Misusing and Abusing the Keys of Christ's Kingdom (Matt. 18, sections A & A')

As noted in previous posts, chapter 18 of Matthew's gospel is one of five discourses that divide the entire book, and it also happens to be structured in a neat 5-point chiasm:

A)  18:1-4  Becoming like children in the kingdom of heaven: Humility before brethren who turn-back
    B)  18:5-9  If a brother causes another brother to stumble
        C)  18:10-14  Do not despise the Father's lost sheep
    B')  18:15-22  If a brother sins against another brother
A')  18:23-35  What the kingdom of heaven is like: Forgiveness of brethren who ask for it

Verse one of chapter 18 begins with a seemingly odd statement: 

At that time the disciples came to Jesus and said, "Who then is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?" 

I mention that this is seemingly odd because of what narrative it immediately follows. In the last narrative section, Jesus had a private discussion with his apostle, Peter, about the importance of not "offending" (Greek: scandalizomen) a Jewish tax collector (the collector of the two-drachma temple tax in 17:22-27). Jesus did not want to cause his Jewish brother--his brother in covenant with Yahweh--to stumble (scandalizomen) and lose respect for Jesus as a Rabbi (teacher) of Israel. Because Jesus wanted to teach Peter how important that lesson was to learn, as one who was just given keys to the kingdom of heaven, to bind and to loosen people on earth (Matt. 16:19), he told Peter to go fish in the nearby lake and grab a coin out of its mouth, miraculously provided to cover the temple tax for both of them: 

"...not to give offense (scandalizomen) to them, go to the sea and cast a hook and take the first fish that comes up, and when you open its mouth you will find a stater.1 Take that and give it to them in the place of you and me." (17:27)

It is after this lesson that Jesus' apostles ask him, "Who then is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?" 

The apostles were not concerned about abstract theological or eschatological concepts. They were not concerned about who the most powerful, most important, or most influential human being in heaven was going to be. They were concerned about who, on earth among them, would be the greatest ruler of the Church. Jesus had just finished telling them twice that he was about to go to Jerusalem and be delivered into the hands of the chief priests, elders, and scribes to be killed (16:21; 17:22-23), and Matthew tells us that "they were greatly distressed" (17:23). The very next conversation between Jesus and his apostles involves this same concern, and they want to know who the greatest apostle is among Jesus' disciples. They want to know who the greatest apostle is because it would be Jesus' apostles who would rule over the people of God, the new Israel united with him in his death, resurrection, and ascension (Matt. 10:1-7; c.f. Mark 9:33-41; Luke 9:46-50; 22:24-30). 

At this point it's important to notice that what Jesus does next is just as valuable as what he says next. 

Matthew tells us that Jesus called a child to himself and set him before him.  In other words, an Israelite child within earshot was called by Jesus; after that call, the child turned toward Jesus and was willing to sit before him. Then Jesus spoke, saying: "Truly I say to you" --and the you is plural in the following instruction, referring to his apostles who are in the room with him-- "unless you (plural) are turned back and come to be like children, you (plural) will not come into the kingdom of heaven; whoever then humbles himself as this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven."

This was a warning from Jesus to his apostles that even they could fall from grace. This was a warning that even they might stumble (scandalizo) and fall short of entering the kingdom (and as we find out later, Judas would be one of them in the room to actually do so). If they were to rule the new Israel, they were supposed to rule the way Jesus wanted them to; and Jesus wanted them to heed his call and humble themselves like the child did. If they found themselves straying away from him, they need to turn back around and follow him. They were to do this precisely because they represented Jesus, their king, as they went about exercising authority over the Church in his name. They were  not to expect the people of Israel, like the Jewish Temple-tax collector in the previous narrative, to heed Jesus' call if they were not willing to humble themselves and follow Jesus to the end, just as Jesus humbled himself and followed his Father's will to the end. If they were to be shepherds of Israel, they were to emulate their Chief Shepherd, Jesus. 

