Order in the Bible part 1 | Category Gospel | |
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Chapter 18 of the Gospel of Matthew contains the fourth of the five Discourses of Matthew, also called the Discourse on the Church. It includes the parables of the Lost Sheep and the Unforgiving Servant which also refer to the Kingdom of Heaven. The general theme of the discourse is the anticipation of a future community of followers, and the role of his apostles in leading it.
Contents
Verses 15-17 are of particular significance to Baptists in their support of the principle of autonomy of the local church (see Baptist beliefs).
Addressing his apostles in Matthew 18:18, Jesus states: "what things soever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and what things soever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven", see also Binding and loosing. The discourse emphasizes the importance of humility and self-sacrifice as the high virtues within the anticipated community. It teaches that in the Kingdom of God, it is childlike humility that matters, not social prominence and clout.
Structure
The chapter can be divided into the following subsections:
Text
Woe to the world
In Matthew 18:7, Jesus utters "an exclamation of pity at thought of the miseries that come upon mankind through ambitious passions" - woe to the world (Greek: οὐαὶ τῶ κόσμῳ, Ouai tō kosmō).