Down an Unfamiliar Road

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

by Dr. Robert R. Seyda

GOSPEL OF MATTHEW

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Part VII

Verses 19-20: “To say it another way, if two of you on earth agree on anything you’ve prayed over, my Father in heaven will accept your decision. Yes, if two or three people are unified in their belief in what I’ve taught them, I will join them in their approval.”

According to Jewish tradition, the study of God’s Word for guidance, especially when rendering a decision, was often done in groups. Rabbi Chalafta the son of Dosa of the village of Chanania taught: “Ten who sit together and occupy themselves with Torah, the Divine Presence rests amongst them, as is stated: ‘Elohim stands in the divine assembly.¹ And from where do we know that such is also the case with five? From the verse, ‘He established His storeroom on earth.”² And three? From the verse, ‘He renders judgment in the midst of the tribunal.’³ And two? From the verse, ‘Then the God-fearing conversed with one another, and the LORD listened and heard.‘⁴ And from where do we know that such is the case even with a single individual? From the verse, ‘In every place where I have My name mentioned, I will come to you and bless you.’⁵”⁶

Early church scholar Origen gives us his interpretation of what he feels is the harmony between earth and heaven in the matters of church discipline. He writes: “Harmony occurs in two kinds: first, in agreement of thought, when two minds think the same ideas (as the apostle called it) and have the same thoughts. Second, in agreement of wills, in living similar lives. But since He says ‘If two of you agree on earth about anything they ask,’ it is clear that the two here on earth are not in harmony. The reason why we do not achieve our desires and prayers is our own fault: we do not agree either in our thoughts or in our way of life. Besides, if we are the body of Christ and ‘God arranged the members in the body, each one of them … so that the members may have the care for one another, and if one member suffers all suffer together; if one member is honored all rejoice together,’⁷ then we must practice the harmony that comes from God’s music, so that when we are gathered in Christ’s name, Christ may be in our midst, who is God’s word and wisdom and power.”⁸

It could be that Jesus was using this to let His followers know that when people meet to discuss matters related to the congregation of believers and offer prayers for guidance, even two or three are enough for Him to join and help guide them to a decision. However, these words have no doubt become some of the most misused and misunderstood that the church still struggles with since its beginning. Only God can forgive sins against Him, no man has that authority. What He is talking about here are mistakes and misdeeds done against the teachings of Jesus, or the community of believers, which is the body of Christ, for which the individual has repented and received forgiveness from God. He made this statement before He died on the cross, and He was speaking to His disciples so that they could pass it on. It was no doubt instructions for future cooperation among the leaders as the number of believers grew and grew.

Early church scholar Chromatius gives us His thinking: “How important a place the unanimity and harmony of brothers hold with God! We can know from this very fact that the Lord has clearly said that when two or three pray in unanimity, the Father affirms everything from heaven. For with God nothing is more pleasing than brotherly peace, nothing better than unanimity and harmony, according to what is written: ‘Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity.’⁹ And again: ‘There is great peace among those who love your name, and there is no stumbling block for them.’¹⁰ And in another place: ‘The God who makes us live in harmony in the house.’¹¹ So Isaiah also testified: ‘Lord,’ he said, ‘our God, give us peace. For you have given us everything.’¹² That this harmony of brothers is pleasing to God, the Holy Spirit declared through Solomon, saying, ‘There are three things which are pleasing to God and men: harmony of brothers, love of one’s neighbors and the union of man and woman.’¹³ So quite rightly the Lord in this passage testifies that when two or three come together on earth, whatever they ask for, all is granted by the Father.”¹⁴

This gives a clearer picture of how we should approach what is said next in reply to Peter’s inquiry, especially since he did not ask about how to handle wrongdoings or transgressions against God, but against himself. That’s why believers must stay focused on the fact that this authority does not involve making demands of God for things that only satisfy oneself. Rather, these are requests for guidance and understanding in maintaining harmony and cooperation among the community of believers.

Another early church father sees a difference between private prayer for such things and concert prayer involving the whole body of believers. He says: “There are those who presume that the congregation of the church can be disregarded. They assert that private prayers should be preferred to those of an honorable assembly. But if Jesus denies nothing to so small a group as two or three, will he refuse those who ask for it in the assemblies and congregation of the church? This is what the prophet believed and what he exults over having obtained when he states, ‘I will confess to you, O Lord, with my whole heart, in the council and congregation of the righteous.’¹⁵ A man ‘confesses with his whole heart’ when in the council of the saints he hears that everything which he has asked will be granted him.”¹⁶

Chrysologus then goes on: “Some, however, endeavor to excuse under an appearance of faith the idleness that prompts their contempt for assemblies. They omit participation in the fervor of the assembled congregation and pretend that they have devoted to prayer the time they have expended upon their household cares. While they give themselves up to their own desires, they scorn and despise the divine service. These are the people who destroy the body of Christ. They scatter its members. They do not permit the full form of its Christ-like appearance to develop to its abundant beauty—that form which the prophet saw and then sang about: ‘You are beautiful in form above the sons of men.’¹⁷”¹⁸

He then concludes: “Individual members do indeed have their own duty of personal prayer, but they will not be able to fulfill it if they come to the beauty of that perfect body wrapped up in themselves. There is this difference between the glorious fullness of the congregation and the vanity of separation that springs out of ignorance or negligence: in salvation and honor the beauty of the whole body is found in the unity of the members.”¹⁹ It is important that these words of Jesus granting authority to His followers, once He is gone away to the Father, be understood in context.

Verse 21: Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, when someone won’t stop doing wrong to me, how many times must I forgive them? Seven times?”

Peter did not pick this question out of the air. He just heard Jesus talking about how to counsel an errant member of the body of believers and bring about reconciliation. This involved being willing to offer forgiveness to a repentant fellow believer and not hold grudges. Peter must have also known what the teachings of the scribes were on this subject. According to one Rabbi: “If a man commits a transgression, the first, second and third time he is forgiven, the fourth time he is not forgiven, as it is said: Here is what Adonai says: ‘For Israel’s three crimes, no, four – I will not reverse it;¹ and furthermore it says: ‘God will accomplish all these things twice, even three times, with a man.’²”³ So in Peter’s mind, since Jesus taught to go beyond the limits of the law, and since the law said forgiveness was to stop after three times, did Jesus mean to keep forgiving until the matter was finally resolved and your enemy becomes your friend. That’s what the number seven meant, completion.

Another Jewish writer says that a highly respected Rabbi passed on the same teaching to his generation by saying: “If one sins and repents and continues uprightly, he is forgiven before he stirs from the spot. But if one says, ‘I will sin and then repent,” he is forgiven up to three times, but no more.”⁴ To clarify this more, another noted Rabbi adds this commentary: “If a man transgressed a positive commandment and repented, he is forgiven on the spot before he has so much as stirred from his place. Of such it is said, ‘Return, you backsliding children.’⁵ If a man transgressed a negative commandment and repented, repentance suspends the sentence and the Day of Atonement atones. Of such it is said, ‘For on this day atonement will be made for you.’⁶”⁷

However, another venerable Rabbi commented: “When a person’s sins are being weighed against his merits, God does not count a sin that was committed only once or twice. A sin is only counted if it was committed three times or more… If his merits are equal to or greater than the amount of his sins committed which were committed more than three times, God forgives his sins one after the other, i.e., the third sin is forgiven because it is considered as a first sin, for the two previous sins were already forgiven. Similarly, after the third sin is forgiven, the fourth sin is considered as a ‘first’ sin and is forgiven according to the same principle. The same pattern is continued until all his sins are concluded.”⁸

So we can see why Peter may have been confused about what Jesus was teaching because of what he learned from the village Rabbi about forgiving another person for things they did wrong against him up until three times. So his desire to get a more specific answer from Jesus was certainly a wise move on Peter’s part. So it should be with every believer. When there is confusion among members of a congregation over a teaching they are expected to follow, go to someone who has studied God’s Word and to whom the Holy Spirit has granted the gift of discernment and see if what they share can lead to better understanding.

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

by Dr. Robert R. Seyda

GOSPEL OF MATTHEW

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Part VI

Verse 16: “But if they refuse to listen, go to them again and take one or two people with you. Then there will be two or three people who will be able to tell all that happened.”

We must remind ourselves at this point, that Jesus has been conversing about how young believers, like an innocent child, can so easily be led astray by people with ulterior motives and lack of character. But like an errant sheep, don’t dismiss them as being hopelessly lost. Go in search of them, find them, and persuade them to return to the fold. However, if they resist don’t walk away and count them as unworthy of your time. Go and get some help.

