Exposition of Matthew (Matthew 18:4-14)

September 24, 2021 

(Jesus’ last days of earthly ministry)

Questions to be answered in this study

1. In what ways were the apostles like any of us believers?
2. How can we be motivated when we learn about the disciples of Jesus?
3. What did Jesus mean that we are to become as little children if we enter the kingdom of heaven?
4. What determines who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?
5. According to Jesus, how are we to treat others who serve us?
6. How did the disciples respond when they saw others doing the same works as they?
7. What are the two types of people in the world other than the saved and the lost?
8. What is the secret to a victorious Christian life?
9. God wants to transform each of us into the person He created us to be; what does it take to make that happen?

Introduction

The men who wrote the New Testament were dedicated and loyal to the leadership of the Holy Spirit. Men like Paul, who wrote 14 of the 29 New Testament books, and Peter, John, and John faced severe tribulation. They are great examples for us today when it comes to commitment and dedication to the Lord.

These men started like many of us, and we’re not that committed and dedicated initially, but they grew and matured spiritually over time. Today, through their inspired writing of the Bible, they stand ready to help us become strong and wise as they became in the Lord. They are an encouragement to us since they stumbled initially but grew as the years went by to become great witnesses for the Lord.

The motivation is that it took time for great men of the Bible to become the great men of faith that we read about in Acts. Spiritual growth does not come suddenly; it takes time for each of us. Peter started as bumbling Simon before he became steady Peter. Paul began as an enemy of God before transforming from Saul to Paul. The Old and New Testament saints started poorly and then became the great men of history that we read about in the Bible.

If we are willing, God wants to transform each of us into the person He created us to be, but that requires a commitment on our part. It is not an easy matter to take up our cross and follow Jesus. It requires struggles as we fight against the spiritual forces of the Devil. Paul had these struggles as he fought against the flesh to keep reverting to the old nature. I learned in my life, the more I mature spiritually, the more I have to battle the unseen spiritual forces of Satan to keep the flesh at bay.

It is easy to be discouraged when we fall back into selfishness and pride, knowing we disappoint our Lord. Still, it becomes easier to resist the Devil if we continue and are determined to follow Jesus. When we read how the great men of the Bible failed miserably at times, it is an encouragement to us that even though we may fail at times, we can place our hopes in the Lord that He is forgiving and lifts us when we fall. These are some of the things we will learn in today’s study.

In our previous study, the disciples were arguing over who would be the greatest in the kingdom, only being concerned about worldly achievement rather than service to the Lord and ministering to the needs of others. 

Jesus used the example of a minor child to teach the disciples the value of humility. Little children have no rank; they are not first in anything. They obey others and do what they are told to do. Think about it; children have no power, make few decisions on their own, and are under the control of others. The lesson is that our attitude as believers should be the same as a child who is accountable to and serve others in their best interest.

We should direct our allegiance to the Lord, seeking to please Him in all that we do, and in turn, remain humble as we serve the needs of others. Jesus was teaching His disciples that this brings great rewards in the kingdom of heaven and determines who is the greatest.

Jesus’ rebuke of the disciples for their selfish reasoning did not result in them learning from their mistake but only caused them to change the subject, and that brings us to where we pick up our study today:

Matthew 18:3-5, “And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of hHeaven 4Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of HHeaven 5And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me.”

After Jesus explains to the disciples that a person must become as humble as a little child to enter the kingdom of Heaven, He now reiterates it, adding how that person should be treated. When others humble themselves to serve us, we realize that when we receive them, we are receiving Jesus. Jesus came to help others; He demonstrated it when He washed the feet of the disciples. That is also our mission. The world does the opposite of what Jesus is asking. They look down on those who serve them as if they themselves were above them. Ironically, the wealthy depend on servants to do the mundane things they feel are below them while free to do the things they enjoy.

We should receive those who serve our needs with gratitude, which make our lifestyle possible. What about the people who collect the garbage we create? Don’t we owe them respect and appreciation for their service or the person who stocks the shelves at the grocery store, making it possible for us to buy the food we need? We could not do without all the people who serve us daily in various ways. A man once told me he did not need others that he was self-dependent. I thought to myself: You could raise your food, refine the gas for your car, sew your clothes, and still have time to do the work that you need to survive?

