18:1 During that time some students of Jesus approached him and asked, “Who becomes great within the sanctuary of the spiritual realm"?
18:2 And Jesus summoned a small child to him, and stood him in front of them,
18:3 and said, “Truly I say to you, unless you have a change of heart and become like little children you will not enter the sanctuary of the spiritual realm.
18:4 Therefore, whoever will humble himself as this little child will become great in the sanctuary of the spiritual realm.
18:5 And whoever will receive such a humble child on my behalf will receive me.
18:6 But whoever offends one of these humble children who trusts in me – it would be better for him that a millstone be hung around his neck and be sunk to the bottom of the sea.
18:7 Woe to the material world due to its offenses. While offenses will occur – woe to that person from whom the offense comes!
18:8 Similarly, if your hand or your foot were to offend you, you would cut them off and cast them away – because it is better to enter into life lame or crippled than to have two hands or two feet that are thrown into the eternal fire.
18:9 And if your eye offends you, pluck it out and cast it away, for it is better for you to enter into life with one eye than having two eyes to be cast into the wicked fire.
18:10 Be careful not to despise one of these humble ones, because I say to you that in the spiritual realm the angels are always beholding the face of my LORD in the spiritual realm.
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18:12 What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, will he not leave the ninety-nine and go to the mountains and search for the one that went astray?
18:13 And if he should find it, truly I tell you, he will rejoice more than he will of those of the ninety-nine that did not go astray.
18:14 Therefore, it is not pleasing to your LORD in the spiritual realm that one of these humble ones should perish.
18:15 Furthermore, if your brother trespasses against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone: If he will hear you out, you have won over your brother.
18:16 But if he won’t hear you, then take with you one or two others who can say provide witness to every word you declared.2
18:17 If he refuses to hear, tell it to the assembly, and if he refuses to hear from the assembly, let him be to you as a pagan and tax collector.
18:18 Truly I say to you that whatever you obligate on earth will be obligated to you in the spiritual realm: and whatever you dismiss on earth will be dismissed for you in the spiritual realm.
18:19 Again I tell you that if two of you agree on earth about anything that may be asked, it will be done for them by my LORD from the spiritual realm.
18:20 Because whenever two or three are gathered together in my name – I will be there with them.
18:21 Then Peter approached him and asked, “Master, how many times should I forgive my brother for offending me? Seven times?
18:22 Jesus answered him, “I didn’t say to you ‘seven times’ – rather, until seventy times seven.
18:23 As such, the sanctuary of the spiritual realm is like a certain governor who wanted to settle the accounts for his servants.
18:24 And when he had begun to settle them, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents.
18:25 But because he did not have the means to pay, his master instructed for him to be sold along with his wife and children and all he had in order to make the payment.
18:26 The servant then fell down and worshiped him, saying, “Master, have patience with me and I will pay you everything.”
18:27 Then the master of the servant had mercy; and dismissed him and forgave his debt.
18:28 But the same servant went away found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred coins. He grabbed him by the throat and said, “Pay me what you owe.”
18:29 And his fellow servant fell down at his feet and begged him, “Be patient with me and I will pay you back everything.”
18:30 Yet he would not – but had him thrown into prison until he would pay back the debt.
18:31 Thus when his fellow servants saw what had taken place – they were very aggrieved and went and told all this to their master.
18:32 After calling him over, his master said to him, “O you wicked servant – I forgave you all that debt because you begged me:
18:33 Should you not also have had mercy upon your fellow servant just as I had mercy upon you?”
18:34 Thus his master was angry, and delivered him to the jailers to work off his debt.
18:35 This is how my LORD from the spiritual realm shall treat you if you do not forgive from your hearts every one of your brother’s offenses.
Footnotes:
1. Verse 18:11. This verse was not in earliest manuscripts and was thus added later: “For that reason, the Servant of Humanity has come to save those who are lost.”