Although this comes from the next section of the discourse, Jesus' following comments should not be overlooked either. Immediately after section "A" Jesus says: 

"and whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to stumble (scandalizo), it would be better for him to have a heavy millstone hung around his neck, and to be drowned in the depth of the sea." (18:5-6)

This echoes something Jesus told his disciples in one of his previous discourses. In chapter ten, when speaking of his coming in judgment upon that generation of rebellious Israelites (10:16-23), Jesus said that "Whoever receives you receives me, and whoever receives me receives him who sent me" (10:4). The word for "sent" in 10:4 is, literally, apostled. The Father commissioned Jesus to be His apostle, sending him into the midst of Israel, and so Jesus commissioned twelve disciples to be his apostles in the midst of Israel too. Jesus sent them into the midst of wolves dressed in sheep's clothing to rescue his perishing sheep. Jesus sent them to preach and teach that the last days of the old covenant were upon them, and that they needed to follow him if they were to be saved; they needed to put their trust in Jesus and the word of the ones he sent in order to enter into the kingdom of heaven. In Matthew 18, Jesus is reminding his disciples again about how serious this responsibility is. It is so serious that if they don't humble themselves and come to be like children before Jesus, even they won't enter the kingdom of heaven. (And as I mentioned a moment ago, Judas was one of the apostles who would fall away prior to entering.) 

As noted above, this entire discourse between Jesus and his apostles is unified. Units "A" and "A'" mirror each other in their emphasis upon the kingdom of heaven (18:1, 23). Between these units we find a discussion about causing fellow Israelite brothers to stumble (scandalizo) in their walk back toward (and with) Jesus. In between these sections we learn why it was important for the apostles to not be a stumbling-block before other brethren, and also what kinds of ways they could behave if they were to confront another Jewish brethren that remained stumbling blocks (scandalizomen) before others. (Throughout the book of Acts, the enemies of the Christians are not Gentiles; they're Jews who don't accept the claims of Jesus and his apostles about his lordship. Imagine how difficult it would have been to minister to Jewish brethren caught in the tension between the faith they were raised their whole lives to believe, i.e. temple-centered Judaism, and the message of the apostles about Jesus-centered Christianity.) In the center of all five sections (seen above) we find the Father's love for His people; we find the very heart of the Father's will in sending His Son into the midst of Israel. We also find the heart of Jesus, who wants his apostles to become like "sons" of their Heavenly Father too. 

In the corresponding section to "A" (18:23-35, section "A'") Jesus provides a parable about a king who wanted to settle accounts with his slaves. This, of course, is a parable about the will of the Father in sending his Son into the midst of Israel to represent him, and the slaves are likened unto Jesus' apostles and their treatment of the people within the King's realm. The "King" visits his people, and the "Lord" goes to collect debt appropriately. After pronouncing judgment against him, the slave begs his Lord for mercy and promises to pay what he owes. Because the slave pleads with him and promises to pay off his debt, the Lord then has compassion upon him, releases him from the pronounced judgment, and forgives him. Mentioning these things is not accidental. It is intentionally illustrative of how Jesus approached his apostles. He came to them. He pronounced judgment upon them, saying "Repent! For the kingdom of heaven is at hand!" They believed, repented, and followed him; and he showed compassion upon them, absolved them, and forgave them. This was to be the way they ruled the new Israel. This was to be their reminder in their time of trial, when they found fellow Israelites causing others to stumble and fall on their way into the kingdom, on their walk with Jesus, after hearing his call. They were to forgive their "offensive" Israelite brothers in the same way. They could pronounce judgment justly even as their Lord did, but if their brethren were to plead with them, they were to forgive. Even if their brother was to sin against them seventy times, they were to forgive that many times. The reason for this overflowing, abundant amount of forgiveness was, of course, because the people of Israel were living in a terminal generation. God's judgment upon them was at hand (Matt 3:7-12). They were the ones who received "little ones" into the fold of God to receive Christ, and in the receiving of them they were supposed to forgive from the heart too, not just superficially, because that too is what would show the heart of their Father in heaven: that every one of His sheep is worth saving.

These instructions were originally to Jesus' apostles, but they apply to all other apostles of Christ's Church as well. When God calls people to Himself, and then commissions some of them to represent Him and rule over His sheep, that exercise of authority is supposed to be accompanied with humility; and not just any definition of humility will do. Humility, in this case, must be defined by the illustration laid out by Jesus. They must come to be like children before Jesus. They must not be be a stumbling-block among other brothers and they must confront their brothers when they are causing others to stumble too. Even when sinned against, they must show great mercy, absolve those who repent, and forgive as many times as their brothers seek forgiveness. They are the ones who are called by Christ to bind and loosen on earth, and so they are the ones who must hold the keys to Christ's kingdom faithfully.  

