Mat 18:18 Verily I say to you, Whatsoever you shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever you shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

This echoes the Mat 16:19, which I discussed extensively here, but this time without discuss in the key of the kingdom. In that earlier verse, the context was the link underlying the spirit or truth of things and our physical world. Here the immediate context is the truth in relationships but the larger context of the chapter is how things are seen from a heavenly or spiritual perspective.

From both versions, you get the sense that our limitations on earth limit our perceptions of the greater reality of heaven and the more open we are on earth, the more open we are to understanding heaven.

Alternative version: Truly I tell you, what we bind on earth and we will bind in heaven and those free on earth will be freed in heaven.


"You shall bind" is from deô, means "to tie," "to bind," "to fetter," and "to keep in bonds." It is a metaphor for chaining. The term isn't in the second person and itsn't in the future tense. The "you shall" part of this is added by the translator.

"You shall loose" is from luô, which means "to unbind," "to unfasten," and "to open." The term isn't in the second person and itsn't in the future tense. The "you shall" part of this is added by the translator.

Mat 18:17 And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell [it] unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto you as an heathen man and a publican.

This is a perfect example of how the success of Christianity itself has changed the meaning of Christ's words. The word he used for "church" didn't have that meaning at all. It was simply a assembly of local, regular people. The idea here is very close to our idea of a jury, a group of peers rather than a government agency.

If the person involved doesn't want to agree to the judgment of the group, it sounds like Christ is telling the community to shun him, but the sense of the original Greek is very different. The idea is that if someone won't agree to the personal judgment of those who know him, you have to treat him or her impersonally. This is how you treat someone you don't know or a government official. The matter then becomes a matter of law and not relationships. The distinction is a very big deal to Christ, who bases most of his teaching on the need for more personal relationships both with God and our fellow people.

Aternative: And if he won't listen to them, talk to the community: but if he won't listen to the community, his relationship to you like that of a stranger or a government official.

"Neglect to hear" is from parakouô, which means "to hear beside," "to overhear," "to hear imperfectly," "to overhear," "to misunderstand," "to hear carelessly," and "to pretend not to hear."

"Church" is from ekklêsia, which means an "assembly duly called." It come from two Greek words, "to call away from." It was used to describe an assembly of Jews. Through its use in the NT, it came to mean "church." However, it is only used twice in the Gospels, once here and in Mat 16:18 , when Christ tells Peter he is the rock on which this assembly will be built. The word only came into extensive use in the Act of the Apostles, which describes the formation of the Christian church or assembly. Christ could not have used to term in that sense, though Matthew (the word is not used in Mark, Luke, or John) could have translated Christ words based upon the usage this term acquired in the development of the early Church.

"Heathen man" is from ethnikos, which means "national," "provincial," "foriegn," and "gentile." It was used in the same way we would describe someone as an "ethnic" or "foriegner." Foreignors, the Greeks and Romans, were the rulers of the nation in Christ's time.

"Publican" is from telônês, which means "tax collector" and refers to any number of types of tax collectors. The idea was the these people worked as government agents. They were, of course, villified because they worked for foriegn occupiers.

Mat 18:16 But if he will not hear [you, then] take with you one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.

This verse continues Christ's teaching that matters should be resolved as privately between individuals as possible. His goal is to eliminate the role of society and social authority in mediating disputes between individuals. He saw those impersonal relationships as the source of social problems rather than their cure.

This ideas was first brought up in the Lord's Prayer, when he teaches us to pray to be delivered from not temptations, but trials, which means generally the idea of being tested but specifically held the idea of social judgments. He touches on this idea several more times.

If you cannot resolve a dispute completely privately, between the two people involved, the next step is to bring in one or two other people to act as witnesses. These witnesses are not part of a trial. They are there to put the words that are spoken in their place, that is, to put them in perspective. The witnesses outside perspective makes it easier for both parties in a dispute to see the situation objectively and thereby resolve it.

Alternative versions: But if he will not listen, call in with you one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be put in its place.

"Take" is from paralambanô, which means "to take to oneself," "to associate with," "to call in," and "to invite." With the word for witness, martus, it specifically means "to call in witnesses."

