The Greatest in the Kingdom
(Mark 9:33-37; Luke 9:46-50)
1At the same time came the disciples unto Jesus, saying, Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? 2And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them, 3And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. 4Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 5And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me. 6But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which 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.
Temptations and Trespasses
(Mark 9:42-50; Luke 17:1-4)
7Woe unto the world because of offences! for it must needs be that offences come; but woe to that man by whom the offence cometh!
8Wherefore if thy hand or thy foot offend thee, cut them off, and cast them from thee: 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. 9And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire.
The Parable of the Lost Sheep
(Luke 15:1-7)
10Take heed that ye 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. 11For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost.
12How think ye? if a man have an hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and goeth into the mountains, and seeketh that which is gone astray? 13And if so be that he find it, verily I say unto you, he rejoiceth more of that sheep, than of the ninety and nine which went not astray. 14Even so it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish.
A Brother who Sins
(Deuteronomy 19:15-21)
15Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother. 16But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. 17And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican. 18Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
19Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven. 20For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.
The Parable of the Unforgiving Servant
(Romans 12:14-21)
21Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? 22Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.
23Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king, which would take account of his servants. 24And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, which owed him ten thousand talents. 25But forasmuch as he had not to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made. 26The servant therefore fell down, and worshipped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. 27Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt. 28But the same servant went out, and found one of his fellowservants, which owed him an hundred pence: and he laid hands on him, and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me that thou owest. 29And his fellowservant fell down at his feet, and besought him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. 30And he would not: but went and cast him into prison, till he should pay the debt. 31So when his fellowservants saw what was done, they were very sorry, and came and told unto their lord all that was done. 32Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me: 33Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee? 34And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him. 35So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.
King James Bible
Text courtesy of BibleProtector.com.
The Greatest in the Kingdom
(Mark 9:33–41; Luke 9:46–50)
1 In that hour the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who then is greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven?” 2 Jesus called a little child to himself, and set him in their midst,
3 and said, “Most certainly I tell you, unless you turn, and become as little children, you will in no way enter into the Kingdom of Heaven. 4 Whoever therefore humbles himself as this little child, the same is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven. 5 Whoever receives one such little child in my name receives me,
Temptations and Trespasses
(Mark 9:42–48; Luke 17:1–4)
6 but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to stumble, it would be better for him that a huge millstone should be hung around his neck, and that he should be sunk in the depths of the sea.
7 “Woe to the world because of occasions of stumbling! For it must be that the occasions come, but woe to that person through whom the occasion comes!
8 If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off, and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life maimed or crippled, rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into the eternal fire. 9 If your eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out, and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast into the Gehenna of fire.
The Parable of the Lost Sheep
(Luke 15:1–7)
10 See that you don’t 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 came to save that which was lost.
12 “What do you think? If a man has one hundred sheep, and one of them goes astray, doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine, go to the mountains, and seek that which has gone astray? 13 If he finds it, most certainly I tell you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine which have not gone astray. 14 Even so it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.
A Brother Who Sins
(Deuteronomy 19:15–21)
15 “If your brother sins against you, go, show him his fault between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained back your brother. 16 But if he doesn’t listen, take one or two more with you, that at the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. 17 If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the assembly. If he refuses to hear the assembly also, let him be to you as a Gentile or a tax collector. 18 Most certainly I tell you, whatever things you bind on earth will have been bound in heaven, and whatever things you release on earth will have been released in heaven.
Ask in My Name
(John 16:23–33)
19 Again, assuredly I tell you, that if two of you will agree on earth concerning anything that they will 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 I am in their midst.”
The Unforgiving Servant
(Romans 12:14–21)
21 Then Peter came and said to him, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Until seven times?” 22 Jesus said to him, “I don’t tell you until seven times, but, until seventy times seven.
23 Therefore the Kingdom of Heaven is like a certain king, who wanted to reconcile accounts with his servants. 24 When he had begun to reconcile, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. 25 But because he couldn’t pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, with his wife, his children, and all that he had, and payment to be made. 26 The servant therefore fell down and kneeled before him, saying, ‘Lord, have patience with me, and I will repay you all!’ 27 The lord of that servant, being moved with compassion, released him, and forgave him the debt. 28 “But that servant went out, and found one of his fellow servants, who owed him one hundred denarii, and he grabbed him, and took him by the throat, saying, ‘Pay me what you owe!’ 29 “So his fellow servant fell down at his feet and begged him, saying, ‘Have patience with me, and I will repay you!’ 30 He would not, but went and cast him into prison, until he should pay back that which was due. 31 So when his fellow servants saw what was done, they were exceedingly sorry, and came and told to their lord all that was done. 32 Then his lord called him in, and said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt, because you begged me. 33 Shouldn’t you also have had mercy on your fellow servant, even as I had mercy on you?’ 34 His lord was angry, and delivered him to the tormentors, until he should pay all that was due to him. 35 So my heavenly Father will also do to you, if you don’t each forgive your brother from your hearts for his misdeeds.”