Here our Lord repeats a ruling that everyone in the crowd no doubt knew about.¹ According to Jewish tradition, Rabbis taught: “When do we know that if a man sees something indecent in his neighbor, he is obliged to admonish him? Because it is said: You are obligated to rebuke.² If he rebuked him and he did not accept it, when do we know that he must rebuke him again? The text states: ‘surely rebuke’ all ways. One might assume this to be obligatory even though his face turned pale, therefore, the text states: ‘You should not tolerate sin because of him’.”³

We find this same admonition in the writings of a venerable Rabbi who said: “A person who rebukes a colleague – whether because of a wrong committed against him or because of a matter between his colleague and God – should rebuke him privately. He should speak to him patiently and gently, informing him that he is only making these statements for his colleague’s own welfare, to allow him to merit the life of the world to come. If he accepts the rebuke, it is good; if not, he should rebuke him a second and third time. Indeed, one is obligated to rebuke a colleague who does wrong until the latter strikes him and tells him: ‘I will not listen.’ Whoever has the possibility of rebuking [sinners] and fails to do so is considered responsible for that sin, for he had the opportunity to rebuke the [sinners].”⁴

British theologian John Gill⁵ shares that Johannes Buxtorf (1564-1629), Jewish professor of Hebrew at the university in Basel, Switzerland, found this passage among many of the Jewish manuscripts he examined: “The wise man says, if your friend injures you, admonish him privately: if he listens, you have already gained; if he does not listen, speak to him in the presence of one or two, who may hear the matter, and if he still will not listen consider him a ‘friend not worth keeping’.’”⁶ The point here is that Jesus was not teaching some new radical theology, but reinforcing what the Law and prophets already said. This certainly indicates that when God spoke to Abraham, Moses, and the others in the past, He did not misspeak and now would have to correct Himself through His Son. Whatever God said the first time will be exactly what He says again.

These guidelines from the Master were as much for the protection of the errant individual as it was for the mentor. After taking these extra steps, there cannot be this alibi of why it didn’t work: “I said, he said.” Think about this: Everything you say to God is heard by both the Son and Holy Spirit. That way, when the Holy Spirit convicts you of some wrong doing and you go to God for forgiveness and His Son nods in approval, it’s because all three know what happened and what action needs to be taken. So what works in heaven should work here on earth. Jesus was talking about reconciliation with the whole flock, not just the shepherd.

Verse 17: “If they refuse to listen to them, tell the congregation. And if they refuse to listen to the congregation, treat them as you would an unrepentant sinner or someone who is openly dishonest.”

This would constitute a third attempt at offering the errant individual forgiveness if they will only repent and return to the fold. If they still refused, then as friends you and the other elders have done your best, and there would be no further obligation on your part. Again, our Lord reinforces what was already taught by the Rabbis. In their writings, we read: “If his colleague does not desire to forgive him, he should bring a group of three of his friends and approach him with them and request forgiveness. If the wronged party is not appeased, he should repeat the process a second and third time. If he still does not want to forgive him, he may let him alone and need not pursue the matter further. On the contrary, the person who refuses to grant forgiveness is the one considered as the sinner.”⁷

This is good advice for every Pastor to pass on to his elders and church council. This way, it won’t be just your story that the individual was unwilling to participate in reconciliation, but also that of the witnesses. Then Jesus echoes what God the Father told Ezekiel about such unrepentant backsliders, “Then you will know that I am the LORD. It was my law that you broke. You did not obey my commands. You decided to live like the nations around you.”⁸ It is important that we take what Jesus is about to say in context with what He just said, otherwise it can easily be misinterpreted.

On the subject of excommunication, Augustine has this to add: “Don’t consider him now in the number of your brothers. However, should his salvation be neglected? For even the heathen, that is, the Gentiles and pagans, we do not consider in the number of our brothers, yet we constantly pray for their salvation.”⁹ In other words, we have the right to remove them as an influence from the congregation, but we have no right to remove them from being potential recipients of God’s grace and mercy.

Verse 18: “I can assure you that whatever you determine to be wrong here on earth, it will be wrong with God. And whatever you determine to be right here on earth, it will be right with God.”

First, we must recall what Jesus is talking about before He makes this critical statement. He has been talking about those disobedient members of the congregation who refuse to repent for things that they have done wrong, especially if it involved in leading a weaker member of the community into sin and disobedience. Even after they have been given several opportunities to make things right with God and with the congregation. This is to insure that the Body of Christ is kept holy and reverent before the Lord. Therefore, any decision that the leaders, elders, and community of believers make concerning such people will be honored by God.

Early church fathers give us their understanding of what Jesus was teaching here. For instance, Origen states: “Therefore when a person like this has been constrained and condemned by someone, they remain constrained insofar as none of those in heaven rescinds the judgment of the man by whom he was constrained. So too the man who has once been warned and does things worthy of being won back is released through the warning of the one who wins him back. He is no longer bound by the bonds of his errors for which he was warned and constrained; he will be judged by those in heaven as having been set free.”¹⁰ In other words, God through the Holy Spirit will not overrule the decision made concerning an errant and disobedient member by those in leadership after much prayer and consultation.

Then Augustine has this to say: “So the very moment you begin to hold your brother as an outsider to the covenant community, ‘you bind him on earth.’ But see to it that you bind him justly. For unjust bonds will by justice soon be burst apart.… When you have admonished him and have been ‘reconciled to your brother,’ you have thereby ‘loosed him on earth.’ And when ‘you shall have loosed him on earth, he shall be loosed in heaven’ also. So this is a weighty matter. You do this not for yourself but for him. For the harm he has done is not primarily to you but to himself.”¹¹

This is followed by early church scholar Theodore of Mopsuestia who opines: “Since Jesus shows that if they loose those who repent, their action has power since the church in heaven and on earth is one. Anyone who does not want to be loosed from the bond of his sin but draws it to himself by the alienation of the saints is alienated also from the church in heaven and accordingly is also bound by it. Hence, if one is earnest about being loosed and receives the loosing of the saints when they ‘ratify their love for him,’ as Paul teaches, he will belong in the heavenly church and be loosed from the bondage of the judgment.”¹²

Early church preacher Chrysostom then adds his insight to this discussion: “Jesus did not say to the leader of the church, ‘bind him’ but ‘if you bind him,’ leaving the whole entire decision to the one aggrieved. Only after a due process do the bonds remain unbreakable, and so he will suffer the worst fate. It is not the one who has called for accountability that is to blame but the one who had not been willing to be persuaded. Do you see how Christ has bound him with a twofold constraint, both by the chastisement here and by the punishment hereafter? He threatens the one punishment to prevent the other from happening. Thus, by fearing both rejection from the church and the threat of being bound in heaven, he may become better behaved. And knowing these things, if not at the beginning, at any rate through so many judgments he will put off his anger. For this reason, Jesus set up a first and a second and a third judging. He does not immediately cut him down, so that if he does not obey the first, he may still yield to the second. But if he rejects that too, he may still respect the third. But if he takes no account of this third danger, let him be terrified of future punishment, of God’s sentence and vengeance.”¹³

We have seen where the terms “loose and loosen” as well as “bind and bound” are synonyms for the decision by the authorities to either remove the need for punishment of an individual who has repented, or maintain the need for punishment for one who refuses to listen, after they were confronted with the evidence, counseled, and offered the opportunity to repent of errors made against the body of believers. It must be kept in that context. However, it must also be inclusive of those who repent of their errors to God and receive His forgiveness. This means, that the rules by which the body of Christ operate here on earth must not conflict with the rules by which the body of Christ is operated from heaven. Those rules have been clearly outlined in the message brought by God’s Son, to be delivered personally to all who believe in Him as their Messiah, their Savior, and their Redeemer.

Therefore, any rules of conduct made by various communities of believers here on earth that cannot be confirmed by what Jesus taught, may determine the eligibility of members of such groups, but will not be binding on their fellowship with God the Father, His Son, and the Holy Spirit. These are the things that have divided believers in the Christian faith over the centuries. But in the end, God will be the final judge.

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

by Dr. Robert R. Seyda

GOSPEL OF MATTHEW

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Part V

Verse 13a: “And if he finds the lost sheep, he is happier about that one sheep than about the 99 sheep that were never lost.”