"Mouth" is stoma, which means "mouth" and "the foremost part" of something. For example, the blade of a weapon is a stoma.

"Witnesses" is from martus, which means "witness" or "witnesses" and later came to mean "martyr."

"Word" is from rhêma, which means "that which is spoken," "word," "saying," "word for word," "subject of speech," and "matter."

"Establish" is from tithêmi (histemi), which menas "to set," "to put," and "to place." Like the English words "put" and "set," it has a number of specific meanings from "to put down [in writing]," "to bury," "to establish," "to make," "to cause," and "to assign."

Mat 18:15 Moreover if your brother shall trespass against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone: if he shall hear you, you have gained your brother.

This verse raises the who problem with our modern concept of "sin" versus the plain words Matthew uses. What is translated as "trespass" here is the Greek hamartanô. This word and is equivalent, hamartia, are the only words translated as "sin" or "sins" in the Gospels. Neither one means "sin" in the sense we use it. They describe an arrow missing its mark. We would describe the idea as falling short of our goals. The Greek word for sin, alitainô , to "sin" or "to offen," is never used. All the terms that we associate with "sin," such as being a sinner, wickedness, and so on are based on alitainô.

Christ is very clear in this section on what is going on in the world and what goes wrong in the world. We are given freedom. God has a plan for us, a purpose, but we lose our way. We are misled. We stray. This is not caused by wickedness, but by the very fact that we are free. If we could not stray, we wouldn't be free. When we stray, Christ sees it as an error, a mistake. We are falling short of what we could be.

The whole modern sense of religion as a battle between good and evil simply doesn't exists in Christ's words. I have written in detail about how the terms "good" and "evil" themselves are mistranslated.

Alternative: Moreover if your colleague shall err toward you, withdraw and question him between you and him alone: if he shall hear you, you have gained the advantage of a brother.

"Brother" is from adelphos, which means "a son of the same mother," "a kinsman," or "a colleague,"

"Trespass" is from hamartanô, which means "to miss the mark," "to fail in one's purpose," "to err," "to be mistaken," and "to neglect."

"Go" is from hupagô, which means "to lead under," "to bring under," "to lead by degrees," "go away," "withdraw," and "retire."

"Tell him his fault" is from elenchô (elegcho), which "to disgrace," "to put to shame," "to cross-examine," "to question," "to test," "to prove," "to refute," "to put right," "to get the better of," "to expose," and "to decide a dispute."

"Gained" is from kerdainô, which means "to gain," "to gain an advantage," "to derive profit from," and "to save yourself from."

Mat 18:14 Even so it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish.

This connects the previous verses about going astray with the general theme of the chapter: having to become like a child to enter the kingdom of heaven. We are all children. We can all be led astray. People are free so they creating the misleading pressures of society. We can be misled because if we couldn't, we wouldn't be free, but that is not God's will or plan for us or at least his foremost desire for us. Do you see the conflict? He wants us to be free, which is his will. But he also wants us to follow the right path. The later is his foremost desire. That idea is lost because the words used to clarify the idea of foremost (emprosthen) is simply translated as "of" which glosses over its presence in the sentence.

Alternative version: This is why it is not the primary desire of your Father who is in heaven, that one of these little ones should be lost.


"Will" is from thelêma, which means "will." It is a prolonged form (only found in NT) of thelô, which means "to be resolved to a purpose" and "to desire" and has most of the uses of our English "will" including meaning future action.

"Of" is from emprosthen, which means "in front of," "before," "facing," "opposite," and "in front." It also denotes a ranking.

"Little ones" is from mikros, which means "small," "little," and "young."

"Perish" is from apollumi, which is a very string form of "to destroy," "to kill," "to slay," and "to lose." It is translated as "lost" earlier in this chapter. It means "to destroy utterly." It also means "to ruin" a woman.

Mat 18:13 And if it is that he finds it, truly I tell you, he rejoices more of that [sheep], than of the ninety and nine which did not go astray.

