As you read through the Gospel of Matthew, you’ve probably noticed that Jesus is turning the world upside down … or should we say right side up? This is no more the case than in Matthew 18. Jesus shares five different stories, all seemingly unrelated. But when we dig a bit deeper, we find a common theme: Jesus takes the cultural norms of the day and turns them right side up.

First, Jesus lifts up children as the “greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” We might see this as a nice, cute gesture, but in Jesus’ day, children were an afterthought, those who should be seen and not heard.

Secondly, Jesus confronts the religious establishment of the day, who were causing God’s people “to stumble” by offering up hundreds of legalistic rules nowhere to be found in Scripture. All this was doing was making it harder for God’s people to truly know and understand the heart of God. Jesus doesn’t go after the “sinners” but rather the religious leaders themselves.

Next, in a culture obsessed with power, wealth, and numbers as the Romans were, Jesus tells a scandalous story about the heart of God. If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off? (Matthew 18:12). It turns out, God cares about every single individual as “sheep” in his fold, a stark contrast from the brutal indifference of the Romans.

Next, Jesus offers a contrasting way of operating in relationships. In a culture obsessed with getting even or returning hate for hate, Jesus challenges the status quo by encouraging his followers to “speak the truth in love” directly to anyone who’s hurt you. Finally, on this same theme, Jesus ends with the parable of the “unmerciful servant.” Instead of retaliation, Jesus lifts up the power of mercy and forgiveness—foreign concepts in a world of power and brutality.

The startling reality is that these teachings are just as counter-cultural today. A sobering truth is that the world’s ills haven’t changed much in 2,000 years, but God’s word remains just as relevant and powerful as ever.

Reflection:

  • Which of the “cultural norms” from Jesus’ day do you still see our world struggling with today (overlooking kids, religious corruption, indifference to suffering, gossip, lack of mercy)?
  • What is a step you can take to follow one of Jesus’ “new norms” illustrated in Matthew 18?