Life Under Kingdom Authority (Matthew 18)
The chapter is not a code of rules for the believing community, like Qumran’s Manual of Discipline. It presents principles to follow in the Christian life. This makes the application easier because the principles will work in a variety of situations. What is said in this chapter is not that hard to understand–it is painfully clear.
What strikes you as you read the chapter is the use of family terms for believers–they are little ones, children, brethren. The family terminology, related elsewhere to covenant language, immediately reminds us of our duties to one another.
But what also strikes you is the seriousness of what Jesus taught. His repeated “I tell you the truth” means that what he was saying was binding. And the descriptions of the punishment for those who persistently refuse and rebel underscore the seriousness of it all.
Knowing God through His Word ... Day by Day 