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Old Testament Cross-References for Matthew 18:16 and 10:34-36

Matthew 18:16 and Matthew 10:34-36 contain significant teachings from Jesus, with the latter passage having direct Old Testament allusions.

Matthew 18:16

Matthew 18:16 states, "But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses" (ESV). This verse is part of a larger discourse by Jesus on church discipline, specifically addressing how to handle a brother who sins against another. The principle articulated here is a direct reference to Old Testament legal requirements concerning testimony.

The phrase "by the evidence of two or three witnesses" echoes several Old Testament passages. Deuteronomy 19:15, for instance, mandates, "A single witness shall not suffice to convict a person of any crime or of any offense in connection with any offense that he has committed. Only on the evidence of two witnesses or of three witnesses shall a charge be established" (ESV). This legal standard is also found in Deuteronomy 17:6 and Numbers 35:30, which similarly require multiple witnesses for capital cases and murder convictions, respectively. The purpose of this requirement was to ensure justice and prevent false accusations, as a single witness could be unreliable or malicious.

In the context of Matthew 18, Jesus applies this established legal principle to the internal governance of the community of believers. Before bringing a matter before the whole church, an individual should first confront the offending party privately, then with one or two others, ensuring that the accusation is substantiated by multiple testimonies, just as required in the Mosaic Law [10]. This demonstrates Jesus' respect for and application of Old Testament legal principles within the new covenant community.

Matthew 10:34-36

Matthew 10:34-36 presents a challenging statement from Jesus: "Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. And a person's enemies will be those of his own household" (ESV). These verses are part of Jesus' instructions to his disciples as he sends them out on mission.

The core of these verses, particularly Matthew 10:35-36, directly quotes or alludes to Micah 7:6 [1, 2]. Micah 7:6, in a lament over the moral decay of Israel, states, "For the son treats the father with contempt, the daughter rises up against her mother, the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; a man's enemies are the men of his own house" (ESV).

By quoting Micah 7:6, Jesus is not advocating for familial discord as an end in itself. Instead, he is warning his disciples that their allegiance to him will inevitably lead to division, even within the closest family units [16]. The "sword" Jesus speaks of is not primarily a literal weapon, but rather the divisive nature of the gospel message itself, which demands exclusive loyalty and often clashes with existing loyalties and societal norms. John Calvin, in his Institutes of the Christian Religion, frequently references Matthew 10, though not specifically these verses in the provided excerpts [4, 6, 7, 8, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15]. Charles Hodge also lists Matthew 10 in his Systematic Theology [3, 5, 9, 10].

The context of Micah 7:6 is a prophecy of judgment and a call for faithfulness amidst widespread corruption. The prophet describes a society where trust has broken down, and even family bonds are severed due to moral depravity. Jesus' use of this prophecy suggests that the coming of the Messiah, far from ushering in immediate universal peace, would first bring a period of intense spiritual and social conflict, forcing individuals to choose between loyalty to him and loyalty to family or tradition. This choice would often result in painful estrangement, fulfilling the prophetic words of Micah. The Jamieson, Fausset & Brown commentary on Luke 14:26 also points to Matthew 10:34-36 for understanding the concept of familial division for Christ's sake [16].