2. Verse 18:16. This instruction was also communicated in Deuteronomy 19:15.
18:2 And Jesus summoned a small child to him, and stood him in front of them,
18:3 and said, “Truly I say to you, unless you have a change of heart and become like little children you will not enter the sanctuary of the spiritual realm.
18:4 Therefore, whoever will humble himself as this little child will become great in the sanctuary of the spiritual realm.
18:5 And whoever will receive such a humble child on my behalf will receive me.
18:6 But whoever offends one of these humble children who trusts in me – it would be better for him that a millstone be hung around his neck and be sunk to the bottom of the sea.
18:7 Woe to the material world due to its offenses. While offenses will occur – woe to that person from whom the offense comes!
18:8 Similarly, if your hand or your foot were to offend you, you would cut them off and cast them away – because it is better to enter into life lame or crippled than to have two hands or two feet that are thrown into the eternal fire.
18:9 And if your eye offends you, pluck it out and cast it away, for it is better for you to enter into life with one eye than having two eyes to be cast into the wicked fire.
18:10 Be careful not to despise one of these humble ones, because I say to you that in the spiritual realm the angels are always beholding the face of my LORD in the spiritual realm.
18:111
18:12 What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, will he not leave the ninety-nine and go to the mountains and search for the one that went astray?
18:13 And if he should find it, truly I tell you, he will rejoice more than he will of those of the ninety-nine that did not go astray.
18:14 Therefore, it is not pleasing to your LORD in the spiritual realm that one of these humble ones should perish.
18:15 Furthermore, if your brother trespasses against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone: If he will hear you out, you have won over your brother.
18:16 But if he won’t hear you, then take with you one or two others who can say provide witness to every word you declared.2
18:17 If he refuses to hear, tell it to the assembly, and if he refuses to hear from the assembly, let him be to you as a pagan and tax collector.
18:18 Truly I say to you that whatever you obligate on earth will be obligated to you in the spiritual realm: and whatever you dismiss on earth will be dismissed for you in the spiritual realm.
18:19 Again I tell you that if two of you agree on earth about anything that may be asked, it will be done for them by my LORD from the spiritual realm.
18:20 Because whenever two or three are gathered together in my name – I will be there with them.
18:21 Then Peter approached him and asked, “Master, how many times should I forgive my brother for offending me? Seven times?
18:22 Jesus answered him, “I didn’t say to you ‘seven times’ – rather, until seventy times seven.
18:23 As such, the sanctuary of the spiritual realm is like a certain governor who wanted to settle the accounts for his servants.
18:24 And when he had begun to settle them, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents.
18:25 But because he did not have the means to pay, his master instructed for him to be sold along with his wife and children and all he had in order to make the payment.
18:26 The servant then fell down and worshiped him, saying, “Master, have patience with me and I will pay you everything.”
18:27 Then the master of the servant had mercy; and dismissed him and forgave his debt.
18:28 But the same servant went away found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred coins. He grabbed him by the throat and said, “Pay me what you owe.”
18:29 And his fellow servant fell down at his feet and begged him, “Be patient with me and I will pay you back everything.”
18:30 Yet he would not – but had him thrown into prison until he would pay back the debt.
18:31 Thus when his fellow servants saw what had taken place – they were very aggrieved and went and told all this to their master.
18:32 After calling him over, his master said to him, “O you wicked servant – I forgave you all that debt because you begged me:
18:33 Should you not also have had mercy upon your fellow servant just as I had mercy upon you?”
18:34 Thus his master was angry, and delivered him to the jailers to work off his debt.
18:35 This is how my LORD from the spiritual realm shall treat you if you do not forgive from your hearts every one of your brother’s offenses.
Footnotes:
1. Verse 18:11. This verse was not in earliest manuscripts and was thus added later: “For that reason, the Servant of Humanity has come to save those who are lost.”
2. Verse 18:16. This instruction was also communicated in Deuteronomy 19:15.
