The Greatest in the Kingdom
One day the disciples came to Jesus with a question that had been troubling them: "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?" Jesus called a small child over and had the child stand right there in the middle of their group. Then Jesus looked at his disciples and said something that must have surprised them completely: "I'm telling you the absolute truth—unless you change your hearts and become like little children, you will never even enter the kingdom of heaven at all." He continued, "So whoever makes himself humble like this little child—that person is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven." Then Jesus added, "And anyone who welcomes a little child like this one because of me is really welcoming me."
Temptations to Sin
If anyone leads one of these little children who trust in me into sin, it would be far better for that person to have a heavy stone tied around their neck and be thrown into the deepest part of the ocean. How terrible it will be for this world because of all the things that lead people into sin! These temptations and traps are bound to come, but how terrible it will be for the person who brings them! If your hand or foot is leading you into sin, cut it off and throw it away from you. It is much better for you to enter into real life missing a hand or foot than to keep both hands and both feet and be thrown into the fire that burns forever. And if your eye is causing you to sin, tear it out and throw it away from you. It is much better for you to enter into real life with only one eye than to keep both eyes and be thrown into the burning fire of hell.
The Parable of the Lost Sheep
Make sure you never look down on any of these little ones. I'm telling you something important: their angels in heaven are always in the presence of my Father in heaven, looking directly at his face. Let me ask you something. Imagine a man who owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders off and gets lost. What do you think he'll do? Won't he leave the ninety-nine sheep safe on the hillside and go out searching for the one that's missing? And if he actually finds that lost sheep, I'm telling you the truth—he'll be happier about finding that one sheep than he is about the ninety-nine that never wandered away. This is exactly how it works with your Father in heaven. He doesn't want even one of these little ones to be lost forever.
Dealing with Sin in the Church
When a fellow believer wrongs you, go to that person alone and talk it through face to face. If they listen and understand, you've restored your relationship with them. But if they refuse to listen or acknowledge the problem, bring one or two other people with you as witnesses, so that everything said can be confirmed by multiple people who heard it. If the person still won't listen even with witnesses present, bring the matter before the entire church community. And if they refuse to listen even to the church itself, then treat them as you would treat someone who doesn't belong to your faith community at all—like an outsider or someone who works against your people. I'm telling you the truth: whatever you forbid on earth will be forbidden in heaven, and whatever you allow on earth will be allowed in heaven. I'm telling you something else that's true: when any two of you on earth agree together about anything you're asking for, my Father in heaven will do it for you. Because wherever two or three people come together in my name, I am right there with them.
The Parable of the Unmerciful Servant
Peter came up to Jesus with a question that had been weighing on his mind. "Lord," he asked, "how many times should I forgive someone who keeps hurting me? Would seven times be enough?" Jesus looked at him and said, "No, not just seven times. You should forgive seventy-seven times." Then Jesus told him a story to explain what he meant. "The kingdom of heaven is like a powerful king who decided it was time to collect all the money his servants owed him. As he began going through the accounts, his officials brought him a man who owed an enormous sum—ten thousand talents, more money than anyone could imagine paying back in a lifetime. The man had no way to pay such a massive debt, so the king ordered that he be sold as a slave, along with his wife and children and everything he owned, to help cover what he owed. When the servant heard this, he threw himself down on his knees before the king and pleaded desperately, 'Please, master, be patient with me! Give me time, and I promise I will pay back everything I owe you!' The king looked at this broken man begging before him and felt deep compassion. He was moved with such mercy that he did something extraordinary—he forgave the entire debt and set the man completely free. But as soon as that forgiven servant left the palace, he went and found another servant who owed him a small amount—just a hundred denarii, barely enough to live on for a few months. He grabbed this man by the throat and began choking him, demanding harshly, 'Pay me back what you owe me right now!' The fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him with the very same words he had used before the king: 'Please, be patient with me! Give me time, and I will pay you back everything!' But the forgiven servant's heart was hard. He refused to show any mercy at all. Instead, he had the man arrested and thrown into prison, where he would stay until every last coin of the debt was paid. When the other servants saw what had happened, they were horrified and deeply upset. They went straight to their master and told him everything that had taken place. The king immediately called the unmerciful servant back before him. His voice burned with righteous anger as he declared, 'You evil, wicked servant! I forgave your entire debt—that massive amount you could never repay—because you begged me for mercy. Shouldn't you have shown that same mercy to your fellow servant, just as I showed mercy to you?' The king was so furious that he handed the man over to the jailers to be tortured until he could pay back every bit of his original debt—which meant he would suffer forever, since the amount was impossible to repay." Then Jesus looked directly at his disciples and said, "This is exactly how my heavenly Father will treat each one of you if you do not forgive your brother from your heart."