Inevitably, because of human nature, disciples of Christ offend one another, therefore Jesus instructed them how to deal with offences when they arise. The person offended is commanded to go and speak to the offender alone. Most people find this very hard to do because it is against our natures and infinitely easier to speak of the matter to others instead; but Jesus’ way often leads to reconciliation, although in extreme cases separation may ensue. Disciples of Christ should not offend others but should rather mortify their own selves to avoid offence. The “hell fire” in this verse is not the “hell” of popular imagination but “Gehenna”, the valley on the south side of Jerusalem used as a rubbish dump and for the burning of the bodies of criminals, and applied as a metaphor by Jesus for God’s judgments.
Christ requires us to be merciful to others, even forgiving offences “until seventy times seven”. This is absolutely right because God himself is willing to forgive all our trespasses, therefore it is a relatively small matter for us to forgive our fellow men. Jesus illustrated this by a parable in which a man, forgiven an immense debt, had another incarcerated for a trivial one. God is prepared to forgive us all our sins, but if we wickedly refuse to forgive others then, instead of receiving mercy, we shall receive deserved punishment.
Verses 3-4
Waiting for response for Matthew 18:3-4God’s promise is that the faithful of all ages will live and reign with Christ in his kingdom, in which there will be a definite hierarchy, with Jesus himself being the King and his apostles rulers of the twelve tribes of Israel. Jesus, therefore, instructed his disciples how they could, not only enter the kingdom, but also attain to high positions therein.