Texts in Conversation
Matthew 18 shows Jesus drawing on the principle in Deuteronomy 19 that requires two or three witnesses when resolving conflict, highlighting the role of the Torah and its use in community life as a guide for handling disputes.
Share:
2500 BCE
1000+ CE
LXX Deuteronomy 19:15
Septuagint
13 Your eye shall not spare him; so you will purge innocent blood from Israel, and it shall be well with you. 14 You shall not move the landmarks of your neighbor, which your fathers set in the inheritance, in which you have obtained a share in the land, which the Lord your God gives you to inherit. 15 One witness shall not stand to testify against a man for any iniquity, or for any fault, or for any sin which he may commit; by the mouth of two witnesses, or by the mouth of three witnesses, shall every word be established. 16 And if an unjust witness rise up against a man, alleging iniquity against him; 17 then the two men between whom the controversy is will stand before the Lord, and before the priests, and before the judges, who may be in those days.
Date: 300–201 BCE (based on scholarly estimates)
Matthew 18:16
New Testament
15 “If your brother sins, go and show him his fault when the two of you are alone. If he listens to you, you have regained your brother. 16 But if he does not listen, take one or two others with you, so that at the testimony of two or three witnesses every matter may be established. 17 If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. If he refuses to listen to the church, treat him like a Gentile or a tax collector. 18 “I tell you the truth, whatever you bind on earth will have been bound in heaven, and whatever you release on earth will have been released in heaven. 19 Again, I tell you the truth, if two of you on earth agree about whatever you ask, my Father in heaven will do it for you.
Date: 70–90 CE (based on scholarly estimates)
Search:
Notes and References
"... Matthew 18 forms the fourth of the five major blocks of sermonic material that this Gospel groups together (the others are chaps. 5–7; 10; 13; 23–25). Jesus is speaking privately to his disciples about the themes of humility and forgiveness. Matthew 18:15–18 forms the well-known passage on church discipline. Here a procedure is outlined not just for confronting flagrant sinners, but for dealing with any unresolved grievances ... Together, 18:15–20 provide an important contextual qualification, as do 18:23–35, to the apparently unlimited forgiveness that 18:21–22 enjoin. As the parallel in Luke 17:3–4 also demonstrates, that forgiveness is applicable only when genuine repentance has occurred. When it has, though, people truly forgiven by God will forgive others. Deuteronomy 19:15 is cited again in 2 Corinthians 13:1, alluded to in 1 Timothy 5:19, and its principle seems to lie behind the actions taken in Matthew 26:59–61; and John 8:17 (where this law appears to be paraphrased); Hebrews 6:18; Revelation 11:3 ..."
G. K. Beale and D. A. Carson, Commentary on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2007), 178.
* The use of references are not endorsements of their contents. Please read the entirety of the provided reference(s) to understand the author's full intentions regarding the use of these texts.
Your Feedback:
Leave a Comment
Anonymous comments are welcome. All comments are subject to moderation.
User Comments
,