Matthew 18

4. Instructions about the King’s personal representatives ch. 18

Chapter 18 contains the fourth major discourse that Matthew recorded (cf. chs. 5-7; ch. 10; Matthew 13:1-53; chs. 24-25), His Discipleship Discourse. This discourse continues Jesus’ instruction of His disciples that He began in Matthew 17:14. Instead of focusing on Jesus, the Lord’s teaching focused on the disciples and their responsibilities as His representatives. The theme of this discourse is humility. The theme of the Sermon on the Mount was righteousness. The theme of the Mission Discourse in chapter 10 was ministry. The theme of the Kingdom Discourse in chapter 13 was the kingdom, and the theme of the Olivet Discourse would be the Second Coming.

Kingsbury called the theme of this speech "life within the community of the church" and outlined it as follows: (I) On True Greatness as Consisting in Humbling Oneself so as to Serve the Neighbor (Matthew 18:1-14); and (II) On Gaining and Forgiving the Errant Disciple (Matthew 18:15-35). [Note: Kingsbury, Matthew as . . ., p. 112.]

Apart from the second question (Matthew 18:18), this discourse proceeds as a unit of teaching similar to the first discourse (chs. 5-7) and the second discourse (ch. 10), but not the third discourse (ch. 13).

"The theme of this discourse is not so much individual discipleship (though several of the examples and instructions are expressed in the singular) as the corporate life of those who are joined by their common commitment as disciples, with special attention being given to the strains and tensions to which such a life is exposed through self-concern and lack of care for fellow disciples, through bad examples and errant behavior, and through an unwillingness to forgive as we have been forgiven." [Note: France, The Gospel . . ., p. 672.]