Matthew 18 is not a set of "laws" on how to deal with all kinds of conflict among all kinds of Christians. It was never supposed to be viewed that way. It was never supposed to illustrate what absolutely must be done procedurally in order for all perceived "offenses" among all Christian brethren to be resolved. Such over-arching generalizations are preposterous. In its original historical context, chapter 18 was a set of instructions for apostles regarding the way they handled Jewish opposition to Christ's message and Jewish converts who were stumbling (or causing others to stumble) in their faith. By extension, the "procedures" of Matthew 18 only apply to directly to Jesus' apostles and their apostles, but certainly not everybody in the Church. As a private discussion between Jesus and his apostles, those instructions pertained to their responsibility as judges of Christ's Church (which is why there is a repeated reference to "two or three witnesses" and another mention of "binding and loosening" exactly like Jesus' commission to Peter in 16:19; c.f. 18:18). 

Matthew 18 was a set of examples and warnings to the appointed rulers of Christ's Church, examples and warnings about misusing and abusing the keys He gave them. And the first keys He gave them were compassion, absolution, and forgiveness. The officers of Christ's Church would do well in using them first still, instead of shirking responsibility or throwing down the gauntlet on laymen and laywomen. 

1.  A stater is a silver coin worth four drachmas.

Literary Structure of Matthew 14-17

As I have noted in an earlier post, chapters fourteen through seventeen of Matthew's gospel comprise one complete narrative section. For simplicity's sake, I said that this section begins in chapter fourteen, but that section actually begins at the end of chapter 13, in verse 53, "when Jesus had finished" his discourse of parables (13:1-52). The structure of this narrative section is also chiastic:

A)  Jesus visits his hometown and his suffering for the Kingdom is foreshadowed by the prophet John (13:53-14:13)

   B)  Jesus feeds 5,000 Jews and is confronted by Pharisees about "bread" (14:14-15:20)

      C)  Jesus flees to the district of Tyre & Sidon and is confronted by a Canaanite woman of greater faith than the Pharisees: she loves even the "bread crumbs" which fall from the Master's table (15:21-28)

   B')  Jesus feeds 4,000 Gentiles and is confronted by Pharisees about "bread" (15:29-16:12)

A')  Jesus visits Caesarea Philippi and his suffering for the Kingdom is prophesied (16:13-17:27)

The literary parallels are even more obvious when compared section by section (as seen below):

A)  13:53-14:13 

• Jesus "came into" (ἐλθὼν εἰς) his hometown
• The people ask questions about Jesus: what they think of him, whose "son" (υἱός) is this man?
• Jesus affirms he is a "prophet" (προφήτης) who is not welcome in his own "household" (οἰκίᾳ)
• Jesus inadvertently "offends" (ἐσκανδαλίζοντο) some Jewish brothers
• Jesus flees because Herod's wife had "John the Baptist" (Ἰωάννης ὁ βαπτιστής) "deliver" (δός) his head to her on a platter
• Herod thinks Jesus is "John the Baptist" who has been "raised from the dead" (ἠγέρθη ἀπὸ τῶν νεκρῶν)
• Jesus could not do many mighty works there because of their "unbelief" (ἀπιστίαν)

B)  14:14-15:20

• Jesus is followed by "great crowds" (πολὺν ὄχλον)
• Jesus feeds 5,000 Jews
• Jesus crosses the Sea of Galilee & "got into the boat" (ἀναβάντων εἰς τὸ πλοῖον)
• Jesus is confronted & challenged by Pharisees and scribes
• Jesus speaks to his disciples about the Pharisees and eating "bread" (ἄρτον)

C)  15:21-28  Jesus withdraws to Tyre & Sidon and is confronted by a Canaanite woman of great faith



B')  15:29-16:12

• Jesus is followed by "great crowds" (πολλοὶ ὄχλοι)
• Jesus feeds 4,000 Gentiles
• Jesus crosses the Sea of Galilee & "got into the boat" (ἐνέβη εἰς τὸ πλοῖον)
• Jesus is confronted & challenged by Pharisees and Sadducees
• Jesus speaks to his disciples about the Pharisees and their "bread" (ἄρτων)