The Greatest in the Kingdom
(Mark 9:33–41; Luke 9:46–50)
1 At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who then is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”
2 Jesus invited a little child to stand among them. 3 “Truly I tell you,” He said, “unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 5 And whoever welcomes a little child like this in My name welcomes Me.
Temptations and Trespasses
(Mark 9:42–48; Luke 17:1–4)
6 But if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.
7 Woe to the world for the causes of sin. These stumbling blocks must come, but woe to the man through whom they come!
8 If your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life crippled or lame than to have two hands and two feet and be thrown into the eternal fire. 9 And if your eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell. a
The Parable of the Lost Sheep
(Luke 15:1–7)
10 See that you do not look down on any of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of My Father in heaven. b
12 What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them goes astray, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go out to search for the one that is lost? 13 And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he rejoices more over that one sheep than over the ninety-nine that did not go astray. 14 In the same way, your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should perish.
A Brother Who Sins
(Deuteronomy 19:15–21)
15 If your brother sins against you, c go and confront him privately. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over. 16 But if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’ d 17 If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, regard him as you would a pagan or a tax collector.
18 Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.
Ask in My Name
(John 16:23–33)
19 Again, I tell you truly that if two of you on the earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by My Father in heaven. 20 For where two or three gather together in My name, there am I with them.”
The Unforgiving Servant
(Romans 12:14–21)
21 Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother who sins against me? Up to seven times?”
22 Jesus answered, “I tell you, not just seven times, but seventy-seven times! e
23 Because of this, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. 24 As he began the settlements, a debtor was brought to him owing ten thousand talents. f 25 Since the man was unable to pay, the master ordered that he be sold to pay his debt, along with his wife and children and everything he owned.
26 Then the servant fell on his knees before him. ‘Have patience with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’
27 His master had compassion on him, forgave his debt, and released him.
28 But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii. g He grabbed him and began to choke him, saying, ‘Pay back what you owe me!’
29 So his fellow servant fell down and begged him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you back.’
30 But he refused. Instead, he went and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay his debt.
31 When his fellow servants saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed, and they went and recounted all of this to their master.
32 Then the master summoned him and declared, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave all your debt because you begged me. 33 Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant, just as I had on you?’ 34 In anger his master turned him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should repay all that he owed.
35 That is how My heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart.”
Footnotes:
9 a Or the hell of fire ; Greek the Gehenna of fire
10 b BYZ and TR include 11For the Son of Man came to save the lost ; see Luke 19:10.
15 c NE and WH do not include against you .
16 d Deuteronomy 19:15
22 e Or seventy times seven ; see Genesis 4:24 LXX
24 f A talent was worth about twenty years’ wages for a laborer.
28 g A denarius was customarily a day’s wage for a laborer; see Matthew 20:2.
The Greatest in the Kingdom
(Mark 9:33-37; Luke 9:46-50)
1At that hour came the disciples near to Jesus, saying, 'Who, now, is greater in the reign of the heavens?' 2And Jesus having called near a child, did set him in the midst of them, 3and said, 'Verily I say to you, if ye may not be turned and become as the children, ye may not enter into the reign of the heavens; 4whoever then may humble himself as this child, he is the greater in the reign of the heavens. 5'And he who may receive one such child in my name, doth receive me, 6and whoever may cause to stumble one of those little ones who are believing in me, it is better for him that a weighty millstone may be hanged upon his neck, and he may be sunk in the depth of the sea.
Temptations and Trespasses
(Mark 9:42-50; Luke 17:1-4)
7'Woe to the world from the stumbling-blocks! for there is a necessity for the stumbling-blocks to come, but woe to that man through whom the stumbling-block doth come!
8'And if thy hand or thy foot doth cause thee to stumble, cut them off and cast from thee; it is good for thee to enter into the life lame or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet, to be cast to the fire the age-during. 9'And if thine eye doth cause thee to stumble, pluck it out and cast from thee; it is good for thee one-eyed to enter into the life, rather than having two eyes to be cast to the gehenna of the fire.
The Parable of the Lost Sheep
(Luke 15:1-7)
10'Beware! -- ye may not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you, that their messengers in the heavens do always behold the face of my Father who is in the heavens, 11for the Son of Man did come to save the lost.
12'What think ye? if a man may have an hundred sheep, and there may go astray one of them, doth he not -- having left the ninety-nine, having gone on the mountains -- seek that which is gone astray? 13and if it may come to pass that he doth find it, verily I say to you, that he doth rejoice over it more than over the ninety-nine that have not gone astray; 14so it is not will in presence of your Father who is in the heavens, that one of these little ones may perish.
