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18:1-20 At
that time the disciples of Jesus approached him saying “Who is greater
in the kingdom of heaven? Calling
forward a child he set him in their midst and said. “Truly I say to you, unless you turn and
become as children you will not be able to enter into the kingdom of the
heavens. Whoever humbles himself as
this child, this is the one who is greater n the kingdom of the
heavens. Whoever receives a child
such as this in my name receives me.
Whoever offends one of these little ones who believe in me, it is
better for him that a millstone be hanged around his neck and he be downed
in the depths of the sea. Woe to the
world because of its temptations. It
is necessary that there should be some temptation But woe to the man through whom these
offences come. Now if your hand or
your foot offends you, cut it off and cast it from you. It is better for you to go into life
maimed or lame than with two hands or two feet having to be cast into
eternal fire. And if your eye is a
cause of sin, pluck it out and cast it from you. It is better for you to go into life
one-eyed that with two eyes having to be case into the Gehenna of
fire. See that you do not despise
one of these little ones for I tell you that their angels in the heavens
always see the face of my Father in the heavens.
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How
does it seem to you? If a man has a
hundred sheep and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety
-nine on the mountains and go and look for the wandering one? And if he happens to find it, truly I say
to you that he will rejoice over it more than over the ninety-nine who had
not wandered. So it is not the will
of your Father in the heavens that one of these little ones should
perish. Now if your brother sins, go
and reprove him between yourself and himself alone. If he listens to you, you will gain your
brother. But if he does not hear,
take with you one or two others so that there would be two or three
witnesses of every word said. But if
he refuses to hear them, tell the whole church. And if he refuses to listen to the church,
let him be to you as distant and the gentile and tax collector. Truly I say
to you, whatever you bind on the earth shall be bound in the heavens. Whatever things you loose on the earth
shall be loosed in heaven. Again,
truly I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning whatever
they ask for, it shall be given to them by my Father in the heavens. For
where two or three are assembled in my name, there I am in the midst of
them."
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