A') 16:13-17:27 

• Jesus "came into" (ἐλθὼν εἰς) the district of Caesarea Philippi 
• Jesus asks questions about about the people: what they think of him, and who the "son" (υἱὸν) of man is 
• The people think Jesus is "one of the prophets" (ἕνα τῶν προφητῶν)
• The people think Jesus might be "John the Baptist" (Ἰωάννης ὁ βαπτιστής) 
• Jesus speaks about John the Baptist's death (7:12-13) and himself being "delivered" (παραδίδοσθαι) by Jewish authorities and then "raised from the dead" (ἐγερθῇ ἐκ νεκρῶν)
• Jesus does a mighty work among his "faithless" (ἄπιστος) generation 
• Jesus doesn't want to "offend" (σκανδαλίσωμεν) a collector of Herod's temple-tax outside his "house" (οἰκίαν)

Literary Structure of Matthew 18

In light of a bible study I'm preparing to teach soon, I recently searched through a number of commentaries to dicipher the literary structure of Matthew chapter eighteen. The most valuable commentary I found pertaining to the literary structure was Davies and Allison's volume in the ICC. Upon further reflection though, I wasn't entirely convinced that Davies and Allison outlined chapter eighteen correctly, so I dove into the text myself and came up with something far more fluid. It also ends up being a chiastic structure as well, instead of the triad which Davies and Allison produced. Below is how I see Matthew chapter eighteen. 

Literary Structure of Matthew 18

A)  18:1-4 – Becoming like Children in the Kingdom of Heaven: Humility before brethren who turn-back

B)  18:5-9 – If a brother causes another brother to stumble

C)  18:10-14 – Do not despise the Father’s lost sheep

B’) 18:15-22 – If a brother sins against another brother

A’)  18:23-35 – What the Kingdom of Heaven is like: Forgiveness of brethren who ask for it

A)

      1          At that time the disciples came to Jesus and said, “Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”

      2          And He called a child to Himself and set him before them,

      3          and said, “Truly I say to you-all, unless you-all are turned-back and come-to-be like children, you-all will not come-into the kingdom of heaven.

      4          “Whoever then humbles himself as this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

B)
5 “And whoever receives one such child in My name receives Me.      

      6      But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him to have a heavy millstone hung around his neck, and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.

      7          “Woe to the world because of its stumbling blocks! For it is inevitable that stumbling blocks come; but woe to that man through whom the stumbling block comes!

      8          “If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it from you; it is better for you to enter life crippled or lame, than to have two hands or two feet and be cast into the eternal fire.

      9          “If your eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out and throw it from you. It is better for you to enter life with one eye, than to have two eyes and be cast into the fiery hell.

C)

   10          “See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that their angels in heaven continually see the face of My Father who is in heaven.

   11          [“For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost.]

   12          “What do you think? If any man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go and search for the one that is straying?

   13          “If it turns out that he finds it, truly I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine which have not gone astray.

   14          “So it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones perish.

B’)

   15          “If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault in private; if he listens to you, you have won your brother.

   16          “But if he does not listen to you, take one or two more with you, so that by the mouth of two or three  witnesses every fact may be confirmed.

   17          “If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.

   18          “Truly I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven.

   19          “Again I say to you, that if two of you agree on earth about anything that they may ask, it shall be done for

                  them by My Father who is in heaven.

   20          “For where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst.”

   21          Then Peter came and said to Him, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to seven times?”

   22          Jesus *said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.

A’)

   23          “For this reason the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his  slaves.

   24          “When he had begun to settle them, one who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him.

   25          “But since he ^adid not have the means to repay, his lord commanded him to be sold, along with his wife and children and all that he had, and repayment to be made.

   26          “So the slave fell to the ground and prostrated himself before him, saying, ‘Have patience with me and I will repay you everything.’

   27          “And the lord of that slave felt compassion and released him and forgave him the debt.

   28          “But that slave went out and found one of his fellow slaves who owed him a hundred denarii; and he seized him and began to choke him, saying, ‘Pay back what you owe.’

   29          “So his fellow slave fell to the ground and began to plead with him, saying, ‘Have patience with me and I will repay you.’

   30          “But he was unwilling and went and threw him in prison until he should pay back what was owed.

   31          “So when his fellow slaves saw what had happened, they were deeply grieved and came and reported to their lord all that had happened.

   32          “Then summoning him, his lord *said to him, ‘You wicked slave, I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me.

   33          ‘Should you not also have had mercy on your fellow slave, in the same way that I had mercy on you?’

   34          “And his lord, moved with anger, handed him over to the torturers until he should repay all that was owed him.

