The Teachings of Jesus

Sermon Seventy-Two

Matthew 18:1-14

(part 3)

by

Jim Bordwine, ThD

Introduction

Presently, we are studying chapter eighteen of Matthew’s Gospel. It is a section filled with highly significant teaching from the Savior. The passage records material that was particularly meaningful to the disciples. They foolishly ask which of them is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven, which leads Jesus to chastise them by placing a young child before them and saying, “Unless you are converted and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.” Far from being the greatest in the kingdom, Jesus tells the disciples they won’t even be part of the kingdom unless they exhibit the humility and trust seen in a child.

Jesus then comments on His identificaiton with children when He says that whoever receives one such child in His name receives Him. He means that His disciples and followers are to be marked with child-like characteristics when it comes to their desires to serve. In that manner, they will be just like the Savior who exemplified humility and service when He came to the earth. Jesus also issues a strong warning saying that anyone who causes one of the little ones to stumble would be better off having a heavy millstone hung around his neck and cast into the sea. Clearly, Jesus places a high value on humility, trust, obedience, and other qualities that indicate a true servant’s heart.

So far, then, in this eighteenth chapter of Matthew, Jesus has concentrated on a particular mindset for those who claim to beleive in Him and who profess their devotion to Him. He has, in essence, described how citizens in the kingdom think and behave. He has presented a pattern of self-analysis and sense of purpose for His followers. Put simply, Jesus teaches that His disciples will be as He has described or any profession of trust in Him which they make will be suspect.

Before we proceed, I want to quote from William Hendricksen who provides an excellent summary of the first few verses of this chapter. It is important that we understand how Jesus means to use the little child, which He placed before His disciples. Hendriksen writes:

What Jesus is saying is that, instead of striving to become greatest in the kingdom of heaven, in the process of attempting this hurting others instead of guarding them, the disciples should rather learn to forget about themselves and to focus their loving attention upon Christ’s little ones, upon the lambs of the flock and upon all those who in their humble trustfulness (or trustful humility) resemble these lambs. By welcoming them they will be welcoming their Lord. This they will learn to if they themselves also become like the little children, even like this little one whom Jesus has taken into His arms. That is the only way to greatness in the kingdom of heaven. (commentary on Matthew, p. 690 with minor editing)

After giving such sobering descriptions using that child and, in the process, shaming the disciples, what would we expect Jesus to do? Personally, I would hope He would continue and tell me how to avoid those characteristics He has condemned and how to develop and maintain those traits He has endorsed as essential in the kingdom of heaven. That is what the Savior does next.

The Text

Matthew 18:8 “If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it from you; it is better for you to enter life crippled or lame, than to have two hands or two feet and be cast into the eternal fire. 9 If your eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out and throw it from you. It is better for you to enter life with one eye, than to have two eyes and be cast into the fiery hell.”

The Teaching

How does a man succeed in developing the kind of character Jesus has described? How does he succeed in maintaining that character once he has established it? Like every other duty, every other desire, and every other goal given to us in Scripture, the chief obstacle to developing and maintaining a humble character and the heart of a servant is sin. This is no mystery. Remember that Jesus compared Himself to the innocent and humble child. If that is an accurate comparison, then what Jesus has been describing is His own character.

And, if that is true, then He is calling His disciples to seek the same character He has exhibited before them. And there is the issue for us: we have a calling to be like Christ in our character, but we routinely struggle with this desire. We set our minds on the pursuit of holiness and humility and love for the brethren, and before we turn around, we have done something or said something that contradicts that pursuit, something that would never be said or done by Jesus. Our sinful natures, then, provide an enormous barrier between our desire and our achievement.

I have absolutely no doubt that just about every person in this congregation genuinely desires to have the kind of character Jesus has; most of us truly want to treat people as He did and show the wisdom He showed. Most Christians sincerely hope to serve the brethren. This isn’t a matter of an unwillingness on our part; it’s a matter of not persevering.

Ask yourself: What happens so often when I realize my calling to be kind or to be forgiving or to be patient or to believe the best of others or to sacrifice in order to serve others? In other words, what happens frequently when I attempt to show the kind of character Jesus commends in previous verses? What happens is that I maintain a Christ-like demeanor for a while, but then revert to that place where my selfishness takes control again. The desire is there, but the perseverance is lacking. Without perseverance, we live in a constant state of tension between what we know we should be and the reality of what we sometimes are. We know we should be like Christ at every turn, but the reality is that our knowledge doesn’t always translate into conduct.

