Matthew 18
| Matthew 18 | |
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Christ with children by Carl Heinrich Bloch. | |
| Book | Gospel of Matthew |
| Bible part | New Testament |
| Order in the Bible part | 1 |
| Category | Gospel |
| Gospel of Matthew |
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Chapters |
Chapter 18 of the Gospel of Matthew contains the fourth of the five Discourses of Matthew, 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 Matthew 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:
- The Little Children (18:1–5)
- Jesus warns of offences (18:6-7)
- If thy hand offend thee (18:8–9)
- Parable of the Lost Sheep (18:10–14)
- Binding and loosing (18:15–22)
- Parable of the unforgiving servant (18:23–35)
Text
- The original text is written in Koine Greek.
- Some most ancient manuscripts containing this chapter are:
- Papyrus 25 (4th century; extant: verses 32-34)
- Codex Vaticanus (AD 325-350)
- Codex Sinaiticus (330-360)
- Codex Bezae (c. 400)
- Codex Washingtonianus (c. 400)
- Codex Ephraemi Rescriptus (c. 450)
- Codex Purpureus Rossanensis (6th century)
- Codex Petropolitanus Purpureus (6th century; extant: verses 6-25)
- Codex Sinopensis (6th century; extant: verses 4-30)
- Papyrus 44 (6th/7th century; extant: verses 15-17, 19)
- This chapter is divided into 35 verses.
Woe to the world
In Matthew 18:7, Jesus utters "an exclamation of pity at thought of the miseries that come upon mankind through ambitious passions" [4] - woe to the world (Greek: οὐαὶ τῶ κόσμῳ, Ouai tō kosmō).
See also
References
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Gospel of Matthew - Chapter 18. |
- ↑ Preaching Matthew's Gospel by Richard A. Jensen 1998 ISBN 978-0-7880-1221-1 pages 25 & 158
- 1 2 Matthew by Larry Chouinard 1997 ISBN 0-89900-628-0 page 321
- 1 2 Behold the King: A Study of Matthew by Stanley D. Toussaint 2005 ISBN 0-8254-3845-4 pages 215-216
- ↑ Expositor's Greek Testament on Matthew 18, accessed 1 February 2017
| Preceded by Matthew 17 |
Chapters of the New Testament Gospel of Matthew |
Succeeded by Matthew 19 |