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Matthew 18: How Jesus expects church to operate

Posted by M18Church on June 29, 2009 in M18Church blog

As the founder of the greatest religious system in the world, Jesus should get more than passing interest when it comes to how the church should operate. Surely everyone would agree with this.

In the Gospels, Jesus has much to say about corrupt religious leaders (whitewashed tombs, vipers, etc.). He has much to say about the conduct of individual Christians, and how we are to live out the Christian life. But there is one topic that He discusses only twice, the church. In Matthew 16, Jesus tells Simon, "I tell you that you are Peter and upon this rock I will build My church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it." That is the first of two mentions of "church" by Jesus in the Gospels. The other mention of "church" is in the 18th chapter of Matthew, in which Jesus describes one function of the church. Now, we understand that the church has many functions, and Paul discusses these in the epistles, so we gain much understanding of church from these other sources. However, Jesus, in considering the church, had only one thing to say about how church is to function. As the founder of Christianity, we believe He should be given preeminence in all things, but particularly in the structure and function of the church, His "request" should be honored.

Matthew 18:1-19

The Greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven

1At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?"

In Matthew 18, Jesus is asked a question, and I believe His answer to the question extends for the next 18 verses. The disciples came to Jesus and asked what today seems a ridiculous question, but one that we still ask, but in more sophisticated language: "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?" We often ask this question in our own hearts, and we ask it for two reasons, one of which is noble or good. We sometimes ask it for validation of ourselves, since we want to be pursuing God's best for our own life. We want to be pursuing a goal that is "worthy of the calling with which we have been called." The more sinister motive is to prove we are better than others -- in other words, the motive is self-righteousness and selfish ambition.

Jesus, cleverest Man that ever lived, answers both questions without condemning the questioners. But His answer is completely unexpected. It defines "best" in terms of a difficult, ongoing task, rather than some attainable status. Jesus, the Great Shepherd, calls those who wish to be "the greatest" to be true undershepherds of His sheep. His treatise on what it takes to be "the greatest" may be the best definition of what Jesus intends "church" to be like. Indeed, this treatise contains one of only two references by Jesus to "the church" in all of the Gospels. The first is in Matthew 16:18: "And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it." So, within 3 chapters of one book in the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus declares that "I will build My church" and concludes with this treatise on what He intends church to be like. I believe we would do well to pay close attention to this treatise if we wish our local church to honor the Founder's wishes. His answer divides nicely into four elements, each of which is vital to understanding his answer to the question, "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?"

Element 1

2He called a little child and had him stand among them. 3And he said: "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

5"And whoever welcomes a little child like this in my name welcomes me. 6But if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.

7"Woe to the world because of the things that cause people to sin! Such things must come, but woe to the man through whom they come! 8If your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life maimed or crippled than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into eternal fire. 9And if your eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell.

10"See that you do not look down on one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven.[a]

Jesus introduces the treatise by calling forth a little child as a sermon illustration. The child is helpless, defenseless, dependent, trusting - exactly how God wants each of us to be in relation to Himself. He is using the child's helpless and defenseless as a segue into the helplessness and defenselessness of the sheep, which is the second element of the treatise. Before proceeding to the second element, Jesus exhorts "us" (the reader, or the disciples) not to look down on "one of these little ones." I believe "these little ones" refers to a) little children, b) little ones who believe in Him (disciples) and c) His sheep, the subject of element two.

Element 2

12"What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off? 13And if he finds it, I tell you the truth, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off. 14In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should be lost.

In the second element of the treatise, Jesus asks what for His contemporary audience must have been a ridiculously obvious question. The people of Israel at that time were quite familiar with sheep, sheep habits and sheep husbandry. In our age, this can be compared to cars. We all know a lot about cars, even if we are not mechanics. Cars are as much a part of our culture as sheep were of theirs. I am sure it was common knowledge that a shepherd would "leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go look for the one that wandered off." His listeners must have been wondering why He was making such a big deal about something so commonplace, so obvious. Jesus answers their confusion in the third element, the element that introduces the church.

Element 3

15"If your brother sins against you, [b]go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over. 16But if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that 'every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.'[c] 17If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, treat him as you would a pagan or a tax collector.

In Element three, Jesus helps us to understand why He used such an obvious metaphor in Element two. Just as natural sheep "wander off" spiritual sheep wander off, too. Jesus, the Great Shepherd, wishes to go and find them and bring them back to the flock, but He requires help. Those who wish to be "greatest in the kingdom of heaven" can receive their marching orders directly from the King of Heaven. When your brother offends you (i.e. when he has wandered off), if you want to become among the "greatest in the kingdom of heaven," help the Great Shepherd! Do your part to bring that wandering sheep back to the flock. If you try and fail, Jesus has a plan for that! Get one or two other "undershepherds" to go with you and try to coax that wandering sheep back to the flock. If your undershepherd team fails, get the whole flock together and "all together now!" Let's all try to coax that sheep to return to the flock. If even that fails, Jesus says, essentially, treat that sheep like he is not even part of the flock.

Element 4

18"I tell you the truth, whatever you bind on earth will be[d]bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be[e] loosed in heaven.

19"Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. 20For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them."

Finally, the empowerment of the church for her role: Sheep are "bound together" as "the church" or they are "loosed" to find their own way.

What is truly amazing about these four elements is how well they hang together as an answer to the question. Jesus is intensely interested in the success of "these little ones who believe" in Him. He wants all his sheep to be part of His flock, and He has "the greatest" motivation for us to assist Him in His shepherding duties: being honored by the Great Shepherd as being among "the greatest in the kingdom of heaven."