It is a real challenge for me to be kind in every circumstance, and to show patience every time I’m pushed, and to believe the best about my brother when by my own observations I see he is missing the mark. It is a challenge for me to sacrifice my resources or my time when I see many selfish people who appear to do nothing at all for others. My problem is the sin that remains in me. Rather than care about what others are doing or not doing, I should simply live as Jesus describes and not bother comparing myself with the lives of others. I think that is a monumental challenge for most Christians. Rare is the believer who happily lives his life for Christ, doing what he knows he should do, treating others as he knows he should treat them, without ever comparing himself to other professing Christians.

The reason this is such a difficult challenge is found in our own flesh. Because of our corrupted natures, we are “programmed” to put self first and to find satisfaction in the shortcomings of others—because when we do that, we automatically look better in our own eyes. That perspective, that practice, has to be mastered—it must be controlled and must be eliminated. Our sinful flesh always tells us that we are the most important one in our world and our desires should come first. And when we manage to do something good, if we aren’t careful, our flesh flaunts that achievement like a trophy.

This is what Jesus is teaching against in this chapter. Remember, it began with that question about greatness posed by the disciples. Their minds were completed wrapped up in self-exaltation and Jesus is teaching them that they must overcome that tendency if they ever hope to be true servants in His kingdom. And overcoming that tendency begins with self-perception. So, He puts a child in front of these men and says: “This is what true greatness looks like.” This was an image completely unrelated to greatness in the minds of the disciples. But they had to learn to think differently about everything, including the notion of greatness.

We have this permanent opposition in us that stands against all the Savior would have us be. That sinful disposition has to be overcome. And the two verses I read address that issue of controlling sinful impulses rather than being controlled by them. And the way Jesus gets this point across grabs your attention immediately. Basically, the Lord says: “If something is preventing you from living as I have described, get rid of it, whatever it is. Get rid of it no matter how costly or painful. Get rid of the impediment no matter what might result because you are far better off taking whatever steps need to be taken so you can serve Me, than allowing that hindrance to remain in control of your life.”

As I said, the way in which Jesus expresses this truth grabs our attention immediately: “If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it from you . . .” (v. 8) The reason Jesus refers to our hands and feet is because He wants to make sure we realize that in the matter of removing sinful resistance from our lives, nothing is off limits. He’s making a comparison to a hand that somehow causes a person to stumble (which means, sin). Well, the hand is a vital part of the body; losing a hand greatly impacts a person’s ability to function. But Jesus teaches that it is so critical that you control sin so that you might have the kind of character He’s endorsed, that you simply have to cut off the hand if it is the source of the problem. And the same thing is said about the foot. If the foot is the means by which sin enters your life and, therefore, prevents you from living consistently as the Savior has described, then you must cut off that foot.

Jesus is speaking symbolically, of course. But again, the point He is making is that sin must be eliminated no matter what the cost. Rather than worry about how I will function with one hand or one foot, I should care more about getting rid of that which prevents me from persevering in holy conduct. And notice the rest of v. 8: “. . . it is better for you to enter life crippled or lame, than to have two hands or two feet and be cast into the eternal fire.” Which would you prefer, Jesus asks, to go to heaven with a hand or foot missing or go to hell with both hands and both feet attached?

He is speaking symbolically, I’ll say again, but His method and wording are meant to emphasize the importance of controlling sin in our lives. He uses strong language and unsettling images to make a point and He does so because the point is so very crucial. It must be grasped. We have to understand why we struggle with living a consistently holy life before we can attempt to change whatever needs to be changed.

In v. 9, Jesus uses another startling image: “If your eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out and throw it from you.” This is another shocking image, even more shocking than what Jesus already said. Once again, then, Jesus is relating to His disciples the seriousness of their sin and the need for them to control it. No matter how dear something is to us, no matter how firmly attached we are to it, no matter what advantage we think it gives us, if it is the source of sin and, therefore, a hindrance to our consistent holy living, then we must eliminate it and nothing else—no other consideration—can be allowed to stand in the way of that duty.

And notice the rest of this verse, too: “It is better for you to enter life with one eye, than to have two eyes and be cast into the fiery hell.” The same reasoning mentioned before applies here. Jesus teaches that there are worst states in which to live than to live with a part of us missing. If we are whole, yet full of sin or full of pride or full of self-gratification, then we are far worse off than we would be if we took steps to eliminate some things from our lives.

