September 10, 2023 | Matthew 18:1-20

 

 

 

 

 

Bible Study Questions – Matthew 18:1-20

 

 

The disciples had just come from a meeting with a tax collector who asks them if Jesus paid the temple tax when they asked him the question, “Who is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” Why might such a question have been derived from the tax question? Matthew 17:24; Mark 9:33-37

 

 

When Jesus says that “unless we turn and become like children you will never enter the kingdom of heaven,” what is he really saying?

 

 

What makes children the perfect example of faith? Psalm 131:2, 1 Corinthians 14:20, 1 Peter 2:2

 

 

Do you think Jesus is just talking about little children here, or could it also mean or be applied to others? Explain

 

 

Why is humility such a necessary characteristic for a Christian? Matthew 20:26-27 Why are they called the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?

 

 

What kind of things can someone do to cause a little one to sin? Why would it be better if that person were to drown?

 

 

What role do temptations play in sin? Does every sin involve temptation? Explain Matthew 13:41; Luke 17:1

 

 

What makes the tempter so evil? Matthew 26:24 What is his woe? Verse 7

 

 

Does Matthew mean to literally cut of your hand or your foot or pluck out your eye? If not, why the hyperbole?

 

 

Do you believe in personal angels? Verse 10; Psalm 34:7, 91:11; Acts 12:15; Hebrews 1:14. Why or why not?

 

 

Why do the heavens rejoice more for the one who has been saved than for the 99 who never needed to be saved?

 

 

How have you experienced the love of the shepherd?

 

 

How would it help our society if we followed the commands in verses 15-20? Why do you think we, as a people, find it so hard to follow this process?

 

 

What does the phrase “whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven” mean? John 20:23

 

 

How does this promise (the office of the keys) work in the Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod?

 

 

Have you ever experienced a time when you prayed with someone else or a group of people that a sinning person in the church would repent so their sins will be loosed from them or bind them in their sin because they refused to repent? Can you share the experience?