Sources

  1. Matthew “For I came to set a man at odds against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. -- Matthew 10:35”
  2. Matthew “A man’s foes will be those of his own household. -- Matthew 10:36”
  3. CCEL (Reformed (Old Princeton)) “Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology, Vol. 2, section 144: Index of Scripture References Genesis 1:26 1:26-27 1:27 2:7 2:7 3:1 3:6 3:15 3:15 3:19 3:22 3:22 6:3 6:5 6:5-6 8:21 8:21 10:15-18 15:18 17:13 21:27 37:35 46:15 46:18 46:22 46:25 Exodus 4:16 7:1 10:17 30:12-16 30:15 31:3-4 32:30 32:32 34:6-7 34:7 Leviticus 4:2 4:3 4:20 4:26 5:1 5:6-7 5:16 5:16 5:17 7:1 7:18 16:6 17:10 17:11 17:16 19:8 20:17 22:9 Numbers 6:11 9:1-23 9:13 10:1-36 11:17 14:33 14:34 16:22 18:22 18:32 19:1-22 21:1-36 24:1-25 24:17 27:18 35:31 Deuteronomy 1:39 8:18 10:16 18:18-19 30:6 30:6 Joshua 24:25 Judges 3:10 16:31 1 Samue”
  4. CCEL (Reformed) “John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, section 109: 10:4 11:19 11:19 11:19-20 11:26 12:13 13:9 13:9 14:9 14:14 16:20 16:20 18:4 18:7-8 18:9 18:20 18:20 18:20 18:20 18:20 18:21 18:21 18:21-22 18:23 18:23 18:24 18:24 18:27 18:31 18:32 18:32 20:10 20:12 20:43-44 22:25-26 28:10 29:4 34:4 34:23 34:24 34:25 36:22 36:22 36:22 36:25 36:26 36:26 36:26-27 36:32 37:4 37:24-26 48:21 48:35 Daniel 2:21 2:34 2:37 2:37-38 2:44 4:17 4:25 4:27 4:27 5:18-19 6:22 7:9 7:10 7:10 7:10 7:25 9 9:5 9:7 9:18 9:18-20 9:20 9:24 9:24 9:26-27 9:27 10:13 10:13 10:20 10:21 12:1 12:1-2 12:2 12:3 Hosea 1:11 2:2 2:9 ”
  5. CCEL (Reformed (Old Princeton)) “Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology, Vol. 3, section 98: 5:9 5:9 5:10 5:10 5:12 5:12-21 5:12-21 5:16 5:16 5:17 5:18 5:18 5:18 5:18 5:18 5:18 5:19 5:19 5:19 5:19 5:19 5:19 5:19 5:21 6:1-8 6:1-23 6:1-23 6:3 6:3 6:3 6:4-10 6:5 6:8 6:14 6:14 6:14 6:14 7:1 7:1 7:1-6 7:1-25 7:2 7:2 7:3 7:3 7:4 7:4 7:4 7:4-6 7:4-6 7:6 7:7 7:7 7:7 7:7 7:7-25 7:7-25 7:12 7:14 7:24 7:33 7:34 8:1-39 8:3 8:9-11 8:9-11 8:10 8:11 8:12 8:16 8:16 8:17 8:17 8:19-21 8:19-23 8:21 8:25 8:30 8:33 8:34 8:34 9:1-33 9:4 9:4 9:4 9:8 9:8 10:3 10:3 10:4 10:8 10:9 10:9 10:10 10:10 10:10 10:11-15 10:14 10:14 10:15 11:1-36 11:6 11:11 11:11 ”
  6. CCEL (Reformed) “John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, section 109: 15:5 15:6 15:10 15:16 15:16 15:16 15:19 16:2 16:7 16:7 16:12 16:12 16:13 16:13 16:20 16:26 17:3 17:3 17:3 17:3 17:5 17:5 17:6 17:9 17:12 17:12 17:15 17:19 17:19 17:19 17:19 18:36 18:37 19:33 19:34 19:36 20 20:5 20:17 20:17 20:19 20:22 20:22 20:22 20:23 20:23 20:23 20:23 20:28 20:31 21:15 21:15 21:18 Acts 1 1:10 1:11 1:23 2:4 2:21 2:23 2:23 2:24 2:24 2:33 2:37 2:37-38 2:38 2:39 2:41 2:42 2:42 3:6 3:6 3:15 3:21 3:25 4:12 4:12 4:18 4:28 4:28 4:32 5:29 5:31 5:41 6:2 6:3 6:3 6:6 6:10 7:21 7:30 7:44 7:48 7:48 7:55 7:56 7:59 8:13-18 8:14”