The Savior is emphasizing that it is better to suffer whatever consequences may come for opposing the world than to be part of the world. It is better to take whatever comes when you turn away and walk alone than it is to travel the same sinful path everyone else is traveling. In the matter of living like a disciple of Christ is supposed to live, it is better to oppose the world than betray the Lord; it is better to stand against what is popular with Jesus rather than join the crowd and walk against Him.

I was a Christian for only a few months before I found myself facing an enormously important issue. When I was converted, I was involved is so many sinful pursuits; my life was defined by friends who were just like me—seeking everyday to take something or do something to feel good about ourselves; our primary goal in life was to have fun. Though I had known some of my friends for many years, I quickly realized I had to make a choice and it was one of the most painful choices I’ve ever had to consider.

It became apparent that I could not continue hanging out with my friends even though I had stopped doing the things they continued to do. I no longer had a life in common with them and I actually called them together one day and told them that my relationship with Christ required that I end my relationship with them. I didn’t mean I would dislike them or never speak to them; I meant that they could no longer be my closest companions because their world was no longer my world.

What really shocked me, however, was having to make the same kind of choice about a year later in regard to my Christian friends. I was in a church that was well-known for its ministry to teenagers and young adults. But as I began to sense God’s call for me to prepare myself for some kind of ministry, I had to admit that most of my Christian friends were living lives that were filled with contradictions. In short, what so many of them professed was not how they lived. I knew I had to separate from most of them in order to start preparing for the future.

With my unsaved friends, the necessity of my decision was easier to take. But when I faced the same decision with my Christian friends, I was really bothered. Was I discovering that I could have no friends, Christian or non-Christian? What I did know for sure was that I had to put myself in a different environment if I planned to follow the Lord. The world of my non-Christian friends was an obvious hindrance and had to be overcome. The world of my Christian friends, I’m sorry to say, also proved to be a hindrance because so many of them were contradicting their words by living sinful lives. I knew that my faith would require more than that from me, so for the second time, I left friends behind.

I have to tell you that for a while, I felt very much alone. But it wasn’t long before I met Christians who were a help to me, rather than a hindrance. I met Christians who were serious about living for the Lord and who were willing to stand apart from the world in order to please the Savior. In those relationships, I was challenged and strengthened. With them, I could answer God’s call.

Being like Jesus in our character is the most important goal we can have in this life. So, if we have to cut off a hand or a relationship that is causing us to sin, we do it. And if we have to cut off a foot or cease hanging out where we are being led into sin, we do it. And if we have to pull out an eye or walk away from a place where ungodly images are entering our mind, we do it. It is better that we please our Savior than that we please our flesh. It is better to be seen looking like Him than looking like we belong in this fallen environment. It is better to share in the ridicule that comes against Jesus than to receive praise from all the sinners in the world.

In vv. 10-14, you’ll see that Jesus comments further on the place of children. Because they themselves are free of so many of the distasteful traits seen in adults and because they, as Jesus has taught, reflect His own innocent and humble nature, the Savior has something to say about how they are treated.

For now, however, we need to make sure we understand the challenge Jesus is putting before everyone here today who claims to be a Christian. Jesus is telling us, in no uncertain terms, that we must do whatever is required so that we stand with Him. We may have to lose friends, we may have to find another job, we may have to wait long for a godly mate, but all of that is better than being comfortable with sin. Being a Christian requires that we face a question repeatedly day after day: Will I live for Christ at this present hour in this present circumstance? Let’s not worry for the moment about the next several years or even the next several months or weeks. Deal first with that question: Will I live for Christ at this present hour in this present circumstance?

Application

That is the question I put before you today. Will you live for Christ at this present hour in this present circumstance? I’m asking if you will seek to honor Christ throughout the rest of this day and during the day tomorrow. I’m asking if you will choose to be identified with your Savior the next time you face a temptation. I’m asking if pleasing Him is more important to you than whatever else you might gain in this life by denying Him. And every day is just that—every day presents to you multiple opportunities to make a choice based on Scripture or based on the easiest way out.

