Matthew 18:14

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.

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.

ap. Anselm: Or otherwise; Because so great evils come of brethren being scandalized, "Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones."

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]

Or because the perfect are esteemed of many as little ones, as poor, namely, and despicable.

But this exposition does not seem to agree with that which was said, "If any one scandalizes one of these little ones;" for the perfect man is not scandalized, nor does he perish. But he who thinks this the true exposition, says, that the mind of a righteous man is variable, and is sometimes offended, but not easily.

ap. Anselm: Therefore are they not to be despised for that they are so dear to God, that Angels are deputed to be their guardians; "For I say unto you, that in heaven their Angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven."

Some will have it that an Angel is given as an attendant minister from the time when in the laver of regeneration the infant is born in Christ; for, say they, it is incredible that a holy Angel watches over those who are unbelieving and in error, but in his time of unbelief and sin man is under the Angels of Satan. Others will have it, that those who are foreknown of God, have straightway from their very birth a guardian Angel.

High dignity of souls, that each from its birth has an Angel set in charge over it!

Here He is speaking not of any Angels, but of the higher sort; for when He says, "Behold the face of my Father," He shews that their presence before God is free and open, and their honour great.

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.

And therefore the Angels always behold the face of the Father, and yet they come to us; for by a spiritual presence they come forth to us, and yet by internal contemplation keep themselves there whence they come forth; for they come not so forth from the divine vision, as to hinder the joys of inward contemplation.

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.

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.

He gives yet another reason weightier than the foregoing, why the little ones are not to be despised, "For the Son of Man is come to save that which was lost."

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.

And to this reasoning He adds a parable, in which He sets forth the Father as seeking the salvation of men, and saying, "What think you, If a man have a hundred sheep."

This refers to the Creator of man Himself; for a hundred is a perfect number, and He had a hundred sheep when He created the substance of Angels and men.

But by the one sheep is to be understood one man, and under this one man is comprehended the whole human race. He that seeks man is Christ, and the ninety and nine are the host of the heavenly glory which He left.

The Evangelist says they were left "on the mountains," to signify that the sheep, which were not lost, abode on high.

ap. Anselm: 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.

Others think that by the ninety and nine sheep are understood the number of the righteous, and by the one sheep the sinners according to that said in another place, "I am not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance." [Matt 9:13]

We must consider whence it is that the Lord declares that He has joy rather over the converted sinners, than over the righteous that stand. Because these last are often slothful and slack to practise the greater good works, as being very secure within themselves, for that they have committed none of the heavier sins. While on the other hand those who have their wicked deeds to remember, do often through the compunction of sorrow glow with the more heat in their love of God, and when they think how they have strayed from Him, they replace their former losses by gains following. So the general in a battle loves best that soldier who turns in his flight and courageously presses the enemy, than him who never turned his back, yet never did any valorous deed. Yet there be some righteous over whom is joy so great, that no penitent can be preferred before them, those, who though not conscious to themselves of sins, yet reject things lawful, and humble themselves in all things. How great is the joy when the righteous mourns, and humbles himself, if there be joy when the unrighteous condemns himself wherein he has done amiss?

[ed. note: These two passages, to which the name of Bede is prefixed in all the editions, have been sought for in Bede without success. They occur in Anselm's "Enarrationes," and the latter may perhaps be originally derived from Aug., Quaest. Ev., ii, 32.] Or; By the ninety-nine sheep, which He left on the mountains, are signified the proud to whom a unit is still wanting for perfection. When then He has found the sinner, He rejoices over him, that is, He makes his own to rejoice over him, rather than over the false righteous.

What follows, "Even so it is not the will, &c." is to be referred to what was said above, "Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones;: and so He shews that this parable was set forth to enforce that same saying. Also in saying, "It is not the will of my Father which is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish," He shews that so oft as one of these little ones does perish, it is not by the Father's will that it perishes.

