Christ's Illustrations

Be as young children

 * Matthew 18:1-6 

In that hour the disciples came near to Jesus and said: “Who really is greatest in the Kingdom of the heavens?” So calling a young child to him, he stood him in their midst and said: “Truly I say to you, unless you turn around* and become as young children, you will by no means enter into the Kingdom of the heavens. Therefore, whoever will humble himself like this young child is the one who is the greatest in the Kingdom of the heavens; and whoever receives one such young child on the basis of my name receives me also. But whoever stumbles one of these little ones who have faith in me, it would be better for him to have hung around his neck a millstone that is turned by a donkey and to be sunk in the open sea.

Woe to stumbling blocks

 * Matthew 18:7-11 

“Woe to the world because of the stumbling blocks! Of course, it is inevitable that stumbling blocks will come, but woe to the man through whom the stumbling block comes! 8 If, then, your hand or your foot makes you stumble, cut it off and throw it away from you.+ It is better for you to enter into life maimed or lame than to be thrown with two hands or two feet into the everlasting fire.+ 9 Also, if your eye makes you stumble, tear it out and throw it away from you. It is better for you to enter one-eyed into life than to be thrown with two eyes into the fiery Ge·hen′na.*+ 10 See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I tell you that their angels in heaven always look upon the face of my Father who is in heaven.+ 11* ——

Find the lost sheep

 * Matthew 18:12-14 

12 “What do you think? If a man has 100 sheep and one of them strays,+ will he not leave the 99 on the mountains and set out on a search for the one that is straying?+ 13 And if he finds it, I certainly tell you, he rejoices more over it than over the 99 that have not strayed. 14 Likewise, it is not a desirable thing to my* Father who is in heaven for even one of these little ones to perish.+

The unforgiving slave

 * Matthew 18:21-35 

Then Peter came and said to him: “Lord, how many times is my brother to sin against me and am I to forgive him? Up to seven times?”

Jesus said to him: “I say to you, not up to seven times, but up to 77 times.
 * “That is why the Kingdom of the heavens may be likened to a king who wanted to settle accounts with his slaves. When he started to settle them, a man was brought in who owed him 10,000 talents.* But because he did not have the means to pay it back, his master ordered him and his wife and his children and all the things he owned to be sold and payment to be made. So the slave fell down and did obeisance* to him, saying, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay back everything to you.’ Moved with pity at this, the master of that slave let him off and canceled his debt.


 * But that slave went out and found one of his fellow slaves, who owed him 100 de·nar′i·i,* and grabbed him and began to choke him, saying, ‘Pay back whatever you owe.’ So his fellow slave fell down and began to beg him, saying, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.’ However, he was not willing, but he went and had him thrown into prison until he could pay back what he owed.


 * When his fellow slaves saw what had happened, they became greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their master all the things that had happened. Then his master summoned him and said to him: ‘Wicked slave, I canceled all that debt for you when you pleaded with me. Should you not also have shown mercy to your fellow slave as I showed mercy to you?’ With that his master, provoked to wrath, handed him over to the jailers until he repaid all that he owed. My heavenly Father will also deal with you in the same way if each of you does not forgive your brother from your heart.”