Every day, you required to make choices regarding how you will talk and act and respond to others. Every day, you have to decide whether you will live for yourself or live for Christ. Will I be like the disciples who sought recognition for themselves or will I be like my Savior—humble, desiring to use my time for the good of others, trying to live according to what the Word of God teaches? It takes no effort to think and live for yourself—that comes naturally. It takes real commitment and real love for Christ to live for Him.

To answer these questions, you must determine what functions as the overriding goal in your life. What is it that you want to achieve more than anything else? I would say the question has only one answer for a Christian, although it might be expressed in a variety of ways. What I want more than anything else is to be found faithful. What I want more than anything else is to live a life in which Christ is constantly reflected. What I want more than anything else is to please my Savior. And here is the statement that incorporates everything else I might say: What I want above all else is to be like Jesus. When I face that question, “Will I live for Christ at this present hour in this present circumstance?,” I want to answer “yes,” and I will get rid of anything that stands in the way of reaching that goal.

Let’s pray…

Sacrament of baptism

The most critical duty of parents is the training of a child to be like Jesus. Although this is an ongoing, life-long effort, the first few years, while we are under the oversight of our parents, are the most crucial. God who made us understands how we function far better than we do. And He has taught us to be involved in the training of children from their beginning. And this duty begins with a recognition on the part of the parents.

Parents must recognize what they are responsible to do and how they are going to accomplish their duty. When a parent presents a child for baptism, both issues are addressed. When we baptize an infant, we are recognizing our responsibility to provide spiritual care for that child for as long as they are under our authority. And this baptism also points toward the reason the parents expect success—the baptism points to God who promised to be God to our children even as He has been God to us.

At the point of baptism, the parent is professing faith, faith in God’s promise. The parent knows salvation is always by grace and that he must depend upon the grace of God for the salvation of his child just as he trusts in the grace of God for his own salvation. We have been reminded in our passage that children are particularly precious in the eyes of the Savior because they, unlike any other human being, exemplify His own gentle and guileless nature. They are to be treated with tenderness and love. Part of that love is expressed in this act of baptism. As adults, we know what this means, so we gladly give it to our children because we love them most dearly. We want them to come to know God and His Son, our Savior.

This is not the same as saying a child in a Christian family is guaranteed salvation. What the Bible teaches is that the child of a Christian parent is in a favorable position before God. That child will be trained to believe in God, to walk rightly before Him, and to give his life to God. Though taught that he is a sinner, the child will also be taught about the Savior of sinners. And, as God wills, the day comes when the baptized child understands what God has done for him and eagerly claims Christ as his Savior. And this is all be grace alone through faith.

Today, Travis and Vanessa Gaul bring their son forward to be baptized as a child of the covenant according to God’s provisions. Their hope is that God will make them faithful in raising this son in the fear and admonition of the Lord. They will count on the merciful nature of God now and throughout all the days of this child’s life because they know all are saved by grace, not works, so that all glory must belong to God.

Communion hymn…

Conclusion

Our Savior—so gentle and kind, yet so strong and fearless. With those who love Him, He is most tender; to those who oppose Him, He is a Warrior. When we needed Him, He came and defeated our adversary and disarmed him of is most potent weapon. Then, as gently as a shepherds gathers his sheep into his arms, He escorts us from darkness to light, from death to life.

In the sacrament, we have pointed reminders of the most vital aspects of Christ’s work for His people. We are reminded that our salvation was, in essence, a trading of His life for ours. So we have bread representing His body which He surrendered on the cross. And we have wine representing that precious blood, the blood of an infinitely perfect sacrifice to cover our infinitely offensive transgression. What a Savior!

He has us come to His Table, not to remind us of how awful we were, but to remind us of how much He loves us. We come not as His enemies, but as His friends, as His family. We eat the bread and drink the wine without hurry, for that which would strike fear in our hearts in the presence of God has been taken away. Again, I say, what a Savior!

As Paul explained the meaning of this ritual to the Corinthians, he wrote:

1 Cor. 11:23 For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus in the night in which He was betrayed took bread; and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “This is My body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” In the same way He took the cup also after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until He comes.

If you know the One of whom I’ve spoken, then this table belongs to you. You are welcome to take these elements and in so doing, enjoy communion with your Savior. As you eat the bread, know that He died for you and now looks upon you from heaven with the greatest of joy. And when you drink the wine, know that His blood dripped upon the ground at the foot of that cross because your sin had to be atoned for so that you might live in eternal peace with God. And now Jesus looks upon you awaiting that great day when all the redeemed join Him in glory.