Kris Gholson

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Gospel According to Matthew Bible Study

Chapter 18

Book Four: Jesus Instructs Peter and the Twelve, Discourse: Sermon on Life in the Church

Questions

  1. What audience is Jesus addressing when he gives the sermon in Chapter 18?
  2. (1) Why might the disciples be asking “who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven”? Matt 16:17-19, Matt 17:1, Matt 17:27
  3. (2-4) Jesus responds to the disciples’ question, by using the example of a child. What elements of being childlike are important for leaders in the kingdom of heaven? How does this also apply to ALL those seeking salvation? Matt 6:25-33, Jn 1:12-13
  4. (3-4) Compare the promises made in verses 3 and 4. Verse 3 sounds like turning and becoming like a child is the minimum requirement to enter heaven. Verse 4 says that whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. How do you resolve these meanings?
  5. (5-6) Jesus warns of strong punishment for those who cause religious scandal (causing others to sin). Rev 18:21 My Bible commentary offers that “punishment by drowning was often reserved for the worst criminals.”
  6. (7-9) These are similar warnings to Matt 5:29-30 regarding how important it is to avoid personal sin. These precautions of removing body parts follow verse 7’s warning “woe to the man by whom the temptation comes.” What do Jesus’ warnings mean for our sins in the context of community with other Christians?
  7. (10) What does this verse and others tell us about the role of angels Tob 12:15, Job 33:23-24, Ps 34:7, Ps 91:11, Acts 12:15, Heb 1:14
  8. (11) What does verse 11 mean to you?
  9. (12-14) What does the parable of the lost sheep tell you about God? Ezek 34:11-31
  10. (15-20) Summarize the escalating nature of dealing with a “brother” that has sinned against you. (And who are “brothers?) At each step, what is the goal of the interaction? In the second step, why does Jesus mention taking “two or three witnesses”? Deut 19:15
  11. (17) Have you ever encountered a situation where a brother sinned against you and it progressed to the 3rd step of “telling it to the Church”? What did this look like in your faith tradition? If you haven’t reached that point, what would it mean in a practical sense if you needed to resolve a situation with your brother that couldn’t be resolved after the 2nd step?
  12. (18) What does it mean to bind on earth and bind in heaven? What does it mean to loose on earth and loose in heaven?
  13. (20) We often read and interpret this verse to mean that when 2 or 3 Christian are gathered together / praying together that Jesus is also present. I think it does mean this. However, in context of these verses on Church discipline (one brother sinning against another) and binding / loosing, what should we also understand about the “2 or 3 gathered in my name”?
  14. (21) Why does Peter suggest “as many as 7 times” in his question to Jesus about how many times to forgive a brother? Jesus answers with 70 x 7. He probably doesn’t mean 490 times. What does he mean? Gen 4:24
  15. (23-35) How does Jesus illustrate the foolishness of putting limits on forgiveness? (for reference: 10K talents ≈ 150K YEARS wages, 100 denarii ≈ 100 days wages) What does this parable teach about justice in the kingdom of heaven? Mt 6:14-15 How can we be as merciful as our Father is merciful? Lk 6:36

Primary Resources

Secondary Resources

Logical Daily Gospel Exegesis (Hayden)

The Bible in a Year Podcast (Fr. Mike)