Matthew 18

Chapter 18 of the Gospel of Matthew is one of the Five Discourses of Matthew and also called the Discourse on the Church.[1] It includes the parables of The Lost Sheep and The Unforgiving Servant which also refer to the Kingdom of Heaven. The general theme of the discourse is the anticipation of a future community of followers, and the role of his apostles in leading it.[2][3]

Verses 15-17 are of particular significance to Baptists in their support of the principle of autonomy of the local church (see Baptist_beliefs).

Addressing his apostles in 18:18, Jesus states: "what things soever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and what things soever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven", see also Binding and loosing. The discourse emphasizes the importance of humility and self-sacrifice as the high virtues within the anticipated community. It teaches that in the Kingdom of God, it is childlike humility that matters, not social prominence and clout.[2][3]

Structure

The chapter can be divided into the following subsections:

References

  1. ↑ Preaching Matthew's Gospel by Richard A. Jensen 1998 ISBN 978-0-7880-1221-1 pages 25 & 158
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Matthew by Larry Chouinard 1997 ISBN 0-89900-628-0 page 321
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Behold the King: A Study of Matthew by Stanley D. Toussaint 2005 ISBN 0-8254-3845-4 pages 215-216
Preceded by
Matthew 17		 Chapters of the New Testament
Gospel of Matthew 		Succeeded by
Matthew 19