Chapter 18 connects itself with chapter 16, for chapter 17 has not yet come to pass. Remember that Jesus was being rejected and was going toward the cross. Everything therefore is changing. They are here being taught how they were to act in this new situation — a real contrast to their old Jewish or natural ways.
V.1-6 Humility teaches us that we need to be like little children.
V.7-14 Self is the cause of so much trouble. The Lord here shows that if we are going to learn from Him, we must be willing to humble ourselves.
V.15-20 Instruction for when another believer offends you. Start out, not by spreading stories about the other, but by going right to him. What sorrows we would avoid if we carried out this instruction. What healing there would be among believers! The assembly here refers to those believers who are gathered by the Spirit of God to the name of the Lord Jesus, as actually happened when He, the Holy Spirit came to earth (Acts 2:1-4; 11And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. 2And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. 3And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. 4And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. (Acts 2:1‑4)
1The former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach, 2Until the day in which he was taken up, after that he through the Holy Ghost had given commandments unto the apostles whom he had chosen: 3To whom also he showed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God: 4And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me. (Acts 1:1‑4) Cor. 12:13). What disobedience we see today when the church is divided into scores of denominations. Isn’t it the same unbelief as we have been seeing in the disciples in this Book of Matthew?
There is power in the midst of even two or three so gathered. The decisions may not always be right, but the authority is there.
V.20 The name to which we are gathered. It does not say “gather,” for this is not a voluntary association. The Spirit of God gathers us. The question is, are we willing to believe it and to let Him?
V.23-35 A graphic illustration of the above. If we translate that money into today’s currency, we see the point. The first man owed about ten million dollars. That is something like our sin debt to God, He frankly forgave us. The second man owed twenty dollars. Like our debts to one another!