Matthew 18
| Matthew 18 | |
|---|---|
 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 |
|---|
|
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 34 or 35 verses. Verse 11, ηλθεν γαρ ο υιος του ανθρωπου σωσαι το απολωλος (For the Son of Man came to save the lost), is present in some ancient texts but not in others. It appears in the Textus Receptus and the King James Version includes it, but the New International Version omits it and the New King James Version refers to it in a footnote.[4]
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" [5] - 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
- ↑ BibleGateway.com texts of Matthew 18:11
- ↑ 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 |