XIV. But if thou refusest to receive him that repents, thou exposest him to those who lie in wait to destroy, forgetting what David says: “Deliver not my soul, which confesses to Thee, unto destroying beasts.” Wherefore Jeremiah , when he is exhorting men to repentance, says thus: “Shall not he that falleth arise? or he that turneth away, cannot he return? Wherefore have my people gone back by a shameless backsliding? and they are hardened in their purpose. Turn, ye backsliding children, and I will heal your backslidings.” Receive, therefore, without any doubting, him that repents. Be not hindered by such unmerciful men, who say that we must not be defiled with such as those, nor so much as speak to them: for such advice is from men that are unacquainted with God and His providence, and are unreasonable judges, and unmerciful brutes. …

But another might say that the perfect man is here called little, applying the word, “For he that is least among you all, the same is great,” and will affirm that he who humbles himself and becomes a child in the midst of all that believe, though he be an apostle or a bishop, and becomes such “as when a nurse cherisheth her own children,” is the little one pointed out by Jesus, and that the angel of such an one is worthy to behold the face of God. For to say that the little are here called perfect, according to the passage, “He that is least among you all, the same is great,” and as Paul said, “Unto me who am less than the least of all saints was this grace given,” will seem to be in harmony with the saying, “Whoso shall cause one of these little ones to stumble,” and “So it is not the will of My Father in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish.” For he, as has been stated, …

[As for the exposition of the matters relating to “the hundred sheep,” you may consult the homilies on Luke.]

“ If thy brother sin against thee, go, shew him his fault between thee and him alone. ” He, then, who attends closely to the expression, in proof of the surpassing philanthropy of Jesus, will say, that as the words do not suggest a difference of sins, they will act in a singular manner and contrary to the goodness of Jesus, who supply the thought, that these words are to be understood as being limited in their application to lesser sins. But another, also attending closely to the expression, and not wishing to introduce these extraneous thoughts, nor admitting that it is spoken about every sin, will say, that he who commits those great sins is not a brother, even if he be called a brother, as the Apostle says, “If any one that is named a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, etc., with such an one not to eat;” for no one who is an idolater, or a fornicator, or covetous, i …

Again, He is putting another reason stronger than the former, and connects with it a parable, by which He brings in the Father also as desiring these things. “For how think ye?” saith He; “If a man have an hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and goeth into the mountains, and seeketh that which is gone astray? And if so be that he find it,he rejoiceth over it more than over the ninety and nine, which went not astray. Even so it is not will before your Father,that one of these little ones should perish.”

But now consider the benevolent and Apostolic feelings of the writer: that for the sake of a single individual he took such pains as to write for him an entire Gospel. “That thou mightest have,” he says, “the certainty of those things, wherein thou hast been instructed.” ( Luke i. 4 .) In truth, he had heard Christ say, “It is not the will of My Father that one of these little ones should perish.” ( Matt. xviii. 14 .) And why did he not make one book of it, to send to one man Theophilus, but has divided it into two subjects? For clearness, and to give the brother a pause for rest. Besides, the two treatises are distinct in their subject-matter.

What sayest thou? Dost thou excite contentions and fightings? And doth any ask who is so unhappy? Many there are who rejoice at evil, and who do rather rend in pieces the Body of Christ, than did the soldiers pierce it with the spear, or the Jews who struck it through with the nails. A less evil was that than this; those Members, so cut through, again united, but these when torn off, if they be not united here, will never be united, but remain apart from the Fullness. When thou art minded to war against thy brother, bethink thee that thou warrest against the members of Christ, and cease from thy madness. For what if he be an outcast? What if he be vile? What if he be open to contempt? So saith He, “It is not the will of My Father that one of these little ones should perish.” ( Matt. xviii. 14 .) And again, “Their Angels do always behold the face of My Father which is in heaven.” ( Ib. …

Is not then this Thy will? And how sayest Thou, “I am come to send fire upon the earth, and what have I desired to see, if that be already kindled”? ( Luke xii. 49 .) For if Thou also desirest this, it is very clear that Thy will and the Father’s is one. In another place also He saith, “For as the Father raiseth up the dead and quickeneth them, even so the Son quickeneth whom He will.” ( c. v. 21 .) But what is the will of the Father? Is it not, that not so much as one of them should perish? This Thou willest also. ( Matt. xviii. 14 .) So that the will of the One differeth not from the will of the Other. So in another place He is seen establishing yet more firmly His equality with the Father, saying, “I and My Father ‘will come, and will make Our abode with him.’” ( c. xiv. …

For the purpose of God whereby He made man not to perish but to live for ever, stands immovable. And when His goodness sees in us even the very smallest spark of good will shining forth, which He Himself has struck as it were out of the hard flints of our hearts, He fans and fosters it and nurses it with His breath, as He “willeth all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth,” for as He says, “it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish,” and again it says: “Neither will God have a soul to perish, but recalleth,” meaning that he that is cast off should not altogether perish. …