HelpFinder Bible - Flipbook - Page 1249
M ATTHEW 18
page 879
has already come, but he wasn’t recognized,
and they chose to abuse him. And in the same
way they will also make the Son of Man suffer.”
13 Then the disciples realized he was talking
about John the Baptist.
Jesus Heals a Demon-Possessed Boy
14 At the foot of the mountain, a large crowd
was waiting for them. A man came and knelt
before Jesus and said, 15 “Lord, have mercy on
my son. He has seizures and suffers terribly. He
often falls into the fire or into the water. 16 So I
brought him to your disciples, but they couldn’t
heal him.”
17 Jesus said, “You faithless and corrupt
people! How long must I be with you? How
long must I put up with you? Bring the boy here
to me.” 18 Then Jesus rebuked the demon in the
boy, and it left him. From that moment the boy
was well.
19 Afterward the disciples asked Jesus privately, “Why couldn’t we cast out that demon?”
20 “You don’t have enough faith,” Jesus told
them. “I tell you the truth, if you had faith
even as small as a mustard seed, you could
say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to
there,’ and it would move. Nothing would be
impossible.*”
Jesus Again Predicts His Death
22 After they gathered again in Galilee, Jesus
told them, “The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of his enemies. 23 He will
be killed, but on the third day he will be raised
from the dead.” And the disciples were filled
with grief.
Payment of the Temple Tax
24 On their arrival in Capernaum, the collectors
of the Temple tax* came to Peter and asked him,
“Doesn’t your teacher pay the Temple tax?”
25 “Yes, he does,” Peter replied. Then he went
into the house.
But before he had a chance to speak, Jesus
asked him, “What do you think, Peter?* Do
kings tax their own people or the people they
have conquered?*”
26 “They tax the people they have conquered,”
Peter replied.
“Well, then,” Jesus said, “the citizens are
free! 27 However, we don’t want to offend them,
so go down to the lake and throw in a line. Open
the mouth of the first fish you catch, and you
will find a large silver coin.* Take it and pay the
tax for both of us.”
17:20 Some manuscripts add verse 21, But this kind of demon
won’t leave except by prayer and fasting. Compare Mark 9:29.
17:24 Greek the two-drachma [tax]; also in 17:24b. See Exod
30:13-16; Neh 10:32-33. 17:25a Greek Simon? 17:25b Greek
their sons or others? 17:27 Greek a stater [a Greek coin
equivalent to four drachmas]. 18:5 Greek in my name.
18:9 Greek the Gehenna of fire. 18:10 Some manuscripts add
verse 11, And the Son of Man came to save those who are lost.
Compare Luke 19:10.
The Greatest in the Kingdom
About that time the disciples came to
Jesus and asked, “Who is greatest in the
Kingdom of Heaven?”
2 Jesus called a little child to him and put the
child among them. 3 Then he said, “I tell you
the truth, unless you turn from your sins and
become like little children, you will never get
into the Kingdom of Heaven. 4 So anyone who
becomes as humble as this little child is the
greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven.
5 “And anyone who welcomes a little child
like this on my behalf* is welcoming me. 6 But
if you cause one of these little ones who trusts
in me to fall into sin, it would be better for you
to have a large millstone tied around your neck
and be drowned in the depths of the sea.
7 “What sorrow awaits the world, because it
tempts people to sin. Temptations are inevitable, but what sorrow awaits the person who
does the tempting. 8 So if your hand or foot
causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away.
It’s better to enter eternal life with only one
hand or one foot than to be thrown into eternal fire with both of your hands and feet. 9 And
if your eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and
throw it away. It’s better to enter eternal life
with only one eye than to have two eyes and be
thrown into the fire of hell.*
10 “Beware that you don’t look down on any
of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven
their angels are always in the presence of my
heavenly Father.*
18
Parable of the Lost Sheep
12 “If a man has a hundred sheep and one of
them wanders away, what will he do? Won’t he
leave the ninety-nine others on the hills and go
out to search for the one that is lost? 13 And if he
finds it, I tell you the truth, he will rejoice over
it more than over the ninety-nine that didn’t
wander away! 14 In the same way, it is not my
• Faith
M ATTHE W 18:2-6
To become a Christian, we must first
humble ourselves like little children, who
demonstrate simple yet unquestioning
faith. This kind of faith is an example
of the kind of humility that recognizes
God’s loving authority over us. Not only
did Jesus use the example of children to
teach about faith that pleases God, but
he also voiced severe warning to anyone
who caused a child to falter in his or her
faith. God is pleased when we nurture
and strengthen the faith of a child.