Then, to show how seriously His heavenly Father considers the safety of His children, Jesus proposes a question that every one of those listening to Him could answer, some from personal experience. It is obvious that since our Lord was talking about believers being led astray, the lost sheep became a symbol of a lost believer. Even the Psalmist says of himself, “I have wandered away like a lost sheep”.¹

The prophet Isaiah uses the same language, “We had all wandered away like sheep. We had gone our own way.”² To the prophet Jeremiah, God says, “My people have been like lost sheep.”³ And to the prophet Ezekiel the LORD promises, “I will search for the lost sheep. I will bring back the sheep that were scattered and put bandages on the sheep that were hurt.”⁴ This was because the heart of God was troubled because He had said, “My flock wandered over all the mountains and on every high hill. My flock was scattered over all the face of the earth. There was no one to search or to look for them.”⁵

Epiphanius gives us an interesting commentary on this verse: “No one is more truly a shepherd than Christ our God. One of His sheep has strayed. It is not the fault of the shepherd but of the sheep that had strayed from its flock. This one sheep is the man Adam, whom in the beginning the Lord had created in His image and likeness. This one strayed from the company of the angels by sinning, and through him, the entire human race strayed from God. Our Lord seeks to recall all humanity from death to life. For it was for us that He went to death so that He might make us alive, these who had died. For He rejoiced even more over the hundredth sheep that was lost than over the ninety and nine. The patriarch of a hundred years, Abraham, had faith in God, and from his faith was held righteous. He received back his one and only son Isaac. Thus, Abraham was called, because of his faith, father of the nations.”⁶

Verses 13b-14: “I can assure you, in the same way, your Father in heaven does not want any of these little children to be lost.”

Again, our Lord refers to the young believer in the flock. This certainly offers an explanation for what Jesus has to say next about the rejoicing that takes place when the lost sheep is found. The point that seems to confuse most believers is that the shepherd rejoices more over the one errant sheep that either wandered away or was lead away, than over the 99 faithful ones who remained obedient. This is caused by misunderstanding the reason for the rejoicing. Let’s put it in context by using a different illustration.

Imagine a beach where children are playing in the water while the parents or guardians watch from the shore. All of the kids had been warned not to wade out beyond a certain point because the waves are bigger and there is a sudden drop-off. Suddenly there are screams and lifeguards are seen running toward the water with their equipment. Everyone looks and sees a child who aimlessly followed others out into deep water and is now unable to swim back to shore on its own. Once the child is secured and returned safely to the beach, the rejoicing by the mother or father over this rescue does not mean they were unhappy with those kids who did as they were told. As a matter of fact, the other children will join in greeting their sibling back to shore. The same with this errant sheep. Not only God the Father and the angels but the other 99 believers also rejoice over their wandering comrade being brought to safety.

Zephaniah saw this when he said, “The Lord your God is with you. He is like a powerful soldier. He will save you. He will show how much He loves you and how happy He is with you. He will laugh and be happy about you.”⁷ But that does not mean He doesn’t rejoice over the faithful who have remained obedient. Christ by no means made this statement to belittle the faithful. He merely expressed the idea that when a lost sinner is recovered it brings rejoicing in heaven. The emphasis here is on the recovered sheep’s change of status and the faithful sheep’s constant state. This rejoicing by no means enhances the glow of the one who proved vagrant and aimless, nor does it diminish the luster of ones trustworthy and true.

Jesus is pointing out the joy of the moment. The faithful sheep will be rewarded by heaven’s rejoicing one day which will be shone to them in full measure. Everyone has at one time or another experienced the euphoria of finding something that was lost. Can you imagine anyone not being able to see the difference between the exuberant joy of a person who found their lost wallet in a parking lot and why they did not show the same ecstatic emotion over finding their car in the spot where they originally parked it? Or can you not discern the significance of a mother’s joy and excitement in having their child returned after getting lost on the way home from school, and her contentment with the other children who made it okay and are safe at home? With this parable Jesus in no way disparages those sheep who were obedient and faith to the shepherd’s call that led them home. He is trying to express the joy of the moment when the one who was lost was recovered and returned to the fold.

Chrysostom preaches on this subject and says: “Do you see in how many ways He leads us to care for our less esteemed brothers? Don’t, therefore, say, ‘That fellow is only a blacksmith, a shoemaker, a farmer; he’s uneducated,’ so that you despise him. In case you suffer the same, see in how many ways the Lord urges you to be moderate and enjoins you to care for these little ones. He placed a little child in the midst and said, ‘Become like children,’ and, ‘Whoever receives one such child, receives me.’ But ‘whoever causes one of these to sin’ will suffer the worst fate. And He was not even satisfied with the example of the millstone, but He also added His curse and told us to cut off such people, even though they are like a hand or eye to us. And again, through the angels to whom these small brothers are handed over, He urges that we value them, as He has valued them through His own will and passion. When Jesus says, ‘The Son of man came to save the lost,’⁸ He points to the cross, just as Paul also says, writing about his brother for whom Christ died.⁹ It does not please the Father that anyone is lost. The shepherd leaves the ones that have been saved and seeks the one lost. And when he finds the one that has gone astray, he rejoices greatly at its discovery and at its safety.”¹⁰

Verses 15: “If your brother or sister in God’s family does something wrong, go and tell them what they did wrong. Do this when you are alone with them. If they listen to you, then you have helped them to be your brother or sister again.”

Now our Lord takes this same theme and applies it to how the ninety-nine believers should treat the one misguided sheep. After all, their Rabbis taught: “He who publicly puts his neighbor to shame has no portion in the world to come.”¹¹ When God spoke to Moses about how to deal with wrongdoers, He gave him these rules: “You are guilty of sin against the LORD when you do any of these things: when you lie about what happened to something you were taking care of for someone else; when you lie about a deposit you received; when you steal something; when you cheat someone; when you find something that was lost and lie about having it; when you fail to keep a promise; or when you do any other bad things like these. If you do any of these things, you are guilty of doing wrong. You must give back whatever you stole or whatever you took by cheating. You must return whatever you took that another person asked you to hold, or whatever you found and lied about having, or whatever you made a false promise about. You must pay the full price and then add one-fifth of that amount as a fine and give it all to the true owner”.¹²

Verse 2 here in the Jewish Text of Leviticus, is actually verse 9 in the Christian Text. It talks about the law of the burnt-offering for these kinds of sins. It states: “The burnt offering must stay in the fireplace of the altar all night until morning. The altar’s fire must be kept burning.”¹³ One Jewish commentator states: “God is thus understood as spending the entire night with the children of Israel.”¹⁴ From a Christian perspective, it would permissible to believe that this could be a call for everyone to stay near the altar of repentance lest something may cause them to go astray, so they can have quick access to the power in the blood of the Lamb of God to purge such temptation before it can take root.

Later on, He gives Moses some more instructions: “Don’t secretly hate any of your neighbors. But tell them openly what they have done wrong so that you will not be just as guilty of sin as they are. Forget about the wrong things people do to you. Don’t try to get even. Love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD”.¹⁵ King David had the right attitude when it came to being counseled, “If good people correct me, I will consider it a good thing. If they criticize what I’ve done, I will accept it like a warm welcome.”¹⁶ But there was the other side of the counseling. That was the responsibility of the counselor. Solomon gave this advice, “If you want to tell your friends about your own problems, tell them. But don’t discuss what someone told you in private. Whoever hears it will lose their respect for you and will never trust you again.”¹⁷

This is the basic rule of confidentiality. This led Solomon to conclude, “Those who dispense wisdom, help give others a new start.”¹⁸ The prophesy that God would send another prophet just like Moses¹⁹ is borne out here by Jesus’ advice. When this happens, it is best to take a positive restorative view of those who may have erred rather than a negative punitive view. Don’t allow your inquiry to become an interrogation instead of an interview. For instance, rather than asking the individual: “Why did you do this? How could you do something like that, when you knew it was wrong? What have you got to say for yourself?” say to them: “I’m here for you? I want to help you carry your burden? Give me the privilege and joy of walking with you so we can get back on the right road again.”

If you are a pastor or church elder, you must first inform them why you are at their side. You can begin by saying: I’ve heard that you may be involved in something that is contrary to your faith. But I will not believe it unless I know more about it and hear you explain it to me. I don’t want to try and handle this based on second-hand information because you are much too valuable a person to me and our church. Whatever you confess to me is between us and God. We can pray for whatever guidance we need from the Lord right here. But I must also tell you, that if it does affect the reputation of the church, then the leaders will need to be informed in a confidential way of your confession and forgiveness from God. This would no doubt fit the model that Moses was given. But then our Lord adds a New Testament perspective for believers to follow.

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

by Dr. Robert R. Seyda

GOSPEL OF MATTHEW

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Part IV

Verse 9: “If your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and throw it away. It is better for you to have only one eye and have eternal life than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of Hades.”

