No Greater Love – Matthew 18

“At that time, the disciples came to Jesus, saying, ‘Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?’ Then Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them, and said, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Whoever receives one little child like this in My Name receives Me.’” Matthew 18:1-5

Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? “Unless you are converted and become as little children you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.”

Matthew Henry, author of the Matthew Henry Commentary, quoted his father, Philip Henry, as saying, “The first person that needs to be converted by the Bible text is the preacher.” [1]

Once, I met a man who told me that he had been a pastor for 26 years before he was born again. He preached and prayed what others taught him to say and pray but lacked a personal relationship with Christ. In 1 Peter 1:7, Peter wrote that the genuineness of our faith will be tested by fire. When the pastor’s faith was tested by fire, he realized his need for a personal relationship with Christ. He needed to be born again and live by the power of God.

Many have been blessed by the ministries of Joni Eareckson Tada and Nick Vujicic. Like children, they depend on our Heavenly Father to help them survive and thrive in a world that tends to mock and despise people who cannot take care of themselves.

“Joni Eareckson Tada is a renowned international disability advocate, author, artist, and founder of ‘Joni and Friends,’ which has delivered over 225,000 wheelchairs and Bibles worldwide. Paralyzed in a 1967 diving accident, she learned to paint with her mouth, authored over 50 books, and was instrumental in passing the Americans with Disabilities Act.” [2]

“Nick Vujicic, born without arms or legs, is a renowned motivational speaker, author, and founder of the non-profit ‘Life Without Limbs.’ He has inspired millions, delivering over 3,000 speeches in over 70 countries. He authored a bestselling book, ‘Life Without Limits.’” [3]

In John 12:24, Jesus told His disciples Andrew and Philip, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain.” The seed must be converted by God to produce fruit. It must die before being reborn.

Andrew the fisherman had survived numerous storms and hardships. He fed his family via hard work and careful planning. But when it came to serving God, Andrew had to die to himself and admit that he was at a loss of how to do so. He needed God to teach him every inch of the way.

At first, Andrew’s brother, Peter, was extremely self-confident. In Luke 22:31, Jesus warned Peter that Satan wanted to sift him as wheat. In Luke 22:32, Jesus told Peter, “When you are converted, strengthen your brothers.” Peter needed a test that he could not pass so he would learn to lean on Jesus for guidance and strength.

Before Jesus was crucified, Peter denied Jesus three times. In Acts 4:19-20, Peter, full of the Holy Spirit, stood before the same group of men who crucified Christ, and said to them, “We cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.” He had strong convictions.

Martin Luther wrote, “Get the tree [Christ], and you will get His fruit.”

To be the greatest in the kingdom of heaven, we cannot have a better than others mindset. We must have a childlike mindset that depends on our Heavenly Father to serve Him well.

Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever welcomes one such child in My Name welcomes Me.”

“But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea. Woe to the world because of offenses! For offenses must come, but woe to that man by whom the offense comes! ‘If your hand or foot causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life lame or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into the everlasting fire. And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into hell fire. Take heed that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that in heaven their angels always see the face of My Father who is in heaven. For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost.” Matthew 18:6-11

Jesus used scary images to warn us against offending little people. He spoke of an offender drowning in the sea with a millstone around his neck. He spoke of cutting off a hand, a foot and gouging out an eye. These are the kind of scenes that scary movies are made of. Yet, Jesus says it is better to suffer these losses than to offend one of God’s little ones.

Jesus said the angels of these little ones “always see the face of my Father... For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost.” Bullies offend the “little ones” that the heavenly Father loves. According to Matthew 9:13, Mark 2:17, and Luke 5:32, Jesus came to call sinners to repentance, not the righteous. He came for those who knew their need of Him not for those who believed they were self-sufficient.

“What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them goes astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine and go to the mountains to seek the one that is straying? And if he should find it, assuredly, I say to you, he rejoices more over that sheep than over the ninety-nine that did not go astray. Even so it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.” Matthew 18:12-14

Jesus wants us to find the one who lacks a personal relationship with God.

“Moreover, if your brother sins against you, go, and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother. But if he will not hear, take with you one or two more, that by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. And if he refuses to hear them, tell it to the church. But if he refuses even to hear the church, let him be to you like a heathen and a tax collector.” Matthew 18:15-17

The circle of people who care is to grow wider when an offender rejects the good counsel of one. If he rejects the counsel of the whole church body, he is to be put out from the fellowship. However, even this severe consequence has the goal of bringing him to his senses and to Jesus.

The offender is to be treated as a heathen and a tax collector. In Corinthians 5:6, Paul asked the Corinthian Christians, “Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump?” According to 1 Corinthians 5:1, they had a man in their fellowship that was committing adultery with his father’s wife (likely his stepmother). In 1 Corinthians 5:5, Paul spoke of “delivering such a one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.” That’s called tough love. It requires faith that God will do what is best for everyone involved.

“Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. Again, I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in My Name, I am there in the midst of them.” Matthew 18:18-20

In regards to binding and loosing, or locking and releasing, Charles Spurgeon wrote, “Each church has the keys of its own door. When those keys are rightly turned by the assembly below, the act is ratified above.”


The Greek word for “agree” means “to symphonize.” Adam Clarke wrote, “It means a perfect agreement of the hearts, desires, wishes, and voices, of two or more persons praying to God.”

“Then Peter came to Him and said, ‘Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?’ Jesus said to him, ‘I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.’” Matthew 18:21-22

According to 2 Chronicles 36:20-21, the exile in Babylon lasted 70 years “to fulfill the Word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed her Sabbaths. For as long as she lay desolate, she kept Sabbath.”

God based the length of the exile on the years of unkept Sabbath years. For 490 years the Jews did not give the land a rest. To make up for every seventh-year (Sabbath-year) they defied, God gave them a year in captivity. 490 divided by 7 equals 70.

How many times did Jesus tell Peter that he should forgive a brother who sinned against him? He told Peter “70 x 7.’’ That is 490 times which is the number of years that God forgave the Israelites for not keeping the Sabbath year rest.

How often have we sinned against God? Jesus urges us to forgive those who sin against us.

“Therefore the kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. And when he had begun to settle accounts, one was brought to him who owed him 10,000 talents. But as he was not able to pay, his master commanded that he be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and that payment be made. The servant therefore fell down before him, saying, ‘Master, have patience with me, and I will pay you all.’ Then the master of that servant was moved with compassion, released him, and forgave him the debt. But that servant went out and found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii; and he laid hands on him and took him by the throat, saying, ‘Pay me what you owe!’ So his fellow servant fell down at his feet and begged him, saying, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you all.’ And he would not, but went and threw him into prison till he should pay the debt. So when his fellow servants saw what had been done, they were very grieved and came and told their master all that had been done. Then his master, after he had called him, said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me. Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you?’ And his master was angry and delivered him to the torturers until he should pay all that was due to him. ‘So, My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses.’” Matthew 18:23-35

Jesus spoke of the kingdom of heaven in terms of compassion and forgiveness towards debtors.

Has anyone done you wrong? Forgive them.

A King’s servant had received more from his king than he could ever repay. At a servant’s pay rate, this servant needed to work 200,000 years to pay back his debt to the king. One talent was roughly 20 years of wages making 10,000 talents equal to roughly $6 billion in labor value. [4]

How much would we owe God if He required payment for everything that He does for us? How much is each part of our body worth? How much should He charge us for the air we breathe and the ground we walk on? How about for the sun, the moon and the stars? How about for sending His Son to redeem us from our sin? Ultimately, we owe God all that we have and are.

The servant in the parable said to his king, “Master, have patience with me, and I will pay you all.” The king knew he could never repay his debt to him but had compassion and forgave him.

Jesus Christ paid off a debt we could never repay in a lifetime. He cancelled it completely. What’s more, God adopted us into His family. Such immeasurable grace!

Tragically, the forgiven servant took God’s grace lightly. He had a fellow servant imprisoned for owing him a debt of 100 denarii. 100 denarii is worth USD 4.28. [5] It should have been repaid, but compared to the great debt the creditor was forgiven by his king, it was small. The forgiven servant did not forgive his fellow servant though he begged for patience.

Have you ever locked someone up for a debt they owe you? Stopped communicating with them? Given them distance rather than closeness?

Previously, in this article, I quoted Jesus and Paul in regards to removing an unrepentant offender from the fellowship, but even then, the goal was to help him repent and to be restored to God and into the fellowship of those who love God.

The unforgiving servant’s action grieved his fellow servants. They reported his misbehavior back to the king. The king confronted him saying, “You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me. Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you?” The king handed the man over to torturers.

Jesus said, “So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses.”

Recently, I asked the Lord for help with pain caused to me by broken relationships. He spoke to me from 2 Corinthians 12:9, saying, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” He told me to overcome pain by His grace not by my strength.

Psalm 147:3 says that God heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. Rather than expecting myself or others to do miraculous healings of deep wounds, I need the Lord to do the miracle. I admit my need of His grace. God is my very present help in time of need.

In John 15:13, Jesus said, “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.” Then, in Romans 5:6-8, Paul wrote, “For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

“Heavenly Father, please help us to love people as You love them. In Jesus’ Name I pray. Amen.”



[1] Google sources
[2] Ibid
[3] Ibid
[4] Ibid
[5] Ibid