Matthew 18:15-20 deals with the ways in which we use authority and dispense forgiveness. One cannot grasp fully the import of vss. 15-20 without first reading the part of chapter 18 that precedes it. Jesus makes use of hyperbole to emphasize the importance of forbearance and love in retrieving those whom had been lost to God. So, I came up with several questions that I think arise within the confines of vss. 18-20 that give me reason to contemplate the deeper issues that spring from these passages.
1.How difficult is it for us to believe that one with whom we strongly disagree belongs to God every bit as much as we do? This is an unsettling question for such a politically divisive time in which we find ourselves here in the US.
2. Is it possible to use these passages as a way to keep other believers from questioning authority? Was that Jesus' intent in these sayings?
3. Does the behavior of individual believers become the business of the church when the behavior serves to divide members of the community? Some religious communities use this as a basis for the practice of shunning.
Chapter 18 begins with the disciples asking Jesus who among them is greatest in the kingdom of heaven. The question itself seems to illustrate why Jesus may have been developing gray hairs, even as a young man. He begins his answer be referring to children, who were not really given much attention in their day. From that point, it gets more and more difficult for the disciples to deny that they have really "stepped in it" by asking such a self-centered question. Jesus seems to have really wanted them to think about cleaning their own houses and of reducing the petty conflicts that may have divided them. One would think that the church would get this message without confusion, but the evidence seems to be to the contrary. Those good Christian people who nurse grudges or try to keep others down by making them feel spiritually inferior need to examine these passages very closely. The good news for everyone is that, just as God will go to any length to retrieve a lost one, we people of faith are encouraged to set ourselves free to forgive and forebear one another to an extent not imagined before. There is a freedom in this that outweighs the captivity engendered in holding grudges of in refusing to welcome those whom God has already welcomed.
1 comment:
I smile when I think about Jesus wanting to tear his hair out at such a selfish question!
This passage is very timely with the political conventions going on this week...I'm going to reflect on this tonight and maybe I'll have something insightful to post tomorrow!
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