At this point, let us remind ourselves that the term being used by Jesus for the fiery place of torment was called in Aramaic “Gehenna,”¹ and translated into Greek as “géenna.” This was a reference to a valley SE of Jerusalem owned by the son of Hinnom. Here, an idol to the god Moloch was built in the form of a bull. Sacrifices were made there to Moloch, including little children. Later, it became such an abhorred place that King Josiah abolished it and ordered that it become a trash dump and place for the dead bodies of animals, as well as, the dead bodies of unburied criminals who had been executed.² In Jewish teachings, this name Gehenna was then transferred to a special place in Hades where the wicked would go after they died to suffer punishment for their godless and unrighteous life.³ Remember, Jesus is talking to Jews and understood their perception of what Gehenna in Hades stood for.⁴

Now, not only did Chrysostom see these physical attributes mentioned by Jesus as being part of God’s family as a body, but so did another early church father. Theologian Origen had this to say about the function of these members being part of the church body. He writes: “If somebody, in the whole body of the congregations of the church, is industrious and handy for practical action and he changes and his hand causes him to sin, the eye should say to this hand, ‘I have no need of you.’ And after it has said it, let him cut it off and throw it from him. All will still be well if his head is still blessed and his feet worthy of his blessed head, so that the head, doing its duty, may not be able to say to the feet, ‘I have no need of you.’ But if some foot is found which is a temptation to sin for the whole body, the head should say to this foot, ‘I have no need of you,’ and should cut it off and throw it away from him.”⁵

Origen then continues: “It is far better for the rest of the body to go on into life lacking the foot or hand that offers temptation to sin than for the whole body to be exposed to temptation and to be sent into eternal fire with two whole feet or hands. Likewise it is good if what could be the eye of the whole body shows itself worthy of Christ and of the whole body. But if at some time it happens that this eye so changes that it becomes a temptation to sin for the whole body, it will be better for it to be ripped out and thrown from the whole body … than for the whole body together with the soul to be condemned.”⁶

 Over one hundred years later, another church scholar echoes these same thoughts: “This sentence of the Lord can faithfully be understood about any one of us. Yet in cutting off a hand or foot or in plucking out an eye, it is clear that family relations or unbelieving ministers and leaders of the church are signified. And so by ‘hand’ we understand that priests are signified; like a hand their work in every area is necessary to the body of the church, about whom we find it written in the Song of Solomon: ‘his arms’—that is, the body of the church—’are rounded gold set with jewels.’¹ By ‘foot’ we recognize that deacons are signified. In busying themselves with the sacred mysteries of the church they serve the body like feet, about which it is written in the same Song of Solomon: ‘His legs are alabaster columns, set upon bases of gold.’² And so, if hands or feet of this sort, that is, any priest or deacon, either through heretical faith or through depraved living, has become a stumbling block to the church, the Lord orders that such a man be plucked from the body of the church and thrown out. The example of his life and heretical doctrine endangers all the body of the church, that is, the whole people when it follows or imitates such doctrine.”³

But let us put this teaching in context for a better understanding. It all started out in verse one with the question from His disciples as to who was the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Jesus used a little child to illustrate that no matter how young or vulnerable a believer may be, they are just as important as anyone else in God’s kingdom. Furthermore, in verse six Jesus says that anyone who contributes to a young believer falling into temptation will be treated with the greatest of punishment. For such people, it would be better if they were carried out into the sea and dropped overboard with a stone around their necks. Then in verse seven, He warns that everyone will suffer because of the actions of such people. Therefore, it will be very bad for these people in the end. Then Jesus begins talking about how anything that leads a person into temptation and sin should be gotten rid of. First the hands and feet, now the eyes. As Chromatius applies this to the body of Christ, he believes that these hands, feet, and eyes are metaphors for errant members of the church that are the cause for such temptation. Now our Lord gets back to the importance of young believers.

Verse 10: “Be careful. Don’t think these little children are not important. I tell you that these children have angels in heaven. And those angels are always with my Father in heaven.”

This certainly would not sound strange to the Jesus’ Jewish audience, especially if they read what David had to say about angels.¹⁰ In other places, Rabbis talked about “Ministering angels;”¹¹ “rescuing angels;”¹² “blessing angels;”¹³ angels that “level the way for them;”¹⁴ “punishing angels;”¹⁵ Also, in their own apocalyptic writings we read: “And the third voice I heard pray and intercede for those who dwell on the earth and supplicate in the name of the Lord of Spirits.”¹⁶ It goes on to say that the one, “who is set over all the diseases and all the wounds of the children of men, is Raphael.”¹⁷ Later on, Enoch wrote: “I swear unto you, that in heaven the angels remember you for good before the glory of the Great One.”¹⁸

And in an apocryphal scripture, written either during or shortly after our Lord’s ascension, we read: “Next to this are the angels that serve in God’s presence, and seek His favor for the lack of knowledge among the righteous; by offering to the Lord the sweet savor of a reasonable service, a sacrifice without blood.”¹⁹ But, say the Rabbis, “One angel does not perform two missions, nor do two angels together perform one mission.”²⁰ As much as we use the phrase “guardian angel” today, no one knows how close we are to the reality of such beings assigned by God to His children. I know from personal experience there have been several times when my survival could only be accounted for by such a heavenly servant.

Again, Chromatius gives us his thoughts on this verse. He writes: “For just as the Lord commands that unbelieving and treacherous persons who are a stumbling block to the body of the church should be cut off or plucked out, so He also warns us not to despise any of the little children, that is, humble people in the laity who simply and faithfully believe in the Son of God. For it is not right to despise anyone who believes in Christ. A believer is called not only a servant of God but also a son through the grace of adoption, to whom the kingdom of heaven and the company of the angels is promised. How much grace the Lord has toward each one believing in Him He himself declares when He shows their angels always beholding the face of the Father who is in heaven. Great is the grace of the angels toward all who believe in Christ. Finally, the angels carry their prayers to heaven. Around them there is also the strong guard of the angels; they help each of us to be free from the traps of the enemy. For a human in his weakness could not be safe amid so many forceful attacks of that enemy if he were not strengthened by the help of the angels.”²¹

Here we have a very enlightening teaching by Jesus on the role of angels in the life of the believer. Luke records where Jesus remarks how there is great rejoicing by angels in heaven over such a lost one being found.²² This echoes what the Psalmist said: “He will command His angels to protect you wherever you go.”²³ So, not only do believers have their heavenly Father watching over them; their heavenly intercessor, God’s Son, looking out for them; God’s Holy Spirit comforting them as their guide; but also angels assigned to watch out for any stumbling blocks in their path. So why do so many get lost? It’s because, while God is watching out for them they are not watching out for God. Thus, Jesus continues His teaching on how important every believer is to the Father.

Verse 11: (The Son of Man came to save what was lost.)

This verse is missing in many of the newer English translations since the KJV was published in 1611. The reason given by translators is that it is missing in many of the best Greek manuscripts. Several reasons for this is given. One of them involves the flow of the narrative. In verse 10, Jesus is the speaker and He is talking about how even the youngest of believers are guarded by the angels in heaven. In verse 12, Jesus is the speaker and He begins to tell the parable of the lost sheep. But in verse 11, the speaker is talking about Jesus as the one who came to seek the lost. Many commentators and translators see this as either a comment made by Matthew, or by the one who was putting his Hebrew manuscript into Greek, or by a person who was copying this manuscript that may have written it in the margin that later found its way into the text.

We find these same words in Luke 19:10 that were spoken by Jesus, while He was visiting in the house of Zacchaeus the chief tax collector after this Publican pledged to give up to half of his possessions should it be proven that he had cheated anyone. This has led some commentators to argue for the inclusion of this verse in the text here in Matthew. The main point in this issue is that by leaving it out or including it in the narrative should not be seen by anyone as manipulative on the part of the translators. They looked for the oldest and most dependable ancient manuscripts to translate and made their decision on that basis. The fact that it is found elsewhere in Scripture certainly helps to emphasize the point Jesus was making here.

Verse 12: “Let me ask you this. If a man has 100 sheep, but one of the sheep is missing, will he not leave the other 99 sheep on the hill and go out looking for the missing sheep?”

This form of questioning was common among Jewish teachers.²⁴ They often sought the opinion of others for two reasons. First, to see if they concur with what they are teaching. And second, if they do not agree, then correct them. But in this case, I believe our Lord was only asking if what He was saying did not meet the criteria of common sense. Also, our Lord’s choice of one hundred sheep was not an arbitrary number.

This was a designation for a flock in Jewish writings, as we can see from the story of the man from Meron in Galilee, who decided to give away his property near Jerusalem as a gift. In his instructions he specified: “Its northern side [shall be given] to X, and [together] with it a hundred sheep and a hundred barrels; and its southern side [shall be given] to Y, and together with it a hundred sheep and a hundred barrels.”²⁵

Jerome had this to say about God’s care for even the smallest of His sheep: “This, some say, is the shepherd ‘who, though He was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped but emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form He humbled Himself and became obedient unto death, even death on a cross.’²⁶ For that reason, He descended to earth: to save the one sheep that had perished, that is, the human race. Others think that by the ninety-nine sheep should be understood the number of the righteous and by the one sheep the number of the sinners, according to what He said in another place: ‘I have come not to call the righteous but the sinners; for it is not the healthy who have need of the physician but those who are ill.’²⁷”²⁸

It is clear that Jesus was using an illustration right out of everyday life for people in Israel. At that time, the hills were dotted with sheep being herded together for grazing and watched over by shepherds, most of whom were hired hands or the children of the owner. The point is, no matter how small or large the flock each sheep is counted worthy of being rescued at all cost. In other words, when one sheep gets lost or goes astray, the shepherd doesn’t console himself by saying, “Oh well, I still have 99 sheep left, so I guess I can afford to lose one.” In God’s eyes, not even one is worth losing.