The person’s self-centered view above is an example of a condescending way to look upon the service of others. We depend on many people each day and think little about it. How would we survive without them? You may say that we would make away. Maybe so, but it sure would be hard to do. I think Jesus is teaching us to give others the respect, honor, and gratitude they deserve. The people who serve us now may be our superiors someday in the kingdom Jesus sets upon the earth.

Matthew moves right into verse 6 without giving us any details on how the disciples responded to what Jesus had been teaching them. Luke  gives us a few more details: Luke 9:47-50 (KJV), “And Jesus, perceiving the thought of their heart, took a child, and set him by him, 48And said unto them, Whosoever shall receive this child in my name receiveth me: and whosoever shall receive me receiveth him that sent me: for he that is least among you all, the same shall be great. 49And John answered and said, Master, we saw one casting out devils in thy name; and we forbad him, because he followeth not with us. 50And Jesus said unto him, Forbid him not: for he that is not against us is for us.”

Before this, the disciples argued over who would be the greatest in the kingdom; now, John speaks up and asks Jesus about some who were serving Jesus but were not with them. Keep in mind that many others were followers of Jesus who were outside of the 12 apostles. However, the 12 had a unique position because Jesus was training them to be the church’s future leaders. They were also given the power to cast out demons and heal the sick. The position of the disciples had caused them to feel a bit superior to others. So, when they saw regular followers doing things with the same power they possessed, they thought they were overstepping the disciple’s position and usurping the place assigned to them. So, they wanted to stop them, but Jesus gave them a new direction by telling them, “He that is not against us is for us.” 

There are only two types in the world, those who serve Satan and those who serve the Lord, and it is not difficult to tell them apart; they are opposites. As servants of the Lord, we label ourselves with names like Baptists, Methodists, etc., but we are all on the same team that are true believers. The church set aside deacons to serve the needs of the church body. They are servants, as indicated by the meaning of the name, which means servant. I’ve heard deacons say they were stepping down as if they held a high office. How can you step down from being a humble servant? Sometimes deacons count themselves as a board and even take it upon themselves to supervise their pastors, men God ordained to lead the church. The disciples somehow had developed the idea that they were superior to others rather than humbling themselves to serve others.

We may have different gifts and different responsibilities, but we are all on the same team. Every true believer is part of the team regardless of what their denominational affiliation may be. There is only one body of Christ made up of believers all across the world. Jesus is the leader of the church and the one who decides. None of us are to be counted as privileged members. Our concern should not be who gets the credit. There is a saying that “There is no limit to what can be done if we don’t care who gets the credit.”

Now Matthew brings us to a new section of the teaching of Jesus, which deals with stumbling blocks:

Matthew 18:6-9, “But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea. 7Woe unto the world because of offences! for it must needs be that offences come; but woe to that man by whom the offence cometh! 8Wherefore if thy hand or thy foot offend thee, cut them off, and cast them from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life halt or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into everlasting fire. 9And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire.”

Earlier, Jesus took a little child on His knee and used him to develop a metaphor to teach the disciples. He made several comparisons between a little child and a true believer. Most importantly, He said in verse 3, the way we entered the kingdom is to become as a little child; that meant to be as humble as a child, placing our complete faith and trust in Jesus for the forgiveness of sins.

In verse 4, Jesus went on to say that we are to serve Him the way a child humbly surrenders to the authority of their parents. In verse 5, we honor and receive others who do to us as if the Lord Himself was helping us. In the present passage, Jesus is teaching the awful results if one of these little ones is mistreated and made to stumble. Throughout this discourse, Jesus uses the child metaphor to show the disciples how true believers act in their walk of faith. Keep in mind that this is a metaphor and not about the treatment of children in particular; nor is it to be taken literally; it is to be applied to all believers concerning the treatment of our brothers and sisters in Christ.

The point that Jesus is making is, it is dreadful to cause any believer to stumble by our actions. That means leading a believer to stray from their obedience to Christ and fall into sin and disobedience. Jesus used hyperbole as an example when He said it is better than being drowned in the sea than offending one of these little ones. We can influence other believers by our example, but it goes even further than that if we directly lead others away from the Lord into sin. Indeed, it is not our intention to cause another believer to stumble, but we do so when we use spite and resentment to inhibit the relationship of others in their walk with Christ. It is easy to become a stumbling block, but we must guard against it lest we are judged. 