This continues from the previous verse. Christ say here that returning from having gone astray as more rewarding than staying on the path. This echoes the lesson of the prodigal son. Christ's point is that it is harder and more difficult to return to the path than it is to stay on it. It is the work that Christ praises, as he always praises work. This raises the question: what does Christ see as going astray?

Note, in Christ's view, the majority stay on the path. It is only the minority that go astray. The word used for "go astray" also means "mislead." Where are people most people going? Where does the path lead? What misleads them?

In Christs view, most people are headed to the kingdom of heaven, which isn't a place as much it is personal perfection. The path is a process that uses of the physical, mental, and emotional to reach the spiritual, the true, which is the realm of God. Going "astray" is getting trapped in the physical, mental, or emotional and not being able to move on. Christ even offers a "villain" of a sorts that misleads us: society, that is, putting the values of kingdom of man over the values of the kingdom of God.

It is interesting that Christ demonizes society even though he was born into one of the most religious societies of all time. His society put a higher value on religious observance that it did on money, fame, popularity, or possible social rewards. Christ saw this as creating a stumbling block for people. This is why he was so hard on the Pharisee and Saducees. These two competing parties were contesting for social power via their competing views of worship. Christ would have none of it. His first lesson on prayer was that it should be done in private, so that you knew you weren't doing it for a social reward. He goes through a list of "good acts" including prayer and charity that block your spiritual progress because they are preformed for social reward.

If prayer and morality can lead us astray when it is done for social reasons, how much easier is it to be misled by money or fame, which are purely social measures of success? In today's society, we see all of these social forces contending to take us away from what is true and real. The kingdom of man is, by definition, artificial. It artificial rewards cannot bring perfection. The kingdom of God, which includes the natural world, is real again by definition. Nothing in the true study of nature can lead use away from God. Science as the study of nature is a kind of religion, but science, like religion, can also become perverted by social pressures and social correctness.

Why can society be bad when the majority of people are good? Most of the flock stays together and on the right path. Most work through their physical, mental, and emotional needs in a productive, realistic manner. However, social pressures are always there, especially pressuring the young into making mistakes. That, of course, is the topic of this Chapter. The young as those closes to what is real, but they are also those more pressured by society.


"Is" is from gignomai (ginomai), which means "to become," "to come into being," "to be produced," and "to be."

"Finds" is from heuriskô, which means "to find," "to find out," "to discover," "to invent," "to get," "to gain," and "to earn."

"Rejoices" is from chairô, which means "rejoice," "take pleasure in," and "welcome."

"Astray" is from planaô, which means "to cause to wander," "to lead astray" and "to be misled."

Mat 18:12 What do you think? If a man has an hundred sheep, and one of them goes astray, does he not leave the ninety and nine, and go into the mountains, and seek that which has gone astray?

Christ always uses sheep (probaton) not so much to symbolize his followers but to describe his relationship or feelings for his followers. He feels responsible for them, but there is also a sense of ownership. The term translated as "has" can only be understoods as "produced" or perhaps "raised." It is the same term translated in the Lord's Prayer as "done" from "Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven." That phrase is also poorly translated and is much closer to "You will is coming into being on earth and in heaven."

Christ says in the previous verse that he has come to save the "lost" ("destoyed," apollumi) but a different word is used here for "gone astray," planaô, which means to be mislead or to lose your way. Remember, Christ never really talks about "sin" in the sense we use it in modern religion. In all his words in Matthew, he is translated as saying "sin" or "sins" in two situations, but the word use harmatia, means "to miss the mark" and has the sense of failing to live up to your obligations. This again is very consistent with Christ use of poneros, which is translated as "evil" but really means "burdened with toil," "low-class" not malicious evil.

What Christ is always teaching is the idea that he wants us to be the best we can be. He wants us to be perfect. The word translated as "good," kalia, means "beautiful" and "noble." His desire to to rescue everyone who is less than they could be.

"Has" is from gignomai (ginomai), which means "to become," "to come into being," "to be produced," and "to be."


"Sheep" is from probaton, which means any domesticated four footed animal, "sheep," "cattle," "herds," and "flocks."

"Goes astray" is from planaô, which means "to cause to wander," "to lead astray" and "to be misled."