So putting all this into context, Jesus was talking about how important believers are to their Father in heaven, especially those who are just beginning their lives as a new creation. They should be protected and cared for as they mature. And God help anyone who either through recklessness or purposefully causes even one of them to backslide into their previous sinful lifestyle. He was so insistent, that what He said can be applied to the whole body of Christ, if any member of your body, be they an eye, arm, hand, etc., in their service to the congregation, are found out to be the cause of any other member falling away into doubt and unbelief, get rid of them. Furthermore, even if it is only one out of a hundred, do not wait to go looking for them because each one counts.

SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT

A rather controversial author of the 19th century named Samuel Butler (1835-1902), who wrote several satirical works, is quoted as saying: “Logic is like the sword – those who appeal to it shall perish by it.”¹ This seems odd since most everyone who sees something that goes wrong ends up exclaiming, “Why didn’t they use some logic?” or, “They weren’t being logical.” The dictionary defines logic as a proper way of thinking about something according to strict principles of validity.

But how many times have you seen something that does work out against all odds and you must exclaim, “That doesn’t make any sense.” Likewise, when a person does something that you know already is impossible, you will say, “They didn’t use logic.”

Samuel Butler goes on to say that faith is appealing to the living God, and a person may perish by that too, but somehow they would rather perish depending on faith than logic. After all, everyone must perish sooner of later. This seems to be another way of saying: The value of your life can be judged by that for which you are willing to die.

Most of us have shaken our heads when we see something that looked as though it was impossible to still work out for the good. We say, “That doesn’t make any sense.” Likewise, when someone is doing well and they end up losing everything, including their wealth, reputation, and status, we roll our eyes in disbelief and say, “How could they let that happen, they didn’t use common sense.” What novelist Butler seems to be saying is that if you continually go by the same rules and standards in every situation, if it turns out good, you can credit your logic, but if it ends up being bad, then you must blame the same logic.

Therefore, be wise when utilizing your logic. Don’t blindly commit yourself to one way of thinking or reasoning just because you’ve always done it that way. Your logic may not change much, but the circumstances around you do. That’s why, as Christians, since logic involves making decisions based on a fixed set of rules and standards, we must appeal to a higher formula than man’s ideas. Just as it is stated: “We know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them whom He called to carry out His purpose,”² then we must become better acquainted with God’s will and rules for living if we want our logic to work best for His glory and honor. – Dr. Robert R Seyda

CAN GOD COUNT ON YOU

While serving on the faculty at the International Bible Seminary in Switzerland, we were thrilled at the start of the winter semester to welcome our first students from the Netherlands. They included an engaged couple, with the young man being a pastor’s son, and his fiancée a young lady who had recently been converted. The boy was easy going, but the girl was all enthusiasm and joy in being part of this spiritually energized community of believing students.

It wasn’t long before her desire to be filled with the Holy Spirit was evident. Often during chapel, she was the last one to finish praying. In one service she broke down weeping and asked, “Why can’t I have what everyone else has? I want to be like them!” It didn’t take a psychologist to diagnose that while she felt part of the other young people, she didn’t feel equal. I didn’t know then how much that would affect her walk with Christ.

In February of next year, however, we learned that the couple was trying to decide whether or not to remain engaged. Since we weren’t in the match-making business, we chose to let them work it out with counseling from their pastor. In October we received some disturbing news that this young lady had become intimately involved with another man and her engagement with the pastor’s son was dissolved. It broke all of our hearts and we felt so disappointed that we couldn’t do more.

So when I was asked by the head of the European department to become a liaison to the Netherlands, I resolved in my heart to try and visit this student as soon as possible. As her former teacher, I wanted to see if there was anything I could do. I reminded myself that in my Personal Evangelism class I stressed that personal evangelism is not just a program, it has to be a passion for the lost in order for it to be real. I told them, when you try to win someone to Christ and they detect that it’s only part of an outreach program instead of a deep concern for their soul, it shouldn’t be surprising that they are less than enthusiastic about responding. And, if they do go along with your wishes it usually doesn’t last long.

Also, my heart burned with a promise I made to my students in that Personal Evangelism class that if ever anyone of them went astray, I would do all I could to find them. When I arrived in Holland, my first question to her pastor was if he had any update on her situation because I wanted to find her and talk to her. His response almost crushed my heart when he said, “She knows where we live and where the church is. If she’s really interested she will come to us!” However, I let him know that my interest in seeing her came from being her former teacher. It took four days before he got me her address.

When I went over to the house where she was staying and walked up to the door, my heart was beating fast. I was praying and hoping that she would be open to my visit and receptive to my concern for her spiritual condition. Her sister came to the door, and when I introduced myself she smiled and invited me in. As I stepped into the room I saw my former student standing in the living room. When she saw me her eyes widened and her expression of surprise quickly brought tears as she ran to me. She laid her head on my shoulder as she wept and wept while saying how sorry she was. I noticed that her sister, brother-in-law, and boyfriend stood and watched the whole scene, but I put it out of my mind because this may be my only chance to reach out to her and be a vessel of God’s love in getting her back into a joyful relationship with Him.

After she composed herself, I told her how much I worried about her and had been praying for her, that’s why I wanted to see her while I was there. The words she spoke next touched me deeply when she said, “I knew you would come. I didn’t know when but I knew you would find me, because of the promise you made in our class. That’s why I’m not surprised to see you because I knew if anyone would come looking for me it would be you.” I was glad to tell her that it wasn’t just me because of a promise that I made in class, but it was Jesus who was looking for her and He was merely using me to deliver His message of forgiveness and care.

We then prayed together, and I left with a sense of having fulfilled my compassion of finding a lost sheep so she could be brought back into the fold. She promised to call the next day, but I was not at the pastor’s house when she phoned. She left a message that she had to go to Rotterdam for a family emergency and would call when she got back. But I had to return to Switzerland before she was able to reach me.

Would I have been happy if I could have seen her back in church, rejoicing again in the presence of her Savior? Yes, of course! Would it have been nice if I received word from her pastor that she was once again fellowshipping and growing in the Word and knowledge of our Lord? Absolutely! But since those things were not reported to me, was I to dampen my hope and discontinue my prayers that God would work in her life to bring about restoration and unity? Absolutely not!

When I stand before the King on Judgment Day, His only concern with me will be whether or not I was faithful to His calling; whether or not I carried out His will and did what He asked me to do. For the rest of my ministry, I’ve dedicated myself to doing what God directed me to do at any given moment, and let Him be in charge of the outcome. Why? Because I trust Him! I know, there is no greater reward awaiting me in heaven than this: to be told by Him that He could trust me to be a good and faithful servant. – Dr. Robert R. Seyda

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

by Dr. Robert R. Seyda

GOSPEL OF MATTHEW

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Part III

Verse 7: “It is sorrowful that there are pitfalls in this world. Such instances will happen, but woe to the person who sets up such pitfalls.”

Jesus does not mince words in denouncing those who take innocent new believers and cause them to become discouraged, entrapped, or fall away from their faith. He expressed His sorrow that such things happen at all, especially for misconduct. But His main criticism was aimed at those who were evil enough to deliberately set up the snares and stumbling blocks that caused unsuspecting people to fall.

