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Matthew 18:1. At that time the disciples came to Jesus and said: Who is greatest in the kingdom of heaven? Since they saw that Peter was honored by Christ (he was also honored by the fact that he received the command to give a statir for Christ and for himself), therefore they experienced something human and, consumed by envy, they approached the side, asking the Lord: “Who is greater?” Matthew 18:2. Jesus called a child and placed him in the midst of them Matthew 18:3. and he said, “Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 18:4. So whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Seeing that the disciples are overcome by the passion of ambition, the Lord restrains them, showing them through a modest child the path of humility. For we must be children in humility of spirit, but not in childish thinking, in kindness, but not in foolishness. By saying: “if you do not convert,” he showed that they moved from humility to ambition. So, you must return there again, that is, to humility, from which you have deviated. Matthew 18:5. and whoever receives one such child in My name receives Me; Matthew 18:6. But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were drowned in the depths of the sea. You, he says, not only must be humble, but if for My sake you honor other humble ones, you will receive a reward, for you will receive Me when you receive children, that is, the humble. Then, and vice versa, he says: “whoever offends, that is, offends, one of these little ones,” that is, from those who humiliate and humble themselves, even if they were great, “it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck.” He clearly indicates sensitive punishment, wanting to show that those who offend the humble in Christ and seduce them will endure much torment. But you understand that if someone seduces a really small one, that is, a weak one, and does not lift him up in every possible way, he will be punished, for an adult is not as easily tempted as a child. Matthew 18:7. Woe to the world because of temptations: for temptations must come; but woe to that person through whom temptation comes. As a lover of mankind, the Lord mourns the world, because it will suffer harm from temptations. But someone will say: why do you need to mourn when you need to help and lend a hand? We will say that mourning someone is also helpful. For it can often be seen that those to whom our admonition has not brought any benefit, we benefit by mourning them, and they come to their senses. And if the Lord says that temptations must necessarily come, then how can we avoid them? They need to come, but there is no need for us to perish, since we have the opportunity to resist temptations. Under temptations mean people who hinder good, while under the world - people who are low and creeping on the earth, who are easy to keep from doing good. Matthew 18:8. If your hand or your foot offends you, cut them off and throw them away from you: it is better for you to enter life without an arm or without a foot, than to be cast into eternal fire with two hands and two feet; Matthew 18:9. and if your eye offends you, pluck it out and throw it away from you: it is better for you to enter into life with one eye than to be cast into fiery hell with two eyes. Under hand, foot and eye, understand the friends whom we have among our members. So, if even such, that is, close friends, turned out to be harmful to us, then we should despise them like rotten limbs and cut them off so that they do not harm others. So from this it is clear that if there is a need for temptations to come, that is, harmful people, then there is no need for us to become corrupted. For if we do as the Lord said, and we cut off from ourselves those who harm us, even if they are friends, then we will not suffer harm. Matthew 18:10. 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. Matthew 18:11. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save that which was lost. He commands not to humiliate those who are considered small, that is, poor in spirit, but great with God. For they, he says, are so loved by God that they have angels as their protectors so that demons do not harm them. Each of the believers, or rather, all of us humans, have angels. But the angels, small and humble in Christ, are so close to God that they constantly contemplate His face as they stand before Him. From here it is clear that although we all have angels, the angels are sinners, as if ashamed of our lack of boldness, and they themselves do not have the courage to contemplate the face of God and even to pray for us; But the angels of the humble behold the face of God, because they have boldness. “And what do I say,” says the Lord, “that such have angels? I came to save the lost and to become close to those who are considered insignificant by many.” Matthew 18:12. What do you think? If someone had a hundred sheep, and one of them got lost, would he not leave the ninety-nine in the mountains and go looking for the lost one? Matthew 18:13. And if he happens to find her, then truly I tell you, he rejoices over her more than over the ninety-nine who were not lost. Matthew 18:14. Thus, it is not the will