"Leave" is from aphiêmi, "to send forth," "to discharge," "to let fall," "to set free," "to divorce," and "to leave alone."

"Goes" is from poreuomai, which means "to make to go," "to carry," "to go,""to march," and "to proceed."

"Seeks" is from zêteô, which means "to seek," "to inquire after," "to seek after," "to desire," and "to feel the want of."

Mat 18:11 For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost.

This line echos the earlier version where Christ says that a person who tries to save his life will lose it. The terms for "lose" and "save" are the same. The term used for "come" is the same as Christ uses to describe the coming of heaven. This is important here because the topic of this chapter is heaven specifically regarding the role of children.

Heaven is the eternal meaning on which life is based and the other half of the ledger in which our actions on earth are balanced. Prior to Christ, the innocents of children and good which people do were lost. Christ's mission was to preserve that.

Alternative versions: The son of man is on his way to preserving that which was destroyed.

"Come" is from erchomai, which means "to come" and "to go." It means "to set out" and "to arrive at." It is a little like we use the phrase "he is on his way," which can mean either that he is coming or going with no direct reference to the position of the speaker.

"Save" is from sôizô, which means "to save from death," "to preserve," "to keep alive," "to keep in mind," and "remember."

"Lost" is from apollumi, which is a very string form of "to destroy," "to kill," "to slay," and "to lose." It means "to destroy utterly." It also means "to ruin" a woman.

Mat 18:10 Take heed that you despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven.

Christ says not to look down on the little ones. Okay. But what is he telling us about children, angels, and heaven?

Remember, this chapter started by Christ saying that we must become like children to enter into heaven. However, Christ never talks of heaven in the same what the we think about it today. It is the realm of God, but Christ describes it specifically the hidden source of the future, the spiritual balance of physical reality.

Christ doesn't say in the Lord's Prayer, "Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven." That statement make heaven sound perfect. The Greek says "You will is coming into being on earth AND in heaven." Both are changing together. The world seems unjust because we can only see what is happening on earth. Christ says that is alwasy balanced out by what happens in "heaven" or "in the truer reality."

Christ doesn't use the term "angels" like we do today either. He meant is as "envoys" or "messengers."

Factoring all this in, Christ is saying that children can see the true reality and God more clearly than we do. He is saying that children see God in everything. Remember the Beatitude: Blessed are the pure of spirit, for they shall see the face of God."

My version: Take heed that you look down upon one of these little ones; for I say to you, That in heaven the same messengers through everything see the appearance of my Father who is in heaven.

"Despise" is from kataphroneô, which means "look down upon," "think slightly of," and "to despise."

"Little ones" is from mikros, which means "small," "little," and "young." It is a change from the word used in the previous verses to refer to children, paidion, which means "a young child."

"Angels" is from angelos, which means "messenger" and "envoys" though it became to mean "semi-divine beings" in later use.

"Do always" is from dia pas. Dia means "through" in the sense of "passing through," "duration through a time," and "through means of." It also means "in the midst of." Pas is more difficult. . It means "all" and "every," but it has several meanings (another dictionary here). The question is, what does Christ means here by "through all?"

"Behold" is from blepô, which means "to look" and "to see." It is the more tangible sense of seeing, such as seeing what is right in front of you rather than understanding.

"Face" is from prosôpon, which means "face," "front," and "facade." It generally means the appearance of things.

Mat 18:8 Wherefore if your hand or your foot offend thee, cut them off, and cast [them] from you: it is better for thee to enter into life halt or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into everlasting fire.

As is often the case here, there is a pun in the Greek that is lost in English, when Christ says "Cut it off" he uses a phrase that also means "cut it out" in the sense asking someone to stop doing something. The term used for "cast" also means "drop it" like we would drop a bad habit. In this case, stop being a "stumbling block" or "trap." Christ uses "life" here in the sense of a productive life, a meaningful life. And the fire is Christ symbol for being put to use in a different way, as a sacrifice or to the heat to bake bread. Symbolically, being dropped in a fire is a better fate than being dropped in the ocean because something good comes out of it, whereas, in the depths, you are just lost forever. The word used for "halt" to mean lame (kullos) with a slightly different accent means "bitter," and "angry," another little pun.

