588G1722G377220For where two or three come together in my name, I am there with them."G1063G3757G1417G2228G5140G1526G4863G1519G1699G3686G1563G1510G1722G3319G846

The Parable of the Unforgiving Servant

21Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, "Lord, if my brother keeps on sinning against me, how many times do I have to forgive him? Seven times?"G5119G4334G4074G846G2036G2962G4212G3450G80G264G1519G1691G2532G863G846G2193G203422"No, not seven times," answered Jesus, "but seventy times seven,G2424G3004G846G3004G3756G4671G2193G2034G235G2193G1441G203323because the Kingdom of heaven is like this. Once there was a king who decided to check on his servants' accounts.G1223G5124G932G3772G3666G444G935G3739G2309G4868G3056G3326G846G140124He had just begun to do so when one of them was brought in who owed him millions of dollars.G1161G846G756G4868G1520G4374G846G3781G846G3463G500725The servant did not have enough to pay his debt, so the king ordered him to be sold as a slave, with his wife and his children and all that he had, in order to pay the debt.G1161G846G2192G3361G591G846G2962G2753G846G4097G2532G846G1135G2532G5043G2532G3956G3745G2192G2532G59126The servant fell on his knees before the king. 'Be patient with me,' he begged, 'and I will pay you everything!'G1401G3767G4098G4352G846G3004G2962G3114G1909G1698G2532G591G4671G395627The king felt sorry for him, so he forgave him the debt and let him go.G1161G2962G1565G1401G4697G630G846G2532G863G846G115628"Then the man went out and met one of his fellow servants who owed him a few dollars. He grabbed him and started choking him. 'Pay back what you owe me!' he said.G1161G1565G1401G1831G2147G1520G846G4889G3739G3784G846G1540G1220G2532G2902G846G4155G3004G591G3427G3748G378429His fellow servant fell down and begged him, 'Be patient with me, and I will pay you back!'G3767G846G4889G4098G1519G846G4228G3870G846G3004G3114G1909G1698G2532G591G4671G395630But he refused; instead, he had him thrown into jail until he should pay the debt.G1161G2309G3756G235G565G906G846G1519G5438G2193G3739G591G378431When the other servants saw what had happened, they were very upset and went to the king and told him everything.G1161G846G4889G1492G1096G4970G3076G2532G2064G1285G846G2962G3956G109632So he called the servant in. 'You worthless slave!' he said. 'I forgave you the whole amount you owed me, just because you asked me to.G5119G846G2962G4341G846G3004G846G4190G1401G863G4671G3956G1565G3782G1893G3870G316533You should have had mercy on your fellow servant, just as I had mercy on you.'G1163G3756G4571G2532G1653G4675G4889G2532G5613G1473G1653G457134The king was very angry, and he sent the servant to jail to be punished until he should pay back the whole amount."G2532G846G2962G3710G3860G846G930G2193G3739G591G3956G3784G84635And Jesus concluded, "That is how my Father in heaven will treat every one of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart."G3779G3450G2032G3962G4160G2532G5213G3362G575G5216G2588G863G3362G1538G846G80G846G3900