of your Father in heaven that one of these little ones should perish. What man had a hundred sheep? At Christ's. For every rational creation is angels, as well as people, these are a hundred sheep, whose shepherd is Christ; He is not a sheep, for He is not a creature, but the Son of God. So, He left ninety-nine of His hundred sheep in heaven, took the form of a servant, went to look for one sheep, that is, human nature, and rejoices in it more than in the firmness of the angels. Taken together, this indicates that God cares for and rejoices in the conversion of sinners more than those who are steadfast in virtue. Matthew 18:15. If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone; If he listens to you, then you have gained your brother; Matthew 18:16. But if he does not listen, take with you one or two more, so that by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established; Matthew 18:17. if he does not listen to them, tell the church; and if he does not listen to the church, then let him be to you as a pagan and a tax collector. Having directed a strong word against those who seduce, the Lord now corrects those who are seduced. So that you, he says, being tempted, do not fall completely because the one who seduces has punishment, I want you, when you are tempted, that is, harmed, to expose those who treat you unfairly and harm you, if he is a Christian. Look what he says: “if your brother sins against you,” that is, a Christian. If an infidel acts unjustly, give up what belongs to you; if it is a brother, expose him, for it does not say “offend”, but “reprove.” “If he listens,” that is, if he comes to his senses, for the Lord wants those who sin to be convicted first in private, so that, being convicted in front of many, they do not become more shameless. If, however, he is convicted in front of two or three witnesses, he is not ashamed, tell his fall to the leaders of the church. For if he did not listen to two or three, although the law says that with two or three witnesses every word stands, that is, remains firm, then let him finally be admonished by the church. If he does not listen to her, then let him be cast out, so that he does not pass on his evil to others. The Lord likens such brothers to publicans, for the publican was a certain despised object. The consolation for the offended is that the one who offended him is considered a publican and a pagan, a sinner and an infidel. So, is this the only punishment for the one who acts unjustly? No! Listen to what follows. Matthew 18:18. Truly I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven; and whatever you permit on earth will be permitted in heaven. If, he says, you, offended, have someone who has treated you unjustly as a publican and a pagan, then he will be such in heaven. If you resolve it, that is, forgive, then it will be forgiven in heaven. For not only what the priests allow can be allowed, but also what we, when we are treated unjustly, bind or loose, can also be bound or loosed in heaven. Matthew 18:19. Truly I also tell you that if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven, Matthew 18:20. for where two or three are gathered in My name, there I am in the midst of them. Introduces us into love with these sayings. Having forbidden us to seduce each other, harm and suffer harm, now he speaks of agreement with each other. By those who agree we mean those who cooperate with each other not in evil, but in good, for look what he said: “if two of you,” that is, believers, virtuous. Both Annas and Caiaphas agreed, but in a way that was reprehensible. After all, it often happens that when we ask, we do not receive it because we do not agree with each other. He did not say: “I will,” for He does not intend and does not hesitate, but “I am,” that is, I immediately find myself there. You may think that even if the flesh and spirit come into agreement and the flesh does not lust after the spirit, then the Lord is in the middle. The three forces of the soul also agree - mind, feeling and will. But the Old and New Testaments, they both agree; and Christ appears among them, being preached by both. Matthew 18:21. Then Peter came to Him and said: Lord! How many times should I forgive my brother who sins against me? up to seven times? Matthew 18:22. Jesus says to him: I do not say to you, until seven, but until seventy times seven. This is what Peter asks: if a brother sins, then comes and, repenting, asks for forgiveness, then how many times should I forgive him? He added: if he sins against me. For in the event that someone sins against God, I, a simple person, cannot forgive him, unless I am a priest of divine rank. If a brother sins against me, then I forgive him, then he will be forgiven, even if I were a private person and not a priest. Said; “up to seventy times seventy times” is not meant to limit forgiveness by number—it would be strange if someone sat and counted until the number was four hundred and ninety (for seven times seventy is so great), but here it means an infinite number. The Lord seemed to say this: no matter how many times someone repents of sinning, forgive him. The next parable speaks about this, that we must be compassionate. Matthew 