Matthew 18: Dependence on Jesus and Forgiveness - An Insight into the Kingdom of Heaven as Understood by the Editor of Matthew

Matthew 18: Dependence on Jesus and Forgiveness - An Insight into the Kingdom of Heaven as Understood by the Editor of Matthew

3 He said, "Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

4 Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

15 “If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over.

16 But if they will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’

17 If they still refuse to listen, tell it to the church; and if they refuse to listen even to the church, treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector."

18 “Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.

19 Again, truly I tell you, if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven.

20 For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them."

The disciples openly asked Jesus, "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?" It was a very human question, asking about the power structure in the kingdom of heaven that the teacher often spoke of. Jesus answered that the greatest in the kingdom of heaven is the one who humbles themselves like a child. The core of Jesus' message is humility, specifically the humility of a child. Children, like adults, can do many wrong things. Yet, the existential characteristic of a child, especially an infant, is dependency. Jesus likens the pinnacle of the kingdom of heaven, God Himself, to this dependency of a child. In the kingdom of heaven, human pursuits such as self-improvement, humanistic sensibilities, and wealth mean nothing. There, the governing structure is one where Jesus (God) is at the apex, and all creation is in a sibling relationship. Dependency on Jesus is the greatest value there, embodying the kingdom of heaven's internal framework.

Furthermore, Jesus spoke of the ethics of the kingdom of heaven, even though the disciples hadn't asked. The ethic is forgiveness. The value of forgiveness sharply emerges in the connection between heaven and earth (verse 18). Forgiveness is the realization of the Lord's Prayer, that His will be done on earth as it is in heaven. There is nothing that cannot be achieved if two people, the forgiver and the forgiven, ask for it. By forgiving, the gears of heaven and earth have already begun to mesh. Jesus speaks of forgiveness as limitless. The meshing of heaven and earth should be infinite in all earthly matters, and naturally, the scope of forgiveness is unlimited. How could there be a creature that hasn't received forgiveness in the kingdom of heaven?

Forgiveness from God's perspective operates within a triangular/pyramidal structure of relationships between humans, between humans and objects, and between objects themselves. Jesus now urges that forgiveness also cause ripples in the relationships between humans and objects. He hopes for human and object forgiveness ripples to spread, forming a perfect sine wave. Forgiveness, which maintains dependency on God, is the external framework of the kingdom of heaven.