Matthew 18:10 - Printer Friendly

ESV: "See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven.

NIV: "See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven.

NASB: See that you do not look down on one of these little ones; for I say to you that their angels in heaven continually see the face of My Father who is in heaven.

CSB: "See to it that you don’t despise one of these little ones, because I tell you that in heaven their angels continually view the face of my Father in heaven.

NLT: Beware that you don’t look down on any of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels are always in the presence of my heavenly Father.

KJV: Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven.

NKJV: “Take heed that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that in heaven their angels always see the face of My Father who is in heaven.

Scholars and commentators offer several interpretations for what Jesus might mean in this verse. He seems to be warning the disciples not to despise or disrespect any believers in Jesus. Some Bible teachers believe Jesus is speaking of actual little children, but most agree that Jesus is talking about His little ones, meaning all believers in Jesus, whatever their ages.

Why would the disciples ever despise or disrespect another believer in Jesus? It's hard to know, but Jesus may just be describing the way that human beings often treat each other. Jesus-followers, though, must not despise or be hurtful to each other in the normal ways of humans. Jesus seems to be telling His disciples to elevate the value they place on other believers because of the value God places on those believers. After all, Jesus says, their angels always see the face of God the Father in heaven.

Over the years, people have pointed to this verse as evidence that every believer has his or her own "guardian angel." This verse does not suggest that, however. For one thing, those angels are in heaven seeing the face of God. They are not on earth protecting the believers. That doesn't mean it could not be true that specific angels or groups of angels are assigned to specific Christians, just that it can't be taken from this verse.

Jesus' point seems to be that these angels are connected in some way to these human believers while also being in the presence of God's glory. As such, every believer is valuable and worthy of respect.

Some Bible scholars offer one other possible reading of this verse. They interpret the word "angels" to mean the spirits of those believers instead of actual angels. In that case, Jesus would be saying that the human believers we see on earth are also looking at the face of God in heaven or will be at some point. In other words, God has valued them so highly that He has already reserved a place in heaven for them. Who are we to disrespect them now?

Matthew 18:10–14 describes the great value God the Father places on everyone who believes in Jesus. This is often referred to as the Parable of the Lost Sheep. Jesus warns His disciples not to despises any of the believers, calling them "little ones." They are connected to the glory of God by their angels in heaven. God the Father is a like shepherd with a wandering sheep. He will leave all the others to go and bring that sheep back. The Father's will is that none of His own should perish.

Jesus uses two questions from the disciples to teach important lessons. The "greatest" in the kingdom is the one who humbles himself like a child. Temptation is unavoidable in earthly life, but it's worth going to extremes to avoid falling for it. Even so, those who fall should not be hated and despised. God the Father values them highly and wants none of them to perish. In fact, Jesus lays out a clear, careful process to confront sin in others before removing them from the community. Christ also replies to Peter's question about forgiveness with a parable. This story represents both God's amazing forgiveness, and the way we ought to respond as Christians.

The Gospel of Matthew clearly shows the influence of its writer's background, and his effort to reach a specific audience. Matthew was one of Jesus' twelve disciples, a Jewish man, and a former tax collector. This profession would have required literacy, and Matthew may have transcribed some of Jesus' words as they were spoken. This book is filled with references to the Old Testament, demonstrating to Israel that Jesus is the Promised One. Matthew also includes many references to coins, likely due to his former profession. Matthew records extensive accounts of Jesus' teaching, more than the other three Gospels.