MATEO 18

Kinsa gayod ang Labaw sa Tanan?

(Mc. 9:33-37; Lu. 9:46-48)

1 Niadtong higayona miduol kang Jesus ang iyang mga sumusunod ug nangutana,2 Gitawag ni Jesus ang usa ka bata ug gipaatubang niya kanila.3 Unya miingon siya,

4 Kay ang tawo nga nagapaubos sama niini nga bata, mao ang labaw sa tanan nga sakop sa paghari sa Dios.

6 Apan si bisan kinsa nga mahimong hinungdan sa pagbiya niining gagmayng kabataan sa ilang pagtuo kanako, maayo pa nga higtan ang iyang liog ug galingan nga bato ug ihulog siya ngadto sa lawod."

Ang mga Pagtintal

(Mc. 9:42-48; Lu. 17:1-2)

9 Ug kon ang imong mata mahimong hinungdan sa imong pagbiya kanako, lugita kana ug ilabay! Mas maayo pa nga usa ra ang imong mata apan may kinabuhi ka nga walay kataposan kaysa kompleto ang imong mata apan itambog ka man lang ngadto sa kalayo sa impiyerno."

Ang Sambingay Mahitungod sa Karnero nga Nawala

(Lu. 15:3-7)

11 [ Kay ako nga Anak sa Tawo mianhi dinhi sa kalibotan sa pagluwas sa mga tawo nga nangawala tungod sa ilang mga sala. ]
13 Ug kon iya kining makita malipay gayod siya. Ang tinuod, mas dako ang iyang kalipay sa usa nga nawala nga iya rang nakit-an kaysa 99 nga wala mawala.

14 Mao usab kana ang bation sa inyong Amahan nga langitnon. Dili gayod niya buot nga mawala ang bisan usa lang ka gamay nga bata.

Kon Nakasala Kanimo ang Imong Isigka-tumutuo

16  Apan kon dili siya maminaw kanimo, pagdala ug usa o duha ka tumutuo aron matuman mo ang nahisulat sa Kasulatan nga + 18:16 Tan-awa usab ang Deu. 19:15.

17  Apan kon dili pa gayod siya maminaw kanila, isulti kini sa iglesia. Ug kon dili pa gayod siya maminaw kanila, ayaw na ninyo siya pagtagda. Isipa na lang ninyo nga sama siya sa mga tawo nga wala motuo sa Dios o sama sa mga maniningil ug buhis." + 18:17 maniningil ug buhis: ginaila sa mga Judio nga mga daotan gayod nga mga tawo.

Ang Gidili ug ang Gitugot

20 Kay kon may duha o tulo nga nagatigom tungod kanako, ako uban kanila."

Ang Sambingay Mahitungod sa Sulugoon nga Dili Mopasaylo

21 Miduol si Pedro kang Jesus ug nangutana,
22 Mitubag si Jesus kaniya,23 Kay ang paghari sa Dios sama sa usa ka hari nga naghusay sa mga utang sa iyang mga sulugoon.24 Samtang naghusay siya sa ilang mga utang, gidala kaniya ang sulugoon nga nakautang kaniya ug minilyon.25  Tungod kay dili siya makabayad nagsugo ang hari nga ibaligya siya isip ulipon lakip ang iyang asawa ug ang iyang mga anak. Ug ibaligya usab ang tanan niyang kabtangan aron mabayaran niya ang iyang utang.26 Ang sulugoon miluhod atubangan sa hari ug nagpakilooy nga miingon,

27 Nalooy ang hari kaniya, busa gipasaylo siya ug wala na pabayara sa iyang utang, ug gipapauli siya."
29 Miluhod ang iyang kauban nga sulugoon ug nagpakilooy kaniya,30 Apan wala gayod siya mosugot. Gipapriso hinuon niya kadto nga sulugoon hangtod nga kini makabayad.31 Pagkakita niadto sa uban nga mga sulugoon nasubo kaayo sila, busa miadto sila sa ilang hari ug gisulti ang nahitabo.32 Gipatawag sa hari ang sulugoon ug giingnan,33 Ngano bang wala mo kaloy-i ang imong isigka-sulugoon ingon nga ako nalooy kanimo?>34 Nasuko gayod ang hari kaniya. Gipapriso niya kini aron nga masilotan hangtod mabayaran ang tanan niyang utang."35 Unya miingon si Jesus kanila,