Jesus uses exaggerated terms to get the point across of the seriousness of how we treat or influence another believer. Jesus isn’t advocating that we cut off a hand or foot or pluck out an eye, but He conveys the seriousness of the offense and that it would be better to go through life maimed than to act in such a manner. Jesus points out that we should make all efforts to correct offensive actions towards others, which results in them stumbling in their walk of faith. It would even be better if our life were cut short than to continue offending others and causing others harm. Jesus also includes unbelievers in this metaphor who become offensive toward believers and lead them astray. It would be better for them to go through life maimed than to be cast into hell. Of course, the first need for them is repentance and trusting in Christ for forgiveness.

When the disciples realized that by their actions, they were attempting to hinder others in their service to the Lord, namely them casting out of demons, they were affecting their own eternal rewards, and they were hindering rather than ministering. We are all ministers in the sense of serving and helping others. Those efforts can result in others also becoming servants to others, and the results can become exponential. The primary point Jesus is making is each of us needs to consider how we are serving others carefully; are we praying for them and fulfilling our responsibility as a disciple of Christ?

We need to examine our motives and determine if they are directed to ministry. It is easy to fall into a situation where we may look like we are spiritual. Still, we are serving ourselves to be noticed by others, competing with others for recognition, or undermining the ministry of others. In doing so, we become stumbling blocks. The church could do much better if it were minus these kinds of members. They become bad examples, stumbling blocks, and hinder others from serving the Lord; this is the opposite of what Jesus is teaching of being humble towards others.

It is despising them as we shall see in the following verses:

Matthew 18:10-14, “Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, That in Heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in Heaven 11For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost. 12How think ye? if a man have an hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and goeth into the mountains, and seeketh that which is gone astray? 13And if so be that he find it, verily I say unto you, he rejoiceth more of that sheep, than of the ninety and nine which went not astray. 14Even so it is not the will of your Father which is in Heaven that one of these little ones should perish.”

In verse 10, Jesus proclaims things that I’m inclined to believe only a few are aware of concerning their relation to angels. He says, “That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven.” Did you know that each believer has an angel overseer assigned to them? In Hebrews 1:14 (KJV), we’re told in the form of a question, “Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation? Angels were created to be ministering spirits or caretakers over the elect, those who trust in Christ; they serve them, and help them through life.

Although we don’t know the full scope of the service angels offer us spiritually, I suspect it’s far more important than we imagine. The Bible does give us a hint of their ministry: In Psalms 91:11 (KJV), we read, “For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.” Again, we read in Psalms 34:7(KJV), The angel of the LORD encampeth round about them that fear him, [respect and trust Him] and delivereth them.”

Guardians Angels are divine ministers from God who He sends to protect and help His children on earth in their times of need. They are mentioned in different places in the Bible, as they come to the support of God’s people. God cares for his own, and so should each of us, those who are our brothers and sisters in Christ. That is the point Jesus has been making to the disciples: we are not to despise, judge, or count another unworthy and especially become a stumbling block leading them into sin.

We should have the same attitude toward other believers as the good shepherd, who regards not only the 100 or so sheep but also is concerned about each one individually as we see illustrated in verse 12, that even if just one sheep goes astray, the shepherd leaves the 99 and goes to seek the sheep until He finds it. Jesus says, “He rejoiceth more of that sheep, than of the ninety and nine which went not astray.”

Sheep are like believers; they tend to go astray and constantly need an over shepherd to bring them back safely into the fold. An earthly shepherd, over time, would have no flock at all if he wasn’t willing to go after a lost sheep. It is a beautiful blessing to know God loves us enough to seek us when we go astray and bring us safely back to Himself. 

Before we complete today’s study, I would like to leave you with a few takeaways:

• We are to help each other as we grow in Christ.
• We are to avoid at all cost becoming a stumbling block and leading others away for the Lord into sin.
• We are not in competition with other believers.
• We are assigned different gifts to serve our Lord.
• We are never to despise or look down on other believers.

Being a faithful follower of Jesus is not easy and is impossible if we walk in the flesh. The secret to a successful life is when we invite Jesus to live through us, and it is His glory and love that shines out to others.