  7. CCEL (Reformed) “John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, section 109: 2 Kings 1:12 5:17-19 5:31 6:17 6:17 8:19 10:10 16:10 16:17 17:24-34 19:4 19:35 20:2 20:3 20:9 20:11 20:15 22:1 22:3-4 22:8 22:20 23:16 2 Chronicles 19:6-7 19:6-7 34:15 Ezra 8:21 Nehemiah 1:4 1:5 1:6-7 9:14 Esther 4:16 Job 1:6 1:21 4:17-20 4:18 4:19 5:17 9:2-3 9:3 9:4 9:20 10:15 12:18 12:20 12:24 13:15 14:4 14:5 14:5 14:17 15:15-16 18:17 19:25-27 19:25-27 21:13 26:14 28:21 28:28 28:28 34:30 41:11 110 Psalms 1 1:1 1:2 2:2-4 2:8 2:9 2:9 2:10 2:12 2:12 3 3:5 5:3 5:7 5:7 6:1 7:6 7:9 8:2 8:3 8:4 8:4 9:10 12:2 12:6 14:1 14:3 14:53 15:1-2”
  8. CCEL (Reformed) “John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, section 109: 8:26 8:26 8:29 8:29 8:29-30 8:30 8:30 8:30 8:30 8:32 8:32 8:32 8:32 8:33 8:33 8:33 8:33-34 8:34 8:35 8:35 8:36 8:37 8:38 8:38 8:38 9:3 9:5 9:5 9:5 9:6 9:6 9:7 9:8 9:11 9:11 9:11-13 9:13 9:13 9:15 9:15 9:16 9:16 9:17 9:18 9:18 9:20 9:20-21 9:22 9:22-23 9:27 9:33 9:33 10:3 10:4 10:4 10:4 10:4 10:5-6 10:5-9 10:8 10:8 10:8 10:8 10:10 10:10 10:11 10:14 10:14 10:17 10:17 10:17 11:2 11:6 11:6 11:20 11:20 11:20-21 11:29 11:32 11:32 11:32 11:32-33 11:33-34 11:34 11:34 11:34 11:35 11:35 11:36 12:1 12:1 12:1 12:2 12:2 12:3 12:3 12:6 12:6 12:”
  9. CCEL (Reformed (Old Princeton)) “Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology, Vol. 3, section 98: Index of Scripture References Genesis 1:5 2:3 2:3 2:3 2:23 2:24 2:24 4:19 8:10 8:12 9:6 12:3 14:22 15:1-21 17:7 17:12 21:23 22:2 24:1-67 24:3 26:31 27:4 27:12 27:34-38 29:18 29:27 29:28 30:1 34:12 47:31 49:2-4 49:10 49:17 Exodus 1:19 1:20 3:13 3:14 6:8 6:12 16:23 16:26 20:1-26 20:2 21:9 21:12 21:14 21:17 22:10 22:19 23:7 24:8 26:3 26:5 26:6 26:17 31:13 31:14 31:16 31:17 34:28 Leviticus 4:17 7:18 10:11 14:6 17:1-16 17:4 18:1-30 18:6 18:8 18:16 18:18 18:18 18:18 19:12 20:23 23:1-44 24:17 25:39-41 26:1 26:41 Numbers 5:19 6:3-5 19:11 19:11-13”
  10. CCEL (Reformed (Old Princeton)) “Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology, Vol. 3, section 98: 16:16 16:17 16:19 16:19 16:27 17:11 18:3 18:17 18:18 18:19 18:25 19:1-30 19:3-9 19:3-9 19:4-9 19:5 19:9 19:10 19:10 19:11 19:11 19:28 20:28 22:37 22:38 23:39 24:1-25:46 24:3 24:6 24:6 24:14 24:14 24:14 24:24 24:29-35 24:30 24:30 24:31 24:31 24:34 24:34 24:36 25:31 25:31 25:31-46 25:31-46 25:31-46 25:31-46 25:32 25:32 25:41 25:46 26:26 26:26-28 26:27 26:63 26:64 27:24 27:43 28:19 28:19 28:19 28:19 28:19 28:19 28:20 28:20 28:20 28:24 Mark 1:8 1:15 3:4 6:18 6:48 7:4 7:4 7:4 7:28 9:42-48 10:2-12 10:4-9 10:7 10:8 10:11 10:12 10:13 12:26 13:7 1”
  11. CCEL (Reformed) “John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, section 109: 24:14 24:24 24:24 24:30 24:45 25:4 25:21 25:21 25:23 25:29 25:29 25:32 25:34 25:34 25:34 25:34 25:40 25:41 25:41 26:11 26:26 26:26 26:26 26:26 26:38 26:39 26:53 26:75 27:3-4 27:46 27:52 27:66 28:5 28:6 28:18 28:19 28:19 28:19 28:19 28:19 28:19-20 28:20 28:20 28:20 28:20 28:20 Mark 1:4 1:4 1:10 1:14 3:28 5:9 6:13 6:15 8:38 9:24 9:43 10:9 10:30 11:24 12:18 13:32 14:22 15:28 16:9 16:15 16:15 16:16 16:16 16:19 16:20 Luke 1:6 1:15 1:19 1:26 1:32 1:32 1:33 1:34 1:35 1:43 1:55 1:72 1:74-75 1:77 1:79 2:34 2:37 2:52 3:3 3:3 3:3 3:8 3:14 3:”