   35          “My heavenly Father will also do the same to you, if each of you does not forgive his brother from your heart.”

Harvesting the Kingdom (Matt. 13:44-52)

Continuing where we left off in this series, Jesus wraps up this private discourse with his disciples by talking about harvesting the kingdom. (The literary structure can be found here in layout #2.) Three parables are given in verses 44-48 (section A3 of layout #2), followed by explanations of what they mean in verses 49-50 (section C3). This section, as well as the entire discourse of parables in chapter 13, culminates with a somewhat enigmatic statement about understanding these parables in verses 51-52 (section B3):

"The Kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and gathered fish of every kind. When it was full, men drew it ashore and sat down and sorted the good into containers but threw away the bad."  (vv. 44-48)

"So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will go out and separate the evil men out of the midst of righteous men and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." (vv. 49-50)

"Have you understood all these things?" They said to him, "Yes." And he said to them, "Therefore every scribe who has been discipled for the kingdom of heaven is like a master-of-a-house, who throws out of his treasury new things and old things." (vv. 51-52)

It is particularly noteworthy to recognize what exactly the Kingdom of heaven is being compared with in these three parables. Jesus says it's comparable with "treasure hidden in a field, which a man found," a "merchant in search of fine pearls" who found one "of great value," and a "net that was thrown into the sea." At first glance, what these parables have in common might not be obvious. Upon closer examination, each of these parables does have a common theme though. The theme consists of a "man" (Greek: anthropos1) gathering "all" possessions together (vv. 44, 45, 47) and sorting all the good (Greek: kalos, "beautiful" or "attractive") from all the bad (Greek: sapros, "rotten" or "corrupt"). This is why the explanation of angels going out and separating evil men out from the midst of righteous men "at the end of the age" is comparable with fishing in a sea. In the Bible, both fish and sea are oftentimes associated with mankind (anthropos) and the world outside of the promised land. 

To understand these parables, it's important to remember that the "end of the age" was the end of the old covenant age, which ended in 70 A.D. with the destruction of Jerusalem's Temple, its priesthood, and sacrificial cultus. When Jesus likened the kingdom of heaven to all these things, he was setting his audience up to recognize who the "good" and who the "bad" were. Whenever the net of his kingdom gets cast into the sea of mankind, a whole host of people are gathered together for sorting; except in these parables Jesus is referring primarily to the people of Israel in the midst of an ungodly kingdom within a Gentile (Roman) empire. The "good" are not Jews, but rather are the newly constituted Israel of God united to Jesus the Messiah. The "good" are those Jews and Gentiles who sell "all" to have Jesus. The "bad" (sapros) are the disciples of the Pharisees and other enemies of Jesus described this way earlier in Matthew's gospel (7:17-18).

Let's not forget that the kingdom is also likened unto a net. When the people of the kingdom were cast into the sea of mankind, sent out with the great commission of Jesus Christ (Matt. 28:18-20), God used them to gather together all men--beautiful and corrupt together--for Him to harvest. Whether it's more helpful to think of this as all sorts of fish harvested together from the sea or wheat and tares harvested together from the field, Jesus says that "angels" do the separating and sorting at harvest time, but it's the responsibility of God's saints to go throughout both land and sea to do the gathering. 

"Have you understood all these things?," Jesus asked his apostles. They responded as though they did understand everything. "Therefore," Jesus said, "every scribe who has been discipled (Greek: matheteuo) for the kingdom of heaven is like a master-of-a-house, who throws out of his treasury new things and old things." According to Jesus, every scribe of Israel who becomes his disciple is like a master-of-a-house. God has given him a house to care for and it's his own responsibility (as the master-of-the-house) to determine what "all" stays in his treasure-storage and what "all" goes from it. God entrusted Israel with an inheritance in His land, but Jesus came and spoke of soon-coming judgment upon the land of Israel and their consequent removal from it. At that time God would sort through and separate all the bad from the good from His own House, all the corrupt out of the midst of the beautiful of His own temple. 

If Jesus's disciples really understood all that he was saying, they would have understood that their mission as disciples of Jesus was to "clean house." Their great commission was to go and disciple (Greek: matheteuo) all nations so that a new treasury could be stored up in Christ and a new Israel gathered from both land and sea. 