A Brother who Sins
(Deuteronomy 19:15-21)
15'And if thy brother may sin against thee, go and show him his fault between thee and him alone, if he may hear thee, thou didst gain thy brother; 16and if he may not hear, take with thee yet one or two, that by the mouth of two witnesses or three every word may stand. 17And if he may not hear them, say it to the assembly, and if also the assembly he may not hear, let him be to thee as the heathen man and the tax-gatherer. 18'Verily I say to you, Whatever things ye may bind upon the earth shall be having been bound in the heavens, and whatever things ye may loose on the earth shall be having been loosed in the heavens.
19'Again, I say to you, that, if two of you may agree on the earth concerning anything, whatever they may ask -- it shall be done to them from my Father who is in the heavens, 20for where there are two or three gathered together -- to my name, there am I in the midst of them.'
The Parable of the Unforgiving Servant
(Romans 12:14-21)
21Then Peter having come near to him, said, 'Sir, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him -- till seven times?' 22Jesus saith to him, 'I do not say to thee till seven times, but till seventy times seven.
23'Because of this was the reign of the heavens likened to a man, a king, who did will to take reckoning with his servants, 24and he having begun to take account, there was brought near to him one debtor of a myriad of talents, 25and he having nothing to pay, his lord did command him to be sold, and his wife, and the children, and all, whatever he had, and payment to be made. 26The servant then, having fallen down, was bowing to him, saying, Sir, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all; 27and the lord of that servant having been moved with compassion did release him, and the debt he forgave him. 28'And, that servant having come forth, found one of his fellow-servants who was owing him an hundred denaries, and having laid hold, he took him by the throat, saying, Pay me that which thou owest. 29His fellow-servant then, having fallen down at his feet, was calling on him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all; 30and he would not, but having gone away, he cast him into prison, till he might pay that which was owing. 31'And his fellow-servants having seen the things that were done, were grieved exceedingly, and having come, shewed fully to their lord all the things that were done; 32then having called him, his lord saith to him, Evil servant! all that debt I did forgive thee, seeing thou didst call upon me, 33did it not behove also thee to have dealt kindly with thy fellow-servant, as I also dealt kindly with thee? 34'And having been wroth, his lord delivered him to the inquisitors, till he might pay all that was owing to him; 35so also my heavenly Father will do to you, if ye may not forgive each one his brother from your hearts their trespasses.'
The Favor of God Message paraphrase
The Greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven
¹ At that time, the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who, then, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”
² Jesus called a little child to Him and placed the child among them.
³ And He said, “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
⁴ Therefore, whoever takes the humble position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
⁵ And whoever welcomes one such child in My name welcomes Me.*
Causing to Stumble
⁶ “If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in Me—to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.
⁷ Woe to the world because of the things that cause people to stumble! Such things must come, but woe to the person through whom they come!
⁸ If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away! It is better for you to enter life maimed or crippled than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into eternal fire.
⁹ And if your eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away! It is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell.*
¹⁰ See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of My Father in heaven.*
The Parable of the Lost Sheep
¹² “What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off?
¹³ And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off.
¹⁴ In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should perish.”
Dealing With Sin in the Community
¹⁵ “If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over.
¹⁶ But if they will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’
¹⁷ If they still refuse to listen, tell it to the church; and if they refuse to listen even to the church, treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector.
¹⁸ Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.*
¹⁹ Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven.
²⁰ For where two or three gather in My name, there am I with them.”
The Parable of the Unforgiving Servant
²¹ Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?”
²² Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.
²³ Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants.
²⁴ As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand bags of gold was brought to him.
²⁵ Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt.
²⁶ At this, the servant fell on his knees before him. ‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’
²⁷ The servant’s master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go.
²⁸ But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred silver coins. He grabbed him and began to choke him. ‘Pay back what you owe me!’ he demanded.
²⁹ His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay it back.’
³⁰ But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt.
³¹ When the other servants saw what had happened, they were outraged and went and told their master everything that had happened.
³² Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to.
³³ Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’
³⁴ In anger his master handed him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.
³⁵ “This is how My heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart.”
Footnotes:
18:5: Welcoming a child in Jesus’ name signifies humility and the value of caring for those who are often overlooked or considered insignificant.
18:9: Jesus uses hyperbole here to stress the severity of sin and the importance of cutting off anything in life that leads to sin, even if it requires painful sacrifices.
18:10: Jesus references the “angels” to emphasize the value God places on each individual, particularly those who may seem insignificant to the world.
18:18: The authority to “bind” and “loose” refers to the power to make decisions regarding church discipline and forgiveness, aligning earthly decisions with God’s will.
18:22: “Seventy-seven times” (or seventy times seven) implies unlimited forgiveness, countering Peter’s expectation of a finite number of forgiveness opportunities.
18:24: The “ten thousand bags of gold” represents an enormous, unpayable debt, symbolizing humanity’s overwhelming debt of sin that can only be forgiven by divine mercy.
18:34: The punishment of the unforgiving servant illustrates the severity with which God views unforgiveness, linking His mercy towards us with our mercy towards others.
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