Alternative version: When your hand or foot traps you, cut it out and drop it! For it is more beautiful to come to a productive life angry and crooked rather than having two hands and two feet dropped into everlasting sacrifice.

"Offends" is from skandalizô, which means "to cause someone to stumble" and "to give offense." It is from skandalon, which means a "trap" or "snare" for an enemy. This is one of the words that starts with the Greek version of the Old Testament from the Hebrew word for "noose" or "snare."

"Cut off" is from ekkoptô, which means "to cut out," "knock out," "to make an end to," and "to bring to a stop." It has much the same meaning as when you tell someone, to "cut it out!"

"Throw" is from ballo, which means "to throw to hit," "to let fall without caring where," "to put," or "to caste." The use of ballo might be compared to the way we use "throw" in a phase like "throw into confusion." It is sometimes translated as "send." Ekballo is the term used for casting out demons and evil spirits.

"Better is from kalos, which means "beautiful," "good," "of fine quality," "noble," and "honorable." It is most often translated as "good" juxtaposed with "evil" in the New Testament, but the two ideas are closer to "wonderful" and "worthless," "noble" and "base."

"Enter" is from eiserchomai, which means both "to go into," "to come in," "to enter," "to enter an office," "to enter a charge," (as in court) and "to come into one's mind."

"Life" is from zoê, which means "living," "substance," "property," "existence," and, incidentally, "the scum on milk." It has the sense of how we say "make a living" to mean property. Homer used it more to mean the opposite of death.

"Halt" is from chôlos, which means "lame," "limping," and "defective." A very similar word, cholos, which means "gall," "bitter," "angry," and "wrathful."

"Maimed" is from kullos, which means "club-footed," "deformed," "crooked," and "crippled."

"Everlasting" is from aiônios (aionios), which means "lasting for an age," "perpetual," and "eternal." From "aion" which is used in the bible to mean an "age."

"Fire" is from pur, which means "fire," "sacrificial fire," "funeral fire," "hearthfire," "lightning," "the light of torches," and "heat of fever."

Mat 18:7 Woe unto the world because of offences! for it must needs be that offences come; but woe to that man by whom the offence comes!

Christ is saying that it is sad that there are traps and snares in the world of men, but that it is natural for the world to be this way. It is even sadder for the people from whom these traps come into the world.

Literal translation: [It is] a sad world because of traps and snares because natural needs are traps on their way. But [it is] sad men from whom these traps are on their way.

"Woe" is from ouai, which is an exclamation of grief.

"World" is from kosmos, which mean "order," "good order," "ruler," "world order," "universe," and "the world of men." Matthew uses it when Christ is talking about the world of men as it is designed to be.

"Offences" is from skandalon, which means "a trap or snare for the enemy." It is not Greek, but based on the Hebrew and Aramaic word.

"It must needs" is from anankê (anagke), which means "force," "constraint," " necessity," and "natural need." It means the natural forces that require things to be as they are.

"Come" is from erchomai, which means "to come" and "to go." It means "to set out" and "to arrive at." It is a little like we use the phrase "he is on his way," which can mean either that he is coming or going with no direct reference to the position of the speaker.

Mat 18:6 But whoever shall offend one of these little ones who believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and [that] he were drowned in the depth of the sea.

Christ identifies with children and a "childish" belief in God. In terms of understanding God, Christ see children a superior to adults. Those who trip children up, drawing them away from God are the lowest form of life in Christ's parsing of the universe. He says literally they will be swept away. Christ uses the sea and stone are metaphors for the physical world. Here he says that those who corrupt children will be lost in the depths of the physical world, separated from the mental, emotional, and spiritual realms that make life complete.

"Offends" is from skandalizô, which means "to cause someone to stumble" and "to give offense." It is from skandalon, which means a "trap" or "snare" for an enemy. This is one of the words that starts with the Greek version of the Old Testament from the Hebrew word for "noose" or "snare."

"Little ones" is from mikros, which means "small," "little," and "young." It is a change from the word used in the previous verses to refer to children, paidion, which means "a young child."