1.  Verse 44 explicitly describes a "man" (ἄνθρωπος), and it's translated that way in all english versions. However, in the remaining verses it's a little more ambiguous. For example, the "merchant" of verse 45 is literally a "merchant-man" in Greek (ἀνθρώπῳ ἐμπόρῳ). In verse 52, when Jesus compares the disciple with a "master of a house," that word is literally "house-despot-man" (ἀνθρώπῳ οἰκοδεσπότῃ). In a similar manner, with the parable of the net, evil men are being separated out of the midst of righteous men (τοὺς πονηροὺς ἐκ μέσου τῶν δικαίων). 

Literary Structure of Matthew 16:13-17:27

Literary structure of Matthew 16:13 through 17:27

A) 16:13-23 -- "Simon", "Peter", "earth", "give", βασιλεία ("kingdom"), σκάνδαλον ("stumbling-block"), Jesus will "be killed" and "be raised on the third day"

        B) 16:24-28 -- Jesus speaks (εἶπον) to his disciples, "truly I say to you" / some here won’t die until the Son of Man comes in His kingdom

              C) 17:1-2 -- Ascending the high "mountain" / “He was transfigured before them”

                    D) 17:3-4 – Behold! Moses & Elijah appear / Peter speaks

                    D’) 17:5-8 – Behold! The Father appears / Jesus speaks

              C') 17:9-13 -- Descending the "mountain" / “Tell no one the vision until the Son of Man is raised from the dead.”

        B') 17:14-21 -- Disciples speak (εἶπον) to Jesus, and Jesus replies: "truly I say to you" / faith of a mustard seed moves this mountain

A') 17:22-27 -- "Simon", "Peter", "earth", "give", βασιλεύς ("kings"), σκανδαλίσωμεν (cause them to "stumble"), Jesus will "be killed" and "be raised on the third day"

The Structure of 1st Timothy 1:3-11

Paul begins his first letter to Timothy by exhorting him to "charge" certain persons not to teach the Law "differently." Indeed, the different uses (abuses) of Law found among these teachers that are contrary to health-giving doctrine amount to bad management of God's house, and therefore may be worthy of discipline. They may need to be treated mercifully too. This is evident from the larger context (1:3-20) wherein Paul mentions his discipline of Hymenaeus and Alexander a few verses later (vv. 19-20), who consciously rejected apostolic teaching; but Paul also mentions a contrasting example of the Lord's mercy toward his own ignorant and unfaithful use of the Law toward Christians (vv. 12-15).

According to Paul, the goal or aim (τέλος) of Timothy's "charge" to these "teachers-of-the-Law" is love which flows out of a clean heart, good conscience, and unhypocritical faith. Paul and Timothy both know that God's Law is attractive if it's used lawfully, for God did not lay it down for those who are just, law-abiding, and obedient. (What discipline could possibly be laid down for those who using the Law lawfully?) Even in the secular use of law, it is not laid down for law-abiding citizens; how much more then is it laid down for citizens of God's kingdom who abide by the law? The law is not laid down for law-keepers, but for those who are unjust, law-breaking, and disobedient: those who strike their fathers and mothers (Exod. 21:15; Deut. 21:18-21), murderers (Exod. 21:12), the sexually immoral (Lev. 20:10; Deut. 22:13-30), homosexuals (Lev. 20:13), kidnappers (Exod. 21:16), liars (Exod. 23:1; Lev. 6:1-7), perjurers (Exod. 23:2-3; Deut. 19:16-19), and the like. The examples which Paul uses are unmistakably clear in at least one way: such behavior within the house of God--among God's covenant people--is in need of a serious charge to repent if discipline is to be mitigated. 

This opening charge of Paul to Timothy is arranged chiastically, making it a little easier to notice the conceptual and linguistic parallels:


A) As I urged you when I was going to Macedonia, remain at Ephesus so that you may charge (παραγγείλῃς) certain persons not to teach any different doctrine (ἑτεροδιδασκαλέω), nor to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies, which promote speculations rather than management of the house of God that is by faith (θεοῦ τὴν ἐν πίστει). 

     ^B) The aim of our charge (παραγγελίας) is love out of a clean heart and a good conscience and a unhypocritical faith. 

          ^C) Certain persons, by swerving from these, have wandered away into vain discussion, desiring to be teachers-of-the-Law (νομοδιδάσκαλοι), without understanding either what they are saying or the things about which they make confident assertions.