The Early Church fathers had much to say about this text. For instance, Origen believes: “Jesus is pronouncing woes on people scattered throughout the whole world who are subject to temptations. But the disciples, who do not contemplate the things that are seen, are not of the world. Neither is their Master of the world. Therefore, the woes do not apply to Jesus’ faithful disciples. Rather, ‘great peace have those who love your law; nothing can make them stumble.‘”¹ Origen then says: “But there are some who appear to be disciples yet are still of the world. They love the world, and they love inordinately what is in it. They love the life that is led in these earthly places or the money which is in them, or the possessions or any resources whatsoever. The words ‘they are not of the world’ do not apply to them. But ‘woe for temptations to sin’ will apply to them since they are indeed of the world.”²

On the other hand, Chrysostom poses a question that may come from a skeptic: “If it is necessary that temptations come, why does Jesus call woe down on the world when He ought to help it and offer a hand? For this is the task of the physician and the protector. Cursing the world is what the man in the street does. So what are we to reply to this shameless questioner? What equal of this therapy do you seek? For though He is God, He was made man for you, took on the form of a servant, suffered all the harshest treatment and still did not fail in anything that was assigned Him. But because nothing further happened among ungrateful people, for this reason, He calls woe down on them, because after so much fostering care they continued in their unsoundness. It is just as if some sick man were enjoying fine care but refused to follow his physician’s regimen. Suppose someone lamented the patient, saying, ‘Woe to that man for his sickness, which he has increased by his own laxity!’ But in that case, no benefit comes from the lament. Here, however, there is also a kind of therapy, in that Jesus foretells what will happen and laments it.”³

Then Augustine asks: “What world are we speaking when we say ‘Woe to the world for temptations to sin?’ We speak of that world of which it is said, ‘And the world knew Him not.’⁴ We are not speaking of that world of which it is said, ‘God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself.’⁵ There is an evil world, and there is a good world. In the evil world are all the evil ones of this world. In the good world are all the good ones of this world. We often hear it said of a field: his field is full. Of what? Of wheat. Yet we say also, and say truly too, his field is full of chaff. So with a tree, one says that it is full of fruit while another says it is full of leaves. Both speak truly. The supply of leaves has not usurped the place of the fruit, nor has the supply of fruit driven out the mass of leaves. The tree is full of both. But one thing is plucked by the wind; the other is picked by the harvester. So therefore when you hear, ‘Woe unto the world because of offenses,’ do not be afraid. Love the law of God, and you will have no temptation to sin.”⁶

However, in my estimation, Jesus is not calling down a curse on the world itself or those in the world in particular. Rather, that the world will be more miserable because of those who not only cause new believers to stumble, but those who stumble will bring more misery and sorrow on themselves and those around them. Somewhat like warning people to be careful and not expose themselves to a contagious disease, because if they don’t take extra precautions and pass it on, it will make everyone sick and cause misery not only to those who have it but to those who must deal with them.

Verse 8: “If your hand or your foot causes you sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose part of your body and have eternal life than to have two hands and two feet and be thrown into the fire that burns forever.”

Once more our Lord uses figurative language to promote an actual truth. There is no record that the disciples taught any such form of punishment in the literal sense. The point is that allowing oneself to be tempted to return to sin should be resisted to the highest degree. It is another way of teaching total abstinence from wrongdoing. The joy one has to gain by participating in these things cannot be compared to the misery one has to suffer when they do.

This was the warning given by Moses to the children of Israel, “Someone close to you might secretly persuade you to worship other gods. It might be your own brother, your son, your daughter, the wife you love, or your closest friend. They might say, ‘Let’s go and serve other gods.’ (These are gods that you and your ancestors never knew. They are the gods of the people who live in the other lands around you, some near and some far away.) You must not agree with them. Don’t listen to them or feel sorry for them. Don’t let them go free or protect them.”⁷

There is an interesting comment on this verse by one Jewish writer, who believes this could be applied to “the missionary activity among the Jews in Rome after its conversion to Christianity.”⁸ I like the way the prophet Isaiah puts it: “Stop trusting other people to save you.”⁹ The prophet Ezekiel also encourages abstinence from things that could lead to backsliding, “Throw away all the terrible idols with which you committed your crimes! Change your heart and spirit. People of Israel, why should you do things that will cost you your life?”¹⁰

This concept of Jesus using hands, feet, and eyes as elements through which a person may be tempted to become disobedient to the word and will of God, can also be seen as a reference to the community of believers as the body of Christ, and each person in that body as a distinct member, such as a hand or foot. For instance, Chrysostom states: “Jesus is not saying this about human limbs. Far from it. This is said about friends, about relatives, whom we regard in the rank of necessary limbs. Jesus also said this earlier, and now He says it again. For nothing is so harmful as bad company. For what relationship cannot do, often friendship can do, both for harm and for benefit. So He orders us with great emphasis to cut off those who are harmful to us, implying that these are people who supply temptations to sin.”¹¹

Then Jesus brings up the subject of the punishment that lies ahead for those who refuse to listen and continue to practice such sinfulness. Christ Himself lends authenticity to the existence of an eternal flaming hell. This should add more weight to our belief also. As factual and unnerving as every other statement in the Word of God, so is this acknowledgment by the Son of God that there is a place for sinners called a burning hell. This was already spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, “The sinners in Zion are afraid. Those who do wrong shake with fear. They say, ‘Can any of us live through this fire that destroys? Who can live near this fire that burns forever?’”¹²

The one concern I have is that many who preach the Gospel today are preaching a message passed down by verbal tradition rather than one expounded from God’s Word. In Evangelical and Pentecostal circles, many early preacher’s propagated their theology based on what they heard some other minister, whom they greatly admired, say from the pulpit, but did not do any cross-referencing with the Scriptures. Thus, a popular tradition was born that would take the place of the true Gospel message of the Scripture. This was compounded by speakers who would take one Bible text and build a sermon around it that bore no resemblance to the context.

Two subjects that suffered badly under this type of traditional theology were “heaven” and “hell”. You do not have to be a great theologian to notice that it will be at the end of the millennial reign of Christ as the final judgment when the devil and all who follow him will be cast into the lake of fire. In the meantime, sinners who have died lie in the grave and await the second resurrection and first judgment when all the books will be open and every person will be judged and receive their sentence. Likewise, it will be when Christ returns in the clouds to resurrect the believer and transform the living saints to join Him in the rapture to be where He is so they can return with Him to rule and reign for a thousand years. In the interim, they await the sound of the trumpet to rise from their graves to meet Him in the air.

This then forces us to ask: if people go straight to hell when they die, why bring them back for some bogus judgment and throw them back in again? Also, why should a believer go straight to heaven and dance on the streets of gold only to be thrown back into their graves and pretend being resurrected to meet the Lord in the air? Jesus said it clearly, “I go away to prepare a place for you so that when I “come again” I can receive you to myself so that where I am you may be also.”¹³ Would that not be role-playing if we were already with Him and then came back and faked being resurrected?

The apostle Paul states, “We are confident, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord.”¹⁴ Notice that Paul uses the Greek word “to be” in the future tense. In other words, Paul is saying: If I had my choice between staying here in this body or leaving this body so I could be with the Lord, I rather leave. He did not say, “I will be with the Lord,” but rather, “I’d rather be with the Lord.” There are a number of other places where Paul puts, “being at home with the Lord” in the future tense, and describes it as following the resurrection so he can be with Him permanently without ever coming back.¹⁵ The question now is, do we have anything to lose by understanding Christ’s promise of eternal life this way. The answer is no! When our spirits leave this body we enter into God’s eternal presence where time does not exist.

When my father, who died in 1959, is raised from his rest on resurrection day, it will seem as only an instant since he went there to rest from his labors. Will he miss anything by not being immediately transported to heaven so he could have a head start on all of us? Of course not! Jesus will not come back until all the mansions being prepared are finished. And the work is still going on because every day there are new members of God’s family being born again in this world. So we will all arrive there at the same time on resurrection day. For many this is hard for them to accept since they have grown up on anecdotal stories of those who have passed on before them are looking down from heaven on their activities and encouraging them to do good.

So, does this mean we stop rejoicing about walking through the pearly gates and dancing on the streets of gold? No! Absolutely not! If you tell your children that you are going to take them to a famous amusement park where they can see fairy tale characters and go on spectacular rides, you will see them jump up and down; run around their neighborhood, tell all their friends about it with great excitement. But why are they rejoicing? They are not there yet! Because they know they are going! And when you get in the car to go, after a few miles the first thing they ask is, “Are we there yet?” In the same way, we rejoice about going to heaven and all the things we will see and hear there. But just like those children, we have to wait until the trip starts before we actually arrive.

Christ here firmly establishes the priority of soul over body. Our first concern should be the healing of our psychē (Greek for “soul”), rather than the well-being of our soma (Greek for “body”.) How many Christians are more concerned about the health of the physical being than the health of their spiritual being? How many believers have given more emphasis to keeping their bodies in shape than making sure their souls were sound through spiritual exercise?

Some people have even been tempted to give up their faith in God because He did not answer their prayers for physical healing. That’s because their hearts and minds were in sad shape, and they choose to remain in the status quo. How often has Christ been preached as an Aladdin’s Lamp or Emergency Room Physician for physical needs, but neglected to give Him the same importance when it comes to the believer’s soul. Jesus makes it quite clear that a one-eyed, one-armed invalid with the blessed assurance of salvation is better off than a robust herculean sinner. The main reason any of us should seek the Lord for a long and healthy life is so that we can serve Him longer and more efficiently.

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

by Dr. Robert R. Seyda

GOSPEL OF MATTHEW

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Part II

Verse 5: “Whoever welcomes a little child like this for my sake is welcoming Me.”

