Matthew 18:10 (KJV)

Passage

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.

Nearby Context

Matthew 18:8 Wherefore if thy hand or thy foot offend thee, cut them off, and cast them from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life halt or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into everlasting fire.

Matthew 18:9 And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire.

Matthew 18:10 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.

Matthew 18:11 For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost.

Matthew 18:12 How think ye? 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?

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "take", "heed", "despise", "little", "ones", "heaven", "angels", and "always". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "take" and "heed", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 9's "And if thine eye offend thee pluck..." into verse 11's "For the Son of man is come...", so "take" and "heed" belong inside that flow. In Matthew context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "take" and "heed" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.