Matthew 18:1-20

The Voice

A Disciple: In the kingdom of heaven, who is the greatest?

Jesus: ³ This is the truth: unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. ⁴ In that kingdom, the most humble who are most like this child are the greatest. ⁵ And whoever welcomes a child, welcomes her in My name, welcomes Me. ⁶ And do not lead astray one of the weak and friendless who believes in Me. If you do, it would be better for you to be dragged down with a millstone and drowned in the bottom of the sea.

⁷ Beware indeed of those in a world filled with obstacles and temptations that cause people to turn away from Me. Those temptations are woven into the fabric of a world not yet redeemed, but beware to anyone who lures righteous women and men off the narrow path. ⁸ If your hand constantly grasps at the things of this world rather than serves the Kingdom—cut it off and throw it away. If your foot is always leading you to wander, then cut it off and throw it away; it is better for you to hobble, crippled, into the kingdom of life than to burn in hell with two hands and two feet. ⁹ And if your eye always focuses on things that cause you to sin, then pull your eye out and throw it away. It is better for you to see the kingdom of life with one eye than to see the fires of hell with perfect sight.

¹⁰ Make sure that you do not look down on the little ones, on those who are further behind you on the path of righteousness. For I tell you: they are watched over by those most beloved messengers who are always in the company of My Father in heaven. [¹¹ The Son of Man has come to save all those who are lost.]^{[a] 12} A shepherd in charge of 100 sheep notices that one of his sheep has gone astray. What do you think he should do? Should the shepherd leave the flock on the hills unguarded to search for the lost sheep? God’s shepherd goes to look for that one lost sheep, ¹³ and when he finds her, he is happier about her return than he is about the 99 who stayed put. ¹⁴ Your Father in heaven does not want a single one of the tripped, waylaid, stumbling little ones to be lost.

Jesus: ¹⁵ This is what you do if one of your brothers or sisters sins against you: go to him, in private, and tell him just what you perceive the wrong to be. If he listens to you, you’ve won a brother. ¹⁶ But sometimes he will not listen. And if he does not listen, go back, taking a friend or two friends with you (for, as we have learned in Deuteronomy, every matter of communal import should be testified to by two or three witnesses).^{[b] 17} Then, if your brother or sister still refuses to heed, you are to share what you know with the entire church; and if your brother or sister still refuses to listen to the entire church, you are to cast out your unrepentant sibling and consider him no different from outsiders and tax collectors.

¹⁸ Remember this: whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. ¹⁹ And this: if two or three of you come together as a community and discern clearly about anything, My Father in heaven will bless that discernment. ²⁰ For when two or three gather together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.