For what “reason” (Mat 18:23) does Jesus tell this parable about the kingdom of heaven? See Mat 18:21-22 and the previous context of Mat 18:1-20. Who does the king represent in this parable? Observe that the KJV “certain” king is literally a “man”, a king, i.e., a human king; what does this teach us about…
Mat 18:19-20 Recall: who is the “you” in Mat 18:18-19? Do Jesus’ words apply to any gathering of people, just because they say they are Christians, call themselves a church, and are even registered as a 501c3 tax exempt religious organization? What do these verses teach us about how many people it takes to…
In the context of Mat 18:15-17, what does “bind” mean in verse 18? Cf. Mat 13:30, 22:13, Luk 13:16, Act 9:2,14, 20:22, 22:5. What does “loose” mean? See Joh 20:23. What does the inclusion of “loosing” here in the context of Mat 18:15-17 indicate about the purpose of church discipline: is it punitive or remedial? …
What are the key words in Mat 18:15 about the manner in which we are to go and reprove an errant brother? Why is it important to do so “in private” (lit. “between you and him alone”)? What does this teach us about the importance of speaking to our brother about his faults before speaking…
Recall the context of these verses in Mat 18:1-14, Mar 9:33-50, and Luk 9:46-50. While a number of Jesus’ followers had ceased to follow Him (Joh 6:66), His closest disciples had become even more convinced that He was the Messiah and that the establishment of His kingdom was imminent (cf. Peter’s confession and Jesus’ response…
Recall the context of these verses: The disciples had come to believe that Jesus was the promised Messiah and that the establishment of His kingdom was imminent. As His closest followers they supposed they would occupy positions of importance in that kingdom, so that on their way back from Caesarea Philippi they had argued over…
Recall the context of these verses: The disciples believed Jesus was the promised Messiah and were expecting the imminent establishment of His kingdom after the manner of the kingdoms of this world with which they only were familiar. Others had ceased to follow Jesus because He was not fulfilling their expectations while they had remained…
How is Gehenna or “the fiery hell” different from Hades or Sheol, the place of the dead? Note: Gehenna was understood to be in Hades (NT Greek) or Sheol (OT Hebrew), where the departed spirits of all men went when their physical bodies died (cf. Num 16:29-33, 1Sa 28:8-19, Isa 14:9-15, Mat 11:23, Act 2:27). …
Consider again the context of the words in this passage that were spoken by Jesus to His closest disciples. They assumed that because they had continued to follow Jesus when others had fallen away (see Joh 6:66-69) that they would occupy positions of importance in His kingdom. Would we not think the same? And yet…
What is a stumbling block? Note: the Greek word used is skandalon from which we get our scandal; in the LXX it is used for a noose or snare, and is properly the baited trap-stick, the moveable stick or trigger of a trap; see Jos 23:13, Jdg 2:3, 8:27, 1Sa 18:21, Psa 106:36, 140:5, 141:9. …