Here is another instance where we must determine what Jesus is implying by saying that to accept a little child, like the one standing in front of them, is the same as accepting Him. On other occasions, Jesus used people, places, and things to illustrate spiritual truths. But there is no evidence that He insisted that His followers accept a child looking exactly like the one He placed before them, which would require the same color of hair, eyes, height, weight, and gender. Rather, He was talking about the characteristics and essence of a child. Also, Jesus was not referencing the child’s age. He wanted them to see this child as a symbol of the innocence we see in someone who needs mentoring so that they can learn the difference between right and wrong, good and bad. Jerome gives it his interpretation: “Whoever lives so as to imitate Christ’s humility and innocence, in Him Christ is reproduced.”¹

Another Early Church interpreter of Scripture offers his commentary: “Here the Lord not only repressed the apostles’ thoughts but also checked the ambition of believers throughout the whole world so that he might be great who wanted to be least. For with this purpose Jesus used the example of the child, that what he was by nature, we through our holy living might become—innocent, like children innocent of every sin…Therefore, what children are in their simplicity, let us become through a holy way of life, as children innocent of sin. And quite rightly, one who has become a child innocent of sin in this way is greater in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever welcomes such a person will be welcoming Christ.”²

We must remember, Jesus was answering the question of who is the greatest in the Kingdom of God. So to me, this child represents one who does what they are told to do and respects those in authority. As such, in the kingdom of heaven, to offer one’s time, help, love, mercy, and kindness to even the simplest of God’s children is showing the same kind of esteem and honor as would be shown to Christ Jesus Himself. We see this clearly in what Jesus then has to say:

Verse 6: If one of these little children believes in me, and someone causes that child to do wrong, it will be very bad for that person. It would be better for them to have a millstone tied around their neck and be drowned in the open sea.”

Again, by keeping this in context, Jesus is not specifically referring to the age of a child, but to the naiveté and open-mindedness of a child. So we must understand our Lord’s explanation by comparing the innocent trust of a child to that of a new believer. So often there is an attempt, once a person comes to the knowledge of salvation through Christ, to pump their minds full of suggestions and motivations on how to maintain their salvation, and dump so much instruction and learning on their heads that they wither like a flower under too much heat.

But the Master is focused on something much worse, and that is persuading a new believer that some of the carnal things left over from their old nature are still permissible because all that matters is the soul. But that’s not all, He also includes those former friends of the newly born again child of God who are still in the world, and are pressuring and cajoling the young believer into returning to a sinful way of life.

As it relates to having a millstone tied around one’s neck and thrown into the sea, it was common knowledge that during a battle between Philip son of Amyntas, and Onomarchus the Phocian. Onomarchus had previously defeated Philip in two battles but was now meeting him again in a pitched battle with the Thessalonians in Thessaly. But Onomarchus lost and hanged, with the rest of his followers drowned in the sea as temple-robbers. It was known at that time that such drownings were due to stones being attached to the individuals’ bodies.³ Scholars tell us that this mode of punishment appears to have also been practiced in Syria, especially as punishment for killing one’s parents or relatives. We also learn, when reading the Lexicon called, Suidas, and the Equities of Aristophanes, that it was customary to do this in Greece. So, Jesus was not blindsiding His listeners with an unfamiliar factor.

The point here is that Jesus was saying that culprits who lead young believers into sin will be treated as worthless savages. This was not new, God Himself had also warned about the mistreatment of His children, “If anyone even touches you, it is as if they did it to the pupil of my eye. Watch and see how I will punish them.”⁴ In other words, to harm God’s children is like poking Him in the eye. When the prophet Samuel was a young lad living in the home of the high priest Eli, he witnessed how Eli’s sons were committing offenses that led many believers into debauchery. Then we learn, “Eli told his sons. ‘It is an awful thing to make the Lord’s people sin. Ordinary sin receives heavy punishment, but how much more this sin of yours that has been committed against the Lord!’ But they wouldn’t listen to their father, for the Lord was already planning to kill them.”⁵

Certainly, our Lord’s disciples were acquainted with such practices and warnings. Also, when someone spoke of the “depths of the sea,” they were referring to the deepest part of the sea. I’ve often heard it referred to as being “out in the deep.” Most scholars also take this as a reference to the same kind of punishment that Pharaoh and his army suffered. One Jewish commentator cited this when he said: “Therefore when wicked Pharaoh exposed his pride before the Lord, and, being conceited in his heart, chased after the people of the sons of Israel. Their horses and their chariots He threw and buried in the Sea of Reeds.⁶

Also, with reference to a “millstone,” we find an explanation given in Jewish writings that this was: “the stone turned by a donkey at a mill.”⁷ We see using a donkey in this manner in the words of a venerable Jewish Rabbi’s instructions: “You may trim the hooves of a donkey that works in a mill.”⁸ However, there were various mills used by farmers and housewives that had different sized stones. In fact, in the Jewish Mishnah, we find several mentioned: “lower millstone,” “hand-mill”, and “olive-grinders mill.”⁹ But here’s a clue: in order for the stone to be placed on the shoulders, the beam-hole would need to be large enough for a human head.

But Jesus mentioned it being “hung around the person’s neck.” That then would only require a hole large enough for a rope. But in any case, either one would be like a death sentence. But we also find an interesting comparison between the use of a millstone by Rabbi Judah and Rabbi Johanan. Rabbi Judah said: “The religious guideline is, A man first marries and then studies.” Then Rabbi Johanan replies: “Yes, one will study the Torah like a millstone around the neck!”¹⁰ I’m sure, that’s not what Jesus meant as punishment! But it does reveal that even the Jews felt like trying to obey every letter of the Law was like carrying a millstone around on their necks.

Bishop Hilary asks this question: “How should we understand this spiritually? That is the deeper question. The millstone stands for blind drudgery, for pack animals are driven around in a circle with their eyes closed. And we frequently find the Gentiles referred to with the racial slur, donkey. The Gentiles do not know what they do. They are in ignorance, and their life’s work is like blind labor. Not so the Jews. For them, the path of knowledge has been set forth in the law. Insofar as they gave offense to Christ’s apostles, it was more just for them to be sunk in the sea with a donkey’s millstone tied around their neck.”¹¹

But according to Jerome, who wrote some 40 years later, when Jesus said it would be better for a person to have a great millstone fastened around his neck, “He is following the rite practiced in the provinces and telling how among ancient Jews this was the punishment for major crimes, that they be sunk in the sea with a rock attached to them. It is better for him because it is much better to receive a short, quick punishment for one’s sin than to be reserved for eternal tortures. For the Lord will not punish the same fault twice.”¹²

So to add all of this up, Jesus was talking about the danger of anyone who misleads or deliberately trips up a new believer and the penalty they deserve. His choice of having a millstone hung around their necks and taken out in a boat and dropped overboard was not suggesting that this becomes the exact form of punishment inflicted, but that such an execution leaves the guilty person with no way to save themselves from drowning. We might also surmise, this was not done after they committed the crime of deceiving the new believer, but before. In other words, their case before the judgment seat of God would fare better if they were stopped short of doing such an evil deed, rather than after it was done.

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

by Dr. Robert R. Seyda

GOSPEL OF MATTHEW

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Part I

Verse 1: Around this time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who is the greatest in God’s kingdom?”

Matthew had just written about the Temple tax and who was liable for that tax. And in Jesus’ explanation, He mentioned that the children of royalty were exempt from such taxation. Could it be that this idea of being part of God’s kingdom may have contributed to their curiosity about how to improve their own status? So, since Matthew did not have an exact time when this conversation took place, he indicates that it occurred sometime after Jesus arrived back in Capernaum, which coincided with the yearly Temple tax collection.

Jerome had his own thoughts about this: “We must seek for reasons for individual sayings and actions of the Lord. After the coin was found, after the tax paid, what do the apostles’ sudden questions mean? Why precisely ‘at that time’ did the disciples come to Jesus saying, ‘Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?’ Because they had seen that the same tax had been paid for both Peter and the Lord. From the equal price they inferred that Peter may have been set over all the other apostles, since Peter had been compared with the Lord in the paying of the tax. So they ask who is greater in the kingdom of heaven. Jesus, seeing their thoughts and understanding the causes of their error, wants to heal their desire for glory with a struggle for humility.”¹

Chrysostom also mentions that because Peter was the one who asked the question on taxes and the one our Lord sent down to the shore to catch a fish that would have the coin to pay those taxes in its mouth, that in the minds of the other disciples Peter was quickly emerging as a leader of the disciples. As Chrysostom puts it: “Then being ashamed to admit what they felt, they did not openly say, ‘Why have you honored Peter above us?’ or ‘Surely he is not greater than us?’ When they became ashamed, they asked less definitely, ‘Who then is greater?’ When they had seen the three honored above the rest, they had felt nothing of the kind. But when one took the highest honor, then they were hurt.”²

Verse 2: Jesus then called a little child to come over to Him. He stood the child in front of the disciples.

