The King and children
18
📚✭At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”2 📚✭And Jesus called a little child to him, and set him among them, 3 📚✭and said, “Truly I say to you, unless you are converted, and become as little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 📚✭Therefore whoever humbles himself like this little child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 5 📚✭And whoever receives one such little child in my name receives me. 6 📚But whoever is a cause of stumbling✭ to one of these little ones who believe in me, it would be better for him that a millstone were hung around his neck and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.
7 📚✭“Woe to the world because of stumbling blocks! For of necessity there will be stumbling blocks, but woe to that man through whom the stumbling block comes! 8 📚✭Therefore if your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away from you. It is better for you to go into life lame or crippled, than having two hands or two feet to be thrown into everlasting fire. 9 📚And if your eye causes you to stumble, pull it out and throw it away from you. It is better for you to go into life with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire.
10 📚✭“Watch out that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven. 11 📚For the Son of man has come to save that which was lost.
12 📚✭“What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them goes astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine and go into the mountains, and look for the one that has gone astray? 13 📚And if it so happens that he finds it, truly I say to you, he rejoices more over that sheep than over the ninety-nine which did not go astray. 14 📚Just so, it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should be lost.
The King instructs His disciples about His Church
15 📚“Moreover, if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, alone, between you and him.✭ If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. 16 📚✭But if he will not listen, take with you one or two more, so that by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. 17 📚And if he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. But if he refuses to listen to the church,✭ let him be to you like a heathen and a tax collector.
18 📚✭“Truly I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will have been loosed in heaven.
19 📚✭“Again, I tell you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by my Father who is in heaven. 20 📚✭For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I among them”.
The King teaches about forgiveness and gives the parable of the unforgiving servant
21 📚✭Then Peter came to him and said, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?”
22 📚✭Jesus said to him, “I do not tell you, ‘up to seven times’, but up to seventy times seven.
23 📚✭ ✭“Therefore the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a certain king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. 24 📚And when he began to settle them, someone was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents.✭ 25 📚✭But since he had no means to pay off the debt, his master commanded that he, his wife and children, and all that he had, be sold and payment made.
26 📚✭“Therefore the servant fell down and worshipped him, saying, ‘Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.’ 27 📚✭Then the master of that servant was moved with compassion, and let him go, and forgave him the debt.
28 📚✭“But that same servant went out and found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred silver coins. And he seized him and grabbed him by the throat, saying, ‘Pay me what you owe.’ 29 📚And his fellow servant fell down at his feet and begged him, saying, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.’ 30 📚And he was not willing, but went and threw him into prison until he paid the debt.
31 📚✭“So when his fellow servants saw what was done, they were very sad, and came and told their master all that had been done. 32 📚Then his master, after calling him, said to him, ‘You wicked✭ servant! I forgave you all that debt because you asked. 33 📚✭Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you?’ 34 📚And his master was angry and handed him over to the torturers until he paid all that was owed to him.
35 📚“My heavenly Father will also deal with you in the same way, if each one of you, from your hearts, does not forgive his brother his trespasses”.