     ^B') Now we know (Οἴδαμεν) that the law is attractive, if one uses it lawfully, 

^A') knowing (εἰδὼς) this, that the law is not laid down for the just but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who strike their fathers and mothers, for murderers, the sexually immoral, men who practice homosexuality, kidnappers, liars, perjurers, and whatever different use is contrary to health-giving doctrine (εἰ τι ἕτερον διδασκαλίᾳ), in accordance with the gospel of the glory of the blessed God with which I have been entrusted (θεοῦ ὃ ἐγώ ἐπιστεύθην). 

Nondenominational Jesus

An important aspect of mission often lost in the shuffle of activity throughout Matthew's gospel is Jesus’ posture around people of various Israelite parties (or “denominations,” for lack of a better contemporary term). In Matthew 8:18-22 and 9:9-17 we are given two different accounts about two types of disciples.[i] In 8:18-22, the first disciple is a scribe, and he comes to Jesus addressing him as his “Teacher,” seeking to follow him “where ever” (ὅπου ἐὰν) he goes. Sensing his embellished commitment, Jesus tests his willingness to commit as a disciple by warning him that he will have “no where” (οὐκ που) to rest from his labors if he follows Jesus “where ever.” Then a second disciple enters the scene, but we aren’t told anything about him. Jesus simply tells him to let the dead bury their own dead. However, this unnamed disciple is at least given some hope. At least Jesus responds to his expressed commitment by saying “follow me.” Jesus didn’t bother saying much else to the scribe. 

I realize that preachers often interpret this passage as though this second disciple wasn’t willing to place Jesus first in his mission of life, but I think that Matthew had a different point to make in this portion of the narrative.  Perhaps this second disciple really did not attend his father's funeral.  For all we know, Jesus' words cut right to his heart and the second disciple followed Jesus onto the boat and to the other side of the sea.  We don't know, and no other synoptic gospel alludes to the contrary.  If this second disciple is set in contrast with the first disciple—the scribe who was rejected by Jesus—then it's possible that this second disciple is an example of one who did count the cost and actually followed Jesus.  Certainly there is a lesson of priorities to be gleaned from this story.  The second disciple is concerned about burying his father first, before following in Jesus’ footsteps.  But an equally obvious lesson to be gleaned from this story is that those who actually commit to following Jesus "wherever" he goes, even though they may not have a place to rest because of the many burdens to be carried, are actually gaining life.  "Follow me," Jesus said, "and let those who are dead bury their own dead."  In other words, Jesus is saying: "By following in my footsteps, there is life." And with both of these types of disciples, Jesus doesn’t waste any time. He tested their willingness to commit, and then moved on. If they truly did follow him “wherever,” Jesus knew he would have opportunity to train them later on, as the days and weeks passed by.  This example of drawing boundaries and setting priorities for one’s mission, yet still being willing to generously serve those who get on board with the seriousness of Jesus’ mission, in is an important skill to acquire for those interested in gathering disciples.

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[i] R T. France, [NICNT Commentary on Matthew] notes that these ten miracles were presented as one "collection," and that there also appears to be a unique placement of each miracle into three distinctive groups when compared with the other two synoptic gospels.  He writes: “The collection consists of nine separate miracle stories comprising ten individual miracles (since one of the stories, 9:18-26, contains two intertwined miracles of healing), which are arranged in three groups of three (8:1-17; 8:23-9:8; 9:18-34).  Between these three groups are two narrative interludes (8:18-22; 9:9-17) each of which focuses on the call to discipleship and the response of a variety of individuals to that call." (p. 300).  The result of his description looks something like this (below):

Miracle #1 - Leper  (8:1—5)

Miracle #2 – A Gentile's “son”  (8:5—13)

Miracle #3 - Peter's mother-in-law  (8:14—17)

•    Narrative interlude: Two types of disciples  (8:18—22)

Miracle #4 - Miracle on the sea with disciples -- calms the sea  (8:23—27)

Miracle #5 - Miracle across the sea in another city – casts out demonic-oppressors  (8:28—34)

Miracle #6 - Miracle back across the sea in his own city -- comforts & heals paralytic  (9:1—8)

•    Narrative interlude: Two types of disciples  (9:9—17)

Miracles #7 & #8 - Dead daughter & Bleeding woman  (9:18—26)

Miracles #9 - Two blind men  (9:27—31)

Miracle #10 - Demon-possessed mute man  (9:32—34)