The Strand Study Bible

MATTHEW

MATTHEW

1527

It was also called a “dedrachma.” 17:26 Kings and their children were not obligated to pay taxes. What Christ was explaining to Peter was that neither He nor his own were personally obligated to support the Temple over which He was the head ( Then are the children free ). However, to avoid offense, they would pay (vs 27). 17:27a Jesus instructed His disciples to go fishing ( cast an hook ), so as to teach them a spiritual principle. Question: What catches fish? Answer: Hooks and nets. Question: What catches men? Answer: The hook of the Good News (Rom 2:4) and Gospel net ( Mt 13:47 -50). What Jesus was trying to teach his own here was to go to the sea of humanity and fish for men. Fish for men “spiritually” (Mt 4:19) and God is obligated not only to take care of you but to keep His work going in a fallen world (Mt 6:19-33). 17:27b Whenever you fish for men and you get them to open up their mouth about what saved (hooked) them, you will find ( thou shalt find ) “support” ( a piece of money ) for the work. I don’t know about you, but I want to see God’s work continue. 18:1 As soon as these words rolled off the disciple’s tongues ( Who is the greatest ), Jesus must have thought to Himself, “Well, it won’t be you guys.” Anybody that is more interested in a position than in positioning themselves to serve won’t be great in the kingdom of heaven. A truly humble person does not concern himself with position or power; he only concerns himself with serving others (Mt 20:25-28). When the disciples asked Jesus who would be the greatest in His Kingdom, without hesitation, He used a “little child” as an object lesson. Children are people who haven’t grown up yet to become selfish God-ignoring adults. 18:3 To paraphrase our Lord… Jesus said, “ Except you come to me with childlike faith and humility, you will in no wise become a child of God and enter Heaven someday ” . Jesus’ statement here is the true biblical picture of “conversion.” The Liberty Bible Commentary notes: To become as little children means to be born again (converted) as a newborn spiritual child, characterized by faith and humility. Thus, the little child represents a new convert or young believer. 1 18:4 Christians who emulate “childlike faith” (trust, openness, and an eagerness to learn) throughout their lives become great in the eyes of God ( the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven ). The question is: What is childlike humility? Childlike humility is not the lack of intelligence, but the lack of guile; the lack of an agenda. It’s that precious, fleeting time before we have accumulated enough pride or position to care what other people might think. The same un-self-conscious honesty that enables a 3 year old to splash joyfully in a rain puddle, or tumble laughing in the grass with a puppy, or point out loudly that you have snot hanging out of your nose, is what is required to enter heaven. It is the opposite of ignorance; it’s intellectual honesty to be willing to accept reality and to call things what they are even when it’s hard. Simply put, children are people who haven’t grown up yet to become selfish God-ignoring adults. Greatness in the kingdom is not based on great words or great works, but on great “childlike faith” (Mk 12:41-44), and those who would maintain “little oneness” within the body of Christ must not discourage others from responding as a child to Jesus’ word (vs 5-6). NOTE - Not only do you have to become “child-like” to enter Heaven (vs 3), you have to become “child-like” to enjoy Heaven.When the disciples asked Jesus who would be the greatest in His Kingdom, without hesitation, He used a “little child” as an object lesson. 18:8 Jesus was not teaching self-mutilation here ( cut them off ). Cutting off a hand or foot or gouging out an eye would not have removed the source of offense, which is the heart (Mt 15:10-20). 18:10 Steeped in their records and traditions, and stated within their Scriptures (Psa 91:11-12), the Jews believed that every individual that was part of the family of God had a “personal angel” ( their angels ) to look after his general welfare according to the purpose ofGod (Acts 12:15).This, of course, included every child, whosename is automaticallywritten in theBookof Life frombirth ( II Sam 12:23 , Phil 4:3 and I Sam 3:13 ). The goodness of God guarantees every child two things: * A guardian angel to account for them eternally (vs 10) * A guaranteed place in Heaven (vs 14) NOTE - According to Hebrews 1:14 , angels are assigned to human beings who are “Heaven-bound,” which would automatically include every child under the age of accountability ( I Sam 3:7 and Lk 18:15-17). An angel’s job is not necessarily to protect the family of God “physically” (Mt 18:6,10), but to account for them eternally. 18:12 Jesus challenged ( How think ye? ) His disciples to understand the parable He was about to give them concerning the lost. Parable #14 is aimed at unbelievers who fail to see themselves as lost sheep . The character flaw – assuming they can help God find them . They cannot (Isa 53:6). Do sheep find the shepherd or does the shepherd find the sheep? As sheep, we do not look for the SHEPHERD . The SHEPHERD looks for us (Lk 5:27-32 & 19:10) via our response to the Gospel (Jn 6:44 & 12:32). No one can take credit for finding God. God finds us according to our response to the Gospel. According to parable #14, we are all equally “helpless” when it comes to being found (saving ourselves). Only the SHEPHERD can find us and save us. NOTE – Whenever someone witnesses to a lost person, like Christ, he must emphasize to that person their utter inability to save themselves (Gen 3:6-10).

1 Falwell, Jerry. Liberty Bible Commentary , Nashville, TN, Thomas Nelson Pub., 1983. Print.