Instead of going into a long dissertation or chiding His disciples for having such thoughts, Jesus decides to illustrate who He felt were the greatest in the Kingdom of God. Jerome believes that Jesus wanted to impress upon them the image of innocence. He writes: “Jesus called a child to Him to ask its age or to show the image of innocence. Or perhaps He actually set a child in their midst—He Himself, who had not come to be served but to serve—to show them an example of humility.”³

While I agree that over the centuries, manners, customs, and ethics have changed, I’m still convinced that in Jesus’ day, just as it is today, children represented a mindset that was open to learning, to believing, and trusting in those they esteemed as older, stronger, and wiser than they were. I don’t think that our Lord had any intention of suggesting that His disciples become as naïve and easily fooled as children, but to show how children respond to love, as well as, needing discipline from time to time in order to grow, develop, and mature into responsible adults.

Verse 3: Then He said, “The truth is, you must change your thinking and become like little children. If you don’t do this, you will never make it into God’s kingdom.”

While our Lord clearly points out the openness of a child’s mind, He also reveals the obligations for parents in the upbringing of children in the sphere of divine ethics. It’s one thing when a family does not attend church often or give much importance to the reading of Scripture, thus allowing a child to become less informed and show little interest in church activities and devotion; but when parents or adults go out of their way to instill disbelief, and through constant bickering and criticism of the church and all things godly they cause a child to turn away from what faith they did have and begin to abhor the Church, the Bible, and Christians in general, that is a different story. Even though the first neglect has a negative connotation and puts the child at a disadvantage, the second may certainly end with grievous consequences.

The penalty for causing a child to lose faith or interest in Christ and salvation is a woeful one. We all should reevaluate our attitude toward children and their place in the Christian family. But Jesus was not talking about little children in the physical sense, He was referring to the openness and belief factor intrinsic in children. Therefore, He was not entreating that believers become childish in their actions or attitudes, but to emulate a child’s willingness to believe when taught. Solomon recognized this after he replaced his father David on the throne. So, in his prayer he pleaded with God, “LORD my God, You have made me the king in my father’s place, but I am like a small child. I don’t have the wisdom I need to do what I must do.”⁴

Origen raises some questions that he feels will help his readers to better understand what Jesus is attempting to teach His disciples here. He writes: “As an act of theological and ethical reflection, let us ask what sort of a child Jesus called to Him and set in the midst of the disciples. Imagine it this way: The child called by Jesus is the Holy Spirit, who humbled Himself. He was called by the Savior and set in the middle of the disciples. The Lord wants us, ignoring all the rest, to turn to the examples given by the Holy Spirit, so that we become like the children – that is, the disciples – who were themselves converted and made like the Holy Spirit. God gave these children to the Savior according to what we read in Isaiah: ‘Behold, I and the children whom the Lord has given me.’⁵ To enter the kingdom of heaven is not possible for the person who has not turned from worldly matters and become like those children who had the Holy Spirit. Jesus called this Holy Spirit to Him like a child, when He came down from His perfect completeness to people, and set it in the middle of the disciples.”⁶

Something that every minister and Bible teacher can do while listening to a guest preach or teach in a seminar or worship service, that may have far less training and experience than they do, is never ask, “What can they tell me that I don’t already know?” rather, “What does God want to tell me through His servant that I need to know?” In translating this teaching of Jesus from the Aramaic, the scribe for Matthew uses the Greek word strephō, which is translated into English as, “converted” in the KJV, and “change”, in the NIV. In Thayer’s Greek Lexicon, we find the way it is used here being listed under “to change one’s mind.” This simply means to reevaluate what you have always accepted as normal and replace it with something either never used before or something that changes your real intention.

When I took my training in Clinical Pastor Education, I found out that I had to make a complete turn-around from what I was used to doing. As a senior pastor and seminary professor, I settled into the groove of meeting with people who always wanted to hear what I had to say. Now, however, I was challenged to train myself to meet with people who wanted me to listen to what they had to say. Jesus’ disciples had been raised in a culture where they were taught that the verbal teaching of the law was the scale and measuring stick by which to judge their actions. Now Jesus was telling them that the Word of God was the thing they needed to heed in order to do God’s will, not man’s will. A song that David often sang before going into the tabernacle showed his humility:

“Lord, I don’t feel proud.
I don’t see myself as better than others.
I am not thinking about doing great things
or reaching impossible goals.⁷

This is the attitude Jesus wanted the disciples to adopt as His followers. When the Lord called me to preach, I resisted because I told Him I didn’t feel prepared; that I had not studied enough or knew His Word as thoroughly as I should. So I begged Him to teach me before He sent me out. He was so gracious and answered my prayer. Even today, some fifty years later, I’m still in the erudite mode, always ready to learn more from Him and about Him.

Verse 4: “The greatest person in God’s kingdom is the one who makes himself humble like this child.”

Early church Bishop Hilary feels that Jesus was attempting to teach His disciples to keep the message of the Good News simple so that no matter who they shared it with they could easily understand its truth. He writes: “The Lord teaches that we cannot enter the kingdom of heaven unless we revert to the nature of children, that is, we must recall the simplicity by which children understand the potential of the body and mind. He has called children all who believe through the faith of listening. For children follow their father, love their mother, do not know how to wish ill on their neighbor, show no concern for wealth, are not proud, do not hate, do not lie, believe what has been said and hold what they hear as truth. And when we assume this habit and will in all the emotions, we are shown the passageway to the heavens. We must, therefore, return to the simplicity of children, because with it we shall embrace the beauty of the Lord’s humility.”⁸

Jerome also sees in Jesus’ use of a child to teach a lesson that no matter what esteem His disciples may get or to what level of leadership they may rise among the disciples, it is the humility of a little child that should teach them how to accept such honor. Jerome has Jesus saying: “Just as this child whose example I show you does not persist in anger, does not long remember injury suffered, is not enamored inordinately by the sight of a beautiful woman, does not think one thing and say another, so you too, unless you have similar innocence and purity of mind, will not be able to enter the kingdom of heaven.”⁹ In other words, it does not mean believers must continue to be simple-minded, but that as they grow wiser and more mature, that they retain the simple attitude of a child who is willing to follow, willing to be led, and willing to trust the one leading them.

UPDATE FOR ALL MY WONDERFUL READERS

We just concluded an exciting journey through Chapter 17 of Matthew. We saw where Jesus took His disciples to a place they had never been before, Caesarea Philippi, way up north toward Damascus in Syria. So while He was there, He had something to show them.

Jesus asked them what rumors were going around in the city about Him. They told him that some people were saying that He might be a reincarnation of Elijah, or Jeremiah, or the prophet spoken of by Moses. When asked what they thought about all this speculation, it was Peter whom God through the Holy Spirit inspired him to say: “You are the Anointed One, the Son of the living God.”

So Jesus decided to give them, even more, proof that He was, in fact, God’s Son. So they went out of town to a nearby mountain, and there Jesus took Peter, James, and John with Him up on the mountain where He was transfigured right before their eyes, and they saw Him conversing with Moses and Elijah. He was so overcome that Peter suggested he be allowed to set up three holy tents in their honor. But Jesus knew such places would become objects of idolatry, so He rejected the idea.

Any thought that Jesus as the Messiah would now ride triumphant into Jerusalem with an army of followers in rebellion against Roman occupation and set Israel free was also quickly crushed. In fact, Jesus told them the future for Him looked very dim because He was destined to suffer and die.

As they descended the mountain to where the other disciples were waiting, Jesus was confronted by a man who had brought his son to be healed. But since Jesus was up on the mountain, he asked the disciples waiting there if they could heal his son who was possessed by an evil spirit that caused the boy to go into convulsions and threatened his life by throwing him into a fire and into water. But, alas, the disciples could not exorcise the demon.

Jesus was disappointed in both the man, those standing around watching, and His disciples.  But out of compassion, He cast the demon out so that everyone would know that He was, in fact, the Messiah, the Son of God. However, when he arrived back in Capernaum, the tax collectors were waiting for Him. This gave Jesus the opportunity to teach a civics lesson to His disciples.

They began to more fully understand that they were citizens of two worlds, the one run by men and the other ruled by God. They were to carry out their responsibilities to both worlds without murmuring and complaining, until the day the world dominated by human force would be replaced by the world that was driven by divine power.

So with these incidents now part of their learning and growing experience, Jesus had put them on a path that would test everything they saw, heard, and accepted about His being the One sent by God from heaven to be the Savior of lost mankind. Yet, despite all that they were shown, their egos were inflated for all the wrong reasons as we will find out in the next chapter.

I appreciate and love all of you faithful readers who have stayed with me this far on our journey through Matthew. So our next lesson will begin in Matthew, Chapter 18. I pray that God will inspire you to come along for some exciting events in the life of our Lord Jesus Christ. God bless you.