Matthew 18

Whoever Becomes Simple Again

1 At about the same time, the disciples came to Jesus asking, "Who gets the highest rank in God's kingdom?"

2-5 For an answer Jesus called over a child, whom he stood in the middle of the room, and said, "I'm telling you, once and for all, that unless you return to square one and start over like children, you're not even going to get a look at the kingdom, let alone get in. Whoever becomes simple and elemental again, like this child, will rank high in God's kingdom. What's more, when you receive the childlike on my account, it's the same as receiving me.6-7 "But if you give them a hard time, bullying or taking advantage of their simple trust, you'll soon wish you hadn't. You'd be better off dropped in the middle of the lake with a millstone around your neck. Doom to the world for giving these God-believing children a hard time! Hard times are inevitable, but you don't have to make it worse—and it's doomsday to you if you do.

8-9 "If your hand or your foot gets in the way of God, chop it off and throw it away. You're better off maimed or lame and alive than the proud owners of two hands and two feet, godless in a furnace of eternal fire. And if your eye distracts you from God, pull it out and throw it away. You're better off one-eyed and alive than exercising your twenty-twenty vision from inside the fire of hell.

10 "Watch that you don't treat a single one of these childlike believers arrogantly. You realize, don't you, that their personal angels are constantly in touch with my Father in heaven?

Work It Out Between You

12-14 "Look at it this way. If someone has a hundred sheep and one of them wanders off, doesn't he leave the ninety-nine and go after the one? And if he finds it, doesn't he make far more over it than over the ninety-nine who stay put? Your Father in heaven feels the same way. He doesn't want to lose even one of these simple believers.

15-17 "If a fellow believer hurts you, go and tell him—work it out between the two of you. If he listens, you've made a friend. If he won't listen, take one or two others along so that the presence of witnesses will keep things honest, and try again. If he still won't listen, tell the church. If he won't listen to the church, you'll have to start over from scratch, confront him with the need for repentance, and offer again God's forgiving love.

18-20 "Take this most seriously: A yes on earth is yes in heaven; a no on earth is no in heaven. What you say to one another is eternal. I mean this. When two of you get together on anything at all on earth and make a prayer of it, my Father in heaven goes into action. And when two or three of you are together because of me, you can be sure that I'll be there."

A Story About Forgiveness

21 At that point Peter got up the nerve to ask, "Master, how many times do I forgive a brother or sister who hurts me? Seven?"

22 Jesus replied, "Seven! Hardly. Try seventy times seven.

23-25 "The kingdom of God is like a king who decided to square accounts with his servants. As he got under way, one servant was brought before him who had run up a debt of a hundred thousand dollars. He couldn't pay up, so the king ordered the man, along with his wife, children, and goods, to be auctioned off at the slave market.

26-27 "The poor wretch threw himself at the king's feet and begged, 'Give me a chance and I'll pay it all back.' Touched by his plea, the king let him off, erasing the debt.

28 "The servant was no sooner out of the room when he came upon one of his fellow servants who owed him ten dollars. He seized him by the throat and demanded, 'Pay up. Now!'

29-31 "The poor wretch threw himself down and begged, 'Give me a chance and I'll pay it all back.' But he wouldn't do it. He had him arrested and put in jail until the debt was paid. When the other servants saw this going on, they were outraged and brought a detailed report to the king.

32-35 "The king summoned the man and said, 'You evil servant! I forgave your entire debt when you begged me for mercy. Shouldn't you be compelled to be merciful to your fellow servant who asked for mercy?' The king was furious and put the screws to the man until he paid back his entire debt. And that's exactly what my Father in heaven is going to do to each one of you who doesn't forgive unconditionally anyone who asks for mercy."