Greatest in the Kingdom

Verses 1-14

The first thing that we learn in this passage of Holy Scripture is the importance of true conversion manifested by humility. The disciples of our Lord asked him a question, they desired to know who is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven. Jesus told them plainly without conversion there is no salvation, you must humble yourself like a child before God. We must humble ourselves because in and of ourselves we are not fit to enter the kingdom. We must acknowledge our sinfulness before God. We must be born again.

Heaven is the place where all converted sinners go after death. The unconverted world hates this place and would be most miserable there. God’s kingdom is the ungodly man’s hell. In the kingdom, there are no alcohol-fuelled parties, no fornication, no lairs, no blasphemy, and no sin at all. In the kingdom, there is only holiness and righteousness. We are all born sinners and children of wrath. We must be born again and have a new heart. A new heart that loves God and hates sin, a new spirit that loves Christ and hates wickedness. This is one of the tests and marks of a truly converted sinner if he is humble before God. Humility is proof of conversion. The proud in heart do not seek God, but the meek humble spirit of a believer desires God for his life. What we want as Christians is a change of heart, mind, and will by God’s enabling from selfish pride to selfless humility, from worldliness to holiness.

We also learn of the great sin of putting stumbling blocks in front of believers. We may do this indirectly or directly. We do this by keeping people back from Christ. We may do this by living a life that is not in keeping with true Biblical Christianity. It is a great sin to be a bad witness before a watching world. Let me be clear our witness does not save souls, but our witness is important. If we are like the world and live like the world, then what message does that preach before men? Being a good witness is our life mission. This ought to stir us up to do good in the world, to show the God we serve and love. If we do not openly show our faith, we fail to serve God by our example and give the ungodly more excuses and reasons to remain outside of salvation and in their lost estate.

We also learn of the punishment after death for sinful souls. Jesus speaks of being “cast into everlasting fire” and of a “hell fire”. There is a place, warns Jesus of misery, woe, and eternal judgment. All who die in their sin, without conversion end up there. Jesus plainly teaches that all proud ungodly souls will go to hell after their earthly life ceases. The God of love and mercy that we worship as Christians is also a God of justice and judgment. No one has ever taught the reality of hell more clearly than Christ Jesus. He came to save men and women from hell, this is why he speaks so clearly about the reality of heaven and hell.

The last thing we learn about is the great value God places on the poorest and most humble of believers. The youngest, the weakest, and the poorest of God’s people are as important to him as the oldest, the strongest, and the richest member. All of those that are Christ’s are of great importance to him. None of them are useless or of less value. He died to save them all and he protects them all with his great love and mercy. They shall never be lost and shall never perish. None of them shall be plucked from him. God shall be with them in every hardship and in every moment of life.

If your brother sins against you

Verses 15-20

This passage has been used by some to support the authority of the visible church in all doctrinal matters and thus much ecclesiastical abuse of Holy Writ. The misapplication of Scripture ought to encourage us to set the record straight and reject false views that twist the true meaning of these words spoken by our Lord.

If we are hurt or sinned against in any way by a fellow believer, we are to go to that person privately and address the matter with them in a winsome and Christian spirit. The person who has caused the offense may not be aware of it and may have done so unintentionally. If the matter is addressed in private it is more likely that the matter will reach an agreeable conclusion. Proverbs 15:1 reminds us that a soft and gentle approach is the best way to deal with a matter.

If however, for whatever reason the private approach does not resolve the matter we are to take someone with us to help resolve the matter. This method may work as the one in the wrong may now feel shame and be convicted in their conscience. If the matter is not resolved before witnesses and everything has been done to bring the one in the wrong to a right mind to make amends, the matter, then should be brought before the Christian congregation. In most cases, the fear of public exposure is enough to bring someone to the right mind and spirit. If the matter is still not dealt with and the two parties are not reconciled after it has been addressed by the members of the local assembly the person or persons in the wrong ought to be removed from assembly fellowship and treated like a heathen.

Nothing does as much harm to the cause of Christ and the witness of the church as quarrelling Christians. All matters of injury need to be dealt with in a right way and with the goal of Christian fellowship and harmony. Alas, this is not always possible and depending on the situation may require some to be asked to leave the local fellowship. Scandals are always a poor and damaging witness and many would be prevented if they were dealt with by the methods Christ teaches us in this passage of Scripture.

Disagreements between Christians that cannot be settled privately are to be brought before the assembly. This means that every local assembly ought to take care of the moral conduct of its members and take seriously the public profession of each member. The local assembly has scriptural authority to exclude any disobedient or harmful member. There is no perfect congregation on earth, but holiness and faithfulness to Scripture should be the goal and focus. This is a mark of a healthy assembly, one that practices discipline and seeks to grow together in love and faithfulness towards God and His Word.

The unforgiving Servant

Verses 21-35

The subject of this passage is forgiveness. In the closing passage, Jesus places great importance on forgiveness. How we ought to act, think, and to say when treated wrongly is dealt with here by our Lord. We ought to forgive others who have sinned against us. Remember that we are all beggars and sinners before God. If we seek God’s forgiveness when we have sinned against him then we ought to show forgiveness to others who have wronged us.

In the passage before us, Jesus does not teach that the consequences of sin should be removed. He does not teach that the law of the land should be ignored. He does not mean that people who commit sins such as theft, murder, assaults, and other grievous sins are to be acquitted from the penalty of their actions. Rather what Christ is teaching us here is a spirit of forgiveness towards our brothers and sisters in Christ. We are to adopt a spirit of continual forgiveness towards people who seek to be reconciled to us when they have treated us wrongly.

It is very important to the health and well-being of one’s soul that all feelings of malice, wrath, revenge, and retaliation are put aside, as such feelings are not fitting for the child of God. May we be of that mindset when we are wronged? Will we do all we can to forgive that person truly from our hearts? Forgiveness does not mean we are weak or lenient regarding sin, but rather we understand that forgiveness is at the heart of the Gospel.

The story of our Lord about the man who was forgiven of his debt teaches us some great lessons. The man could not pay his enormous debt. His master had compassion on him and forgave him. The same man that was forgiven refused to forgive a fellow servant of a few pence debt. This man surely ought to have shown mercy and compassion. He knew what it was like to be in a position where the requirements of debt could not be met. This is the Gospel message in a nutshell. A debt of sin is forgiven by God to men and women who can never repay the debt nor meet the requirement of the debt. Every day we fall short of what God requires of us, to live a holy and righteous life. We do that which we ought not to do and fail to do what we ought to do. Due to God’s grace and mercy he pours out his love and forgiveness on us most miserable sinners and how do we repay him, by sinning against him the next day? O’ how great is God that he continues to love and forgive us?

The offenses against us are trivial in comparison to the countless sins we have committed against our divine creator. We need to view this topic in the context of personal sin. There will be no forgiveness for those who do not forgive others on the final day.

One of the marks of a child of God is true forgiveness. If we really forgive others then we prove that we are born of the Spirit and are like our Father in glory. Our God is a God of reconciliation and forgiveness from the heart.