Matthew 18:14Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Or otherwise; As to shun the evil, so to honour the good, has great recompense. Above then He had bid them to cut off the friendships of those that gave offence, here He teaches them to shew honour and service to the saints.

When considered as a whole, this suggests that God is invested in the repentance of sinners and finds greater joy in their transformation than in the unwavering righteousness of the virtuous.

Or; They are called our Angels who are indeed the Angels of God. they are Gods because they have not forsaken Him; they are ours because they have begun to have us for their fellow-citizens. As they now behold God, so shall we also behold Him face to face, of which vision John speaks, We shall see him as he is. (1 John 3:2.) For by the face of God is to be understood the manifestation of Himself, not a member or feature of the body, such as we call by that name.

The Lord had said, under the type of hand, foot, and eye, that all kin and connection which could afford scandal must be cut off. The harshness of this declaration He accordingly tempers with the following precept, saying, Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; i. e. As far as you may avoid despising them, but next to your own salvation seek also to heal them. But if ye see that they hold to their sins, it is better that ye be saved, than that ye perish in much company.

The lesson imparted by the parable reveals that He refers to Himself as the Father of His disciples, not merely in the role of Teacher, but as their Creator as well. It is important to recognize that He occasionally identifies His Father in one instance and Himself in another. The phrase 'Before your Father' serves as an idiomatic expression, akin to saying 'in your Father.' Yet, one may wonder why He did not provide a clear indication to differentiate between the least of these. This omission encourages us to avoid despising anyone due to a lack of discernment regarding the worthy, prompting us instead to show care for all.

The little ones are those that are but lately born in Christ, or those who abide without advance, as though lately born. But Christ judged it needless to give command concerning not despising the more perfect believers, but concerning the little ones, as He had said above, If any man shall offend one of these little ones. A man may perhaps say that a little one here means a perfect Christian, according to that He says elsewhere, Whoso is least among you, he shall be great. (Luke 9:48.)

The Angels offer daily to God the prayers of those that are to be saved by Christ; it is therefore perilous to despise him whose desires and requests are conveyed to the eternal and invisible God, by the service and ministry of Angels.

But Dionysius says, that it is from the ranks of the lesser Angels that these are sent to perform this ministry, either visibly or invisibly, for that those higher ranks have not the employment of an outward ministry.

The Lord found the sheep when He restored man, and over that sheep that is found there is more joy in heaven than over the ninety and nine, because there is a greater matter for thanksgiving to God in the restoration of man than in the creation of the Angels. Wonderfully are the Angels made, but more wonderfully man restored.

Note, that nine wants only one to make it ten, and ninety and nine the same to be a hundred. Thus members which want one only to be perfect, may be larger or smaller, but yet the unit remaining invariable, when it is added makes the rest perfect. And that the number of sheep might be made up perfect in heaven, lost man was sought on earth.

As much as to say, Despise not little ones, for I also for men condescended to become man. By that which was lost, understand the human race; for all the elements have kept their place, but man was lost, because he has broken his ordained place.

It is fitting, therefore, that the parable presented aligns with His arrival in the world. The lost sheep symbolizes an individual—part of the flock of one hundred, representing the multitude of heavenly beings—who shares their nature, possessing reason and thus included among them. This sheep strayed due to the sin of Adam. Naturally, there is a desire for its return, as it is connected to those who dwell close to God, fulfilling a necessary role so that the Shepherd does not suffer from a lack, which would hinder Him. This is why Paul referred to the reconciliation of all things under the authority of Christ (Eph. 1:10) as the restoration of that which had fallen away; the unity of all creation in Christ remains incomplete due to the absence of the lost sheep.

It is not the desire of your heavenly Father that even one of these little ones should be lost. I tell you that there is greater joy in Heaven over a single sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous individuals who don’t require repentance. The Divine Shepherd of souls is immensely gracious; in the heights of Heaven, there are not merely ninety-nine, but countless multitudes of souls He tends, guided by the voices of His radiant celestial beings. Yet, He does not disregard even one frail, straying sheep that has wandered from Him through its own choices, lost in the wilderness of the earth. He joyfully lifts it onto His shoulders, carrying it home with tenderness.

An additional caution pertains to our interactions with those outside the faith: when your wrongdoing could potentially lead others into temptation, exercise vigilance and do not presume that I can overlook the actions of any individual, for they bear significance. Can one be deemed insignificant when their guardian angel perpetually stands before the face of the Almighty? Is a person truly of little worth when the Son of Man Himself came to rescue those who had strayed? This teaching is further illustrated through the parable of the lost sheep and the joy found in its recovery.

The discussion regarding the safeguarding of the faith's young ones in the Gospel of Mark, particularly in verses 49-50, seems to reach a conclusion. However, the Gospel of Matthew offers an extension to this narrative. Here, Christ emphasizes a lesser transgression against these faithful ones, shifting focus from direct temptation to neglect. By addressing the apostles' dismissive view towards the lesser ones in faith, Jesus illustrates their significance in the eyes of God: 1) the Lord has entrusted their guardianship to exalted beings like the angels, who perpetually behold the face of the Father in heaven, and 2) He has sent His only begotten Son for their redemption.

Do not look down upon those who appear to be mired in their transgressions, for the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost. Just as each person, when one sheep among many goes missing, will actively search for that wayward one, rejoicing even more upon its return than over the others that remained safe, so too did the Son of Man descend to the earth to find and rescue those who are perishing. It is the desire of your heavenly Father that everyone may attain salvation and that none should be lost. If this is God's intention, if He sent His Son to redeem sinners, how can we scorn those who reflect our own humanity, regardless of their greater sins? Instead of casting judgment on the wayward, embrace the individual within, serve him, and lead him back to the path of truth from which he has wandered, restoring him to grace.

God’s will is evident in His active pursuit of the lost, orchestrating various means for their repentance and transformation. To summarize, the essence is that the Lord values the redemption of sinners and celebrates their return with greater joy than that of the righteous who are already steadfast in their goodness.

The Lord illustrated this profound truth with a vivid example drawn from the life of shepherds, which he also referenced at another time (Luke 15:3-7): “What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains to seek the one that is lost? And if he finds it, truly, I tell you, he rejoices more over that one sheep than over the ninety-nine that did not go astray.” The heavenly Father, who sent His Son into the world for its redemption (John 3:17), values the believers; they are precious to Him. Thus, it is not His will that any of these little ones should perish. After understanding this, how can we disregard those whom God cherishes so deeply?