"Believe" is from pisteuô, which menas "to trust in," "to rely one," and "to put your faith in" a person.

"It would be better" is from sumpherô, which means literally, "to be carried along with." It is used to mean "to bring together," "to collect," "to confer a benefit," "to profit," "to be useful," and a lot of other shades of meaning. It is a combination of how we would use "to be swept up in" and "to ride the tide of."

"Millstone" is from mulos ("millstone") onikos ("of an ass"). The first word is any type of "mill," "millstone," "grinder," and "stone." The second word, however, means that it is a large millstone that is turned by an ass.

"Neck" is from trachêlos, which means "neck" and "throat."

"He were drowned" is from katapontizô, which means "to be thrown in the sea," and "to drown."

"Depth" is from pelagos, which "the high seas," and "to open sea." It is a metaphor for a large amount of anything, as we would use "a sea of troubles."

"Sea" is from thalassa, which means also means "sea" or "sea water."

Mat 18:5 And whoever shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me.

This statement works on a lot of different levels. On the surface, that means that those who welcome children also welcome Christ. Since the term used for "child," paidion, specifically means a young child or an infant, this could mean that every newborn comes into the world as a representative of Christ. On another level, it means those who adopts the simplicity and humility of a child also accept the teachings of Christ. Finally, it could mean that those who "entertain" children in Christ name, that is, pass on the Christ story, are doing Christ's work.

It is interesting that our dominant image of Christ, today, 2,000 years after his birth, is the child in a manger. What other great men in history are portrayed, not in their adulthood, but as babies.

"Receive" is from dechomai, which means "welcome," "accept," and "entertain" when applied to people. (It means "take," "accept," and "receive" when applied to things.)

Mat 18:4 Whoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

This line is typical of Christ's teaching that you receive the reverse in the spiritual world for what you do in the physical world. In this case, if you lessen yourself on earth, you become great in heaven. If you become a child on earth, then you become an adult in heaven.

"Humble" is tapeinoô, which means "to lower," "to reduce," "to lessen," "to disparage," "to minimize," and "to humble."

"Greatest" is from meizôn, which is the comparative adjective form of megas (great), which means "big," "full grown," "great," "might" and "strong."

Mat 18:3 Verily I say unto you, Except you be converted, and become as little children, you shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.

Christ is saying that we have to turn outselves around and turn back time, not only to become a child again, but to become a little child again in order to enter into the kingdom of heaven.

This is one of the many places where Christ indicated that the kingdom of heaven is a state of awareness more than it is a place.

What is the difference between a young child and an adult, or for that matter, an older child? Children llive much more "in the moment" than adults do. They do not see the world through a layer of assumptions. They accept that that they don't know anything about the world, but they are excited to discover what the world holds.

If we think about it from Christ's normal view of looking at the world as the spiritual, the physical, the mental, and the emotions, the differences are clear. Young children are more closely connected with the spiritual, that is, the magic content of the world. They see the world as inherently mysterious and miraculous.

Children don't worry about their physical needs except when they feel them. They enjoy their bodies because they allow them to interact with the world, but they don't worry about their bodies or their health.

Mentally, young children just want to learn. They are curious. It is what they don't know that interests them. Perhaps this is the biggest difference between adults and children. Adults think they know something when the truth is that our ignorance is as vast as the universe. A child is open to learning. An adult clings to what he or she knows. Children accept that they have a lot to learn. Adults do not.

Emotionally, children connect to the people who they have direct relationships with. Children have no concern about the opinions of society. One of Christ's big themes is that our social concerns blind us to what is real.



"Converted" is from strephô, which means "to turn around," "to wheel around," "to turn about," "to sprain" (as in "to turn" an ankle), "to twist," "to braid," "to give back," (return) and "to convert." It is always interesting how our words for ideas such "turn" have taken on so many of the same ancillary meanings.

"Children" is from paidion, which means "a young child."


"Enter" is from eiserchomai, which means both "to go into," "to come in," "to enter," "to enter an office," "to enter a charge," (as in court) and "to come into one's mind."