18:23. Therefore, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants; The idea of ​​this parable teaches us to forgive our fellow servants for their sins against us, and even more so when they fall on their faces, asking for forgiveness. Only one who has the mind of Christ can study this parable piece by piece. But we too will dare. The kingdom is the Word of God, and the kingdom is not of any small ones, but of heaven. It became like a human king, incarnating for our sake and becoming in human likeness. He takes account from his slaves, as a good judge for them. He does not punish without judgment. That would be cruelty. Matthew 18:24. when he began to reckon, someone was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents *******; Matthew 18:25. and since he did not have anything to pay with, his sovereign ordered him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and everything that he had, and to pay. We owe ten thousand talents, as those who benefit daily, but who do not repay God anything good. Ten thousand talents are also due to those who have assumed authority over a people or over many people (for every man is a talent, according to the word: man is a great deed) and then uses his power badly. The sale of a debtor with his wife and children signifies alienation from God, for the one who is sold belongs to another master. Isn’t the wife the flesh and spouse of the soul, and aren’t the children acts of evil committed by the soul and body? So, the Lord commands that the flesh be given over to Satan for destruction, that is, it should be given over to the illnesses and torment of the demon. But children, I mean the forces of evil, must be connected. Thus, if someone’s hand steals, then God withers it or binds it through some demon. So, the wife, flesh and children, the forces of evil, are given over to torture so that the spirit can be saved, for such a person can no longer act as a thief. Мф.18:26 . Then that slave fell and, bowing to him, said: Sir! Be patient with me, and I’ll pay you everything. Matthew 18:27. The Emperor, having mercy on that slave, released him and forgave him the debt. Pay attention to the power of repentance and the Lord’s love for mankind. Repentance caused the slave to fall into evil. He who stands firm in evil does not receive forgiveness. God's love for mankind completely forgave the debt, although the slave did not ask for perfect forgiveness, but for a reprieve. Learn from here that God gives and more than what we ask. So great is His love for mankind, so He said this apparently cruel command - to sell a slave - not out of cruelty, but in order to frighten the slave and convince him to turn to prayer and consolation. Matthew 18:28. That servant went out and found one of his companions who owed him a hundred denarii, and he grabbed him and strangled him, saying, “Give me what you owe.” Matthew 18:29. Then his comrade fell at his feet, begged him and said: have patience with me, and I will give you everything. Matthew 18:30. But he didn’t want to, but went and put him in prison until he paid off the debt. The one who has received forgiveness goes out and crushes his fellow servant. None of those who abid in God are uncompassionate, but only those who move away from God and become alien to Him. So great is the inhumanity that he who has received forgiveness for more (ten thousand talents) not only does not forgive absolutely less (one hundred denarii), but also does not give a reprieve, although his fellow servant speaks in his own words, reminding him by which he himself was saved: “Have patience with me, and I will give you everything.” Matthew 18:31. His comrades, seeing what had happened, were very upset and, when they came, they told their sovereign everything that had happened. Angels appear here as haters of evil and lovers of good, for they are fellow servants of God. Not as if they were ignorant, they say this to the Lord, but so that you may learn that angels are our protectors and that they are indignant at the inhuman. Matthew 18:32. Then his sovereign calls him and says: evil slave! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me; Matthew 18:33. Shouldn’t you also have had mercy on your companion, just as I had mercy on you? Matthew 18:34. And, angry, his sovereign handed him over to the torturers until he paid him all the debt. The master judges the slave because of his love of humanity, in order to show that it is not he, but the cruelty of the slave and his foolishness that averts the gift. To what torturers does he betray? Perhaps to punitive forces, so that he is forever punished. For “until he pays off the entire debt” this means: let him be punished until he pays it off. But he will never give his due, that is, due and deserved punishment, and he will always be punished. Matthew 18:35. So will My Heavenly Father do to you, if each of you does not forgive his brother from his heart for his sins. He did not say: “Your Father,” but “My Father,” for such are not worthy to have God as a father. He wants them to let go with their hearts, and not just with their lips. Think about what a great evil memory is if it turns away the gift of God. Although the gifts of God are not changeable, nevertheless they also turn away.