ESV Global Study Bible :: Footnotes for Matthew 18

Matt. 18:1–20:34 The Community of the Messiah Revealed. This is the fourth of Jesus’ five major teachings in Matthew’s Gospel (see Introduction: Key Themes). Jesus instructs his disciples on the nature of his covenant community. He explains the kingdom community’s characteristics (18:1–35), how it relates to marriage (19:1–12), and its value (19:13–20:34).

Matt. 18:2–4 Whoever humbles himself like this child. The humility of a child consists of trust, vulnerability, and the need for the help of a parent.

Matt. 18:5–6 One such child (see vv. 2–4) and these little ones who believe in me both refer to Christ’s disciples (compare 10:40–42).

Matt. 18:6–9 drowned in the depth of the sea . . . foot causes you to sin, cut it off . . . eye causes you to sin, tear it out. Jesus uses deliberate overstatements to emphasize the necessity of self-discipline to remove sin from one’s life before the sin leads to judgment; see note on 5:29–30. The Greek word for hell in 18:9 is derived from the Valley of the Son of Hinnom near Jerusalem (2 Kings 23:10). This valley was associated with fire in the OT (Isa. 30:33; Jer. 7:31), so it came to be seen as symbolic of hell.

Matt. 18:10 The heavenly Father uses angels to care for his childlike disciples (see Heb. 1:14). always see the face of my Father. These angels have continuous communication with God.

Matt. 18:12 a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray. Here the wandering sheep represents a believer.

Matt. 18:15 gained. The goal of confronting an offending fellow believer is to restore the broken relationship.

Matt. 18:16 Evidence of two or three witnesses follows the guideline in Deut. 19:15. It refers to witnesses of the confrontation described in this verse, not necessarily eyewitnesses to the original offense (Matt. 18:15).

Matt. 18:17 If the offending party of vv. 15–16 will not repent after the matter has been brought before the entire church, then he or she is to be excluded from the fellowship and thought of as an unbeliever. Gentile and tax collector describes those who are deliberately rebellious against God.

Matt. 18:18 whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven. All disciples are given Peter’s authority to declare the terms under which God either forgives or refuses to forgive the sin of wayward disciples (see note on 16:19).

Matt. 18:20 there am I among them. Jesus will be present among his disciples as they seek unity in decisions. Jesus’ ability to be present in this way means that he is omnipresent and thus is shown to be God.

Matt. 18:21–22 how often will . . . I forgive him? In Judaism, forgiving three times showed a generous spirit. Peter believes he has been particularly kind (seven times). But true disciples of Jesus forgive without keeping count (seventy-seven times).

Matt. 18:24 ten thousand talents. In NT times, a talent was a unit of monetary reckoning valued at about 6,000 drachmas, the equivalent of about 20 years’ wages for a laborer. Hence, “ten thousand talents” would be equivalent to 200,000 years of wages.

Matt. 18:25 sold, with his wife and children. A practice common in the ancient world (see Ex. 21:2–11; Deut. 15:12–18; 2 Kings 4:1; Neh. 5:4–8).

Matt. 18:27 forgave him the debt. The forgiveness of such a massive debt (see note on v. 24) is a dramatic illustration of the massive debt that people owe, because of their sins, to the holy and righteous God. It also shows God’s gracious provision to pay this debt through Christ’s death and resurrection (Rom. 6:23).

Matt. 18:28–32 A hundred denarii was still a large amount (equivalent to about 20 weeks’ wages for a common labor), but it was very little compared to the debt the wicked servant owed (see note on v. 24). The servant’s unwillingness to forgive this smaller amount revealed that he had not been transformed by the forgiveness that his master had given him.

Matt. 18:34 delivered him to the jailers. A metaphorical reference to eternal punishment (see 8:12; 10:28; 13:42; 49–50; 22:13; 24:51).

Matt. 18:35 not forgive your brother from your heart. Someone who does not forgive others shows that his own heart has not experienced God’s forgiveness.