Matthew 18: On Evil, Popes & Angels

Do No Evil

"Woe to the world because of offenses. For offenses must come, but woe to that man by whom the offense comes." -Matthew 18:7

My summary of this verse is that evil will always be present in this current world.

Point A: Evil is a real thing, not an abstract subjective principle.

Point B: Evil will be continually present because we live in a world of wheat and tares.

Point C: Your job?  Make sure that you are not a channel of that evil, "offense."

                      

Revisiting the Pope Issue

Is there an earthly head to the church? This question puzzled the disciples as evidenced in their question:

"About that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, "Who is greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven?" -Matthew 18:1

The transfiguration occurred one chapter prior, in Matthew 17 which singled out Peter, James, & John.  It's understandable that this would seem to single out these three as more important than the broader group.   Also, in Matthew 16, Christ made this grand statement to Peter:

"Jesus replied, "You are blessed, Simon son of John, because My Father in heaven has revealed this to you. You did not learn this from any human being. Now I say to you that you are Peter (which means 'rock'), and upon this rock I will build My church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it. And I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven. Whatever you forbid on earth will be forbidden in heaven, and whatever you permit on earth will be permitted in heaven."  -Matthew 16:17

Logically, if the disciples understood this exchange the way that the Roman Catholic church does, they would come away with the conclusion that Peter is the head. However, the disciples' question indicates that they were not clear on this at all.

Adam Clarke's point here is astute:

"From this inquiry we may also learn, that the disciples had no notion of Peter’s supremacy; nor did they understand, as the Roman Catholics will have it, that Christ had constituted him their head, either by the conversation mentioned Mat_16:18, Mat_16:19, or by the act mentioned in the conclusion of the preceding chapter. Had they thought that any such superiority had been designed, their present question must have been extremely impertinent. Let this be observed."  -Adam Clarke

Guardian Angels

Matthew 18 teaches that there are angels who look after children:

"Beware that you don't look down on any of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels are always in the presence of My heavenly Father."  Matthew 18:10

I wonder what it means about "always in the presence of My heavenly Father"?   Are some angels not?

We also get this interesting peek into the purpose of angels in Hebrew 1:14

"Therefore, angels are only servants—spirits sent to care for people who will inherit salvation."

It's good to firm up exactly what the Word says about angels as there are so many misconceptions in our culture.  Browsing the internet for an "accurate" angel image is a task in itself.  Who really knows what they look like, but our society's perception is far from the biblical facts that they are male and defenders.

First you have the typical feminine angel.   I think the feminists would call this one the "madonna" (as in Mary) type.  She's very maternal, motherly, soft, and gentle--sweet thought, kind of like a "fairy godmother," but not scriptural:

And we also like our "child" angels--again very romantic, feminine, harmless:

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Now, if they get so far as to realize that the Bible does require a male angel, they tend to sexualize the whole deal.  You get the "tortured" dark angel"

Or our "Fabio" angel...UGH!

Not sure what this says about our culture, but it ain't good and it's certainly not biblically sound.  I suspect that Gabriel, Michael, and the other angels have more significant things to do than develop their abs!

The Authority of the Earthly Church

Another tough passage:


 "I tell you the truth, whatever you forbid on earth will be forbidden in heaven, and whatever you permit on earth will be permitted in heaven." -Matthew 18:18

How does Christ view the Church? Is He suggesting that the church on earth has judicial  influence in Heaven? Odd comment that needs more time from me to understand.

It also hearkens back to Matthew 16 and the "keys" conversation Christ had with Peter:

"And I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven. Whatever you forbid on earth will be forbidden in heaven, and whatever you permit on earth will be permitted in heaven." -Matthew 16:19

Not sure exactly what to make of it, but I suspect that the role of the Church here is grander than what the Church has been reduced to in this era.  I don't think the Lord was suggesting that the government and church should be one, but it's clear that there is a principle about the church having spiritual authority. 

Does the modern Church have spiritual authority? From my perspective, it's become a sort of fuzzy warm social club--no one wields these powerful terms or even understanding them.  The Church is busy about "good work" but authority?  Not sure about that!