  12. CCEL (Reformed) “John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, section 109: 3:6 3:7 3:8 3:14 3:17 3:18 3:18 3:18 4:4 4:4 4:4 4:4 4:6 4:6 4:6 4:7 4:7 4:8 4:8-9 4:10 4:10 4:10 4:13 4:16 5:1 5:2 5:4 5:5 5:6 5:6 5:6 5:6 5:6-7 5:6-7 5:10 5:10 5:10 5:10 5:18 5:18 5:18-19 5:18-21 5:19 5:19 5:19 5:19-20 5:19-21 5:20 5:20 5:20-21 5:21 5:21 5:21 5:21 5:21 5:21 5:21 6:7-8 6:8 6:16 6:16 6:16 7:1 7:1 7:1 7:1 7:2 7:2 7:10 7:10 8:16-17 9:6 9:7 10:4 10:4-5 10:4-6 10:8 11:2 11:14 11:14 12:2 12:7 12:7 12:8-9 12:9 12:21 13:4 13:4 13:4 13:5 13:13 Galatians 1:1 1:6 1:8 1:18 1:18 2:1-2 2:3 2:3-5 2:6 2:8 2:9 2:11 2:14 2:16 2:19”
  13. CCEL (Reformed) “John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, section 109: 4:5-6 4:6 4:11 4:12 4:18 Colossians 1:2-3 1:4 1:5 1:5 1:9-10 1:12 1:13 1:14 1:14 1:14 1:14 1:15 1:15 1:15 1:15 1:15 1:16 1:16 1:16-18 1:17 1:18 1:19-20 1:20 1:20 1:21 1:21-22 1:24 1:24 1:26 1:26 1:26 2:2 2:3 2:3 2:3 2:3 2:3 2:10 2:11 2:12 2:12 2:13-14 2:14 2:14 2:14-15 2:16 2:16-17 2:17 2:17 2:17 2:19 2:20 2:20-21 2:23 2:23 3:1 3:1 3:1-2 3:2 3:3 3:3 3:4 3:5 3:6 3:10 3:10 3:11 3:14 3:14 3:14 3:16 3:19 3:24 3:25 4:3 4:17 1 Thessalonians 1:5 2:13 2:18 2:20 3:5 3:12 3:13 4:3 4:4 4:5 4:7 4:7 4:15 4:16 4:16 4:16-17 5:2 5:9 5:17-18 5:19 ”
  14. CCEL (Reformed) “John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, section 109: 2:19 2:21 2:24 4:3 4:6 4:8 4:11-12 4:14 5:12 5:12 5:13 5:14 5:15 5:16 5:16 5:16 5:17-18 1 Peter 1:2 1:2 1:2 1:3 1:5 1:5 1:9 1:11 1:12 1:12 1:15 1:16 1:18-19 1:18-19 1:19 1:19-20 1:20 1:21 1:21 1:21 1:21 1:22 1:23 1:23 1:23 2:5 2:9 2:9 2:9 2:13 2:17 2:17 2:18 2:24 2:24 2:24 2:24 2:24 2:25 2:25 3:18 3:19 3:21 3:21 3:21 3:21 3:21 3:21 4:3 4:3 4:8 4:8 4:11 4:11 4:14 4:17 5:1 5:2 5:2 5:3 5:5 5:6 5:7 5:8 5:8 5:9 2 Peter 1:4 1:4 1:4 1:5 1:13-14 1:14 1:14 1:19 2:1 2:4 2:4 3:4 3:8 3:9 3:16 11:9 1 John 1:1 1:7 1:7 1:7 1:9 1:9 1:10 2:1 2:1 2”
  15. CCEL (Reformed) “John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, section 109: Index of Scripture References Genesis 1:2 1:26 1:27 1:31 2:7 2:7 2:17 2:18 2:23 2:23 3:7 3:9 3:12 3:15 3:15 3:15 3:22 4:4 4:7 4:10 4:13 6:3 6:5 6:6 6:18 7:21 8:21 9:6 12:12 12:17 14:18 14:18 15:1 15:1 15:5 15:17 16:9 17:7 17:7 17:10 17:10 17:13 17:15 17:27 18:2 18:23 20:3 20:7 21:1 21:12 21:24 22:1 22:8 22:16-18 23:4 23:19 24:7 24:10 26:27 27:28 27:38-39 28:12 28:20 29 30:2 31:19 31:20 31:40-41 32 32:10 32:13 32:29-30 33 34 36:22 37:18 37:28 37:33 38:18 42 43 43:14 45:5 47:9 47:9 47:29-30 48:14 48:16 49:5-6 49:18 Exodus 2:12 3:2 3”
  16. Luke (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on Luke 14:26: If any man, &c.--(See on Mat 10:34-36, and Mar 8:34-35).”
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