Hello 👋 😁 & Welcome!
Today’s devotion comes straight out of the book of Matthew. Thanks for joining us as we dig into God’s word and take #heed, put into account with deep consideration and attentiveness for out of it flows the issues of life. “He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.” -Revelation 2:29
Whenever two or more are gathered, it can be really hard to get along. It is not only the novel coronavirus, with its threat to physical bodies and emotional well-being, but also the deadly viruses of systemic racism, sexism, ageism, or many other (isms) that establish hierarchies of human value while infecting the communal bodies of the church and the world.
Facing up to the challenge:
Conflicts fester and explode, thanks to fear or misplaced loyalty, and people talk more about one another than they talk with one another. Stir into the congregational mix divided loyalties and power dynamics, not to mention the challenge of discerning what actually counts as sin regarding the one who “sins against you.”
Matthew 18:15
“Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother.”
And it is tempting to throw one’s hands in the air about prospects for resolution, in spite of this week’s reading. Much of Jesus’ teaching in Matthew makes the prospects seem even more challenging. As early as the Sermon on the Mount, his breakthrough public appearance in Matthew’s account, Jesus spells out a series of virtually unattainable expectations for those who are being, trained for the kingdom of heaven.
Matthew 13:52
“Then said he unto them, Therefore every scribe which is instructed unto the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which bringeth forth out of his treasure things new and old.”
And if we are angry with a brother or sister, you will be liable to judgment:
It is a personal walk and it is our responsibility to clean up our own spiritual houses and not someone else. We cannot continue pushing the blame for behaviors we fail to acknowledge to change as many people cannot stomach God’s corrections and reproof.
Matthew 5:22
“But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.”
And if your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away: Eternity is forever and our souls are at stake as they are of great value and worth.
For what is a man profit, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? And what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?
Matthew 5:29
“And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.”
Do not resist an evildoer:
Many times we tend to run from what makes us uncomfortable but we are to stand still in the front lines in the face of the enemy and then will we see and experience the salvation of the Lord, through His Pillar of Fire. The pillars of fire and cloud are a dual theophany, (a personal encounter with a deity) that is a manifestation of God. It’s described in various places in the first five books of Hebrew Bible. The pillars are said to have guided the Israelites through the desert during the Exodus of Egypt.
Matthew 5:39
“But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.”
Love your enemies:
When you begin to recognize the ways of God, you’ll understand that he works in the opposite realm. The world says, to hate your enemies but Jesus teaches us to love our enemies. And yet he doesn’t stop there as he takes it to the next level by instructing us to bless them that curse you, and to pray for them that despitefully use you and persecute you. As people express malice and hate for us we are also to give a soft answer as grievous words, stir up anger. We are to be gentle with our tongue in the same manner God is with us when we are distasteful a times to Him. The love of God will swallow up that darkness as men love darkness rather than light because of their evil deeds.
Matthew 5:44-45
“But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.”
Matthew 5:48
“Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.”
Jesus sets the bar high and does not let his followers off the accountability hook, as his pledge is to be present with them through whatever may come our way. It’s a promise that empowers us to live in our callings.
Protecting the vulnerable:
Jesus encourages the church to be a community that nurtures honest dialogue and refuses to keep silent in the face of behavior that harms others. By hearing this passage in its narrative context, we might note that its primary function is less to define a universal, process of conflict resolution as if following the order will produce guaranteed results, and more to model how to walk alongside and protect those who are being disempowered or made vulnerable, enabling them to speak so others might hear.
The passage is situated shortly after Jesus’ exhortation to exhibit concern for the “little ones,” those who are afforded the least power within the dominant community.
Matthew 18:1-9
“At the same time came the disciples unto Jesus, saying, Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them, And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me. But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea. Woe unto the world because of offences! for it must needs be that offences come; but woe to that man by whom the offence cometh! 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. 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.”
Jesus focuses attention on their vulnerability by centering a child “in the middle” of the disciples. He proclaims that it would be better to be thrown into the sea with a millstone around one’s neck than to place a “stumbling block” before such a one. It is a strong indictment against attitudes and practices that obstruct human flourishing for all of God’s children, regardless of chronological age. In today’s vocabulary, perhaps Jesus might have said to the disciples, “Check your privilege, people.”
Immediately before our passage, Jesus connects these “little ones” to the parable of the sheep, for whose sake the shepherd leaves 99 in order to seek the one.
Matthew 18:10-14
“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. For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost. 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? And if so be that he find it, verily I say unto you, he rejoiceth more of that sheep, than of the ninety and nine which went not astray. Even so it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish.”
In Matthew’s version of the parable, there is no hint that the single sheep is more sinful than the 99, nor that it is in any way inferior to the others. It has simply been “led astray.” No cause is given, and the gap leaves space for the preacher’s imagination. Perhaps the 99 blocked access to food or a safe place to sleep or in some other way prevented the one from thriving. Just as the child matters to Jesus, the lone sheep matters to the shepherd. Yet, these teachings focus the church’s attention on those who face the larger risks, or have the least power and the most to lose, or who find themselves to be in a dangerous or vulnerable situation, often through no fault of their own. The process of truth-telling and accountability enjoined in this passage best takes place with careful attention to the church’s call to protect the disempowered and vulnerable ones, walking alongside in solidarity as they speak up about the harm they have experienced.
Preachers must keep in mind that it may be unsafe and perhaps even life-threatening for one person to call out the sin of another when the two are alone. Too often the burden for initiating a “Matthew 18 process” falls upon one whose life or livelihood is on the line. Given the context, Jesus’ point seems to be that insofar as it is possible, his followers are responsible for assuring accountability while also safeguarding those who are most vulnerable or at risk.
Listening to understand:
Is there any ministerial leader today who has not known the destructiveness of secrets and hushed conversations when people refuse or are unable to speak honestly to one another about their interactions? Small issues become big, and bigger issues become catastrophic. One solution is clear and open communication, but that requires as much listening as it does speaking.
Listening is hard:
Perhaps that is why the process in our exact text from the Bible involves hearing and listening in order to understand attentively. Yet, four times in the first three verses, Jesus makes reference to listening or refusing to listen. The repetition suggests that the call to hear one another, to listen closely to the truth of the other, is a vital component of a community grounded in the ways of Jesus.
Recognizing the capacity to do harm:
For many people, it is easier to identify the ways they have been harmed than it is to recognize the ways their actions can harm others, even if unintentionally. Perhaps one of the most difficult truths of this passage is a reminder of the human capacity to cause harm to others, both in the systems in which we participate as well as in our personal actions and failures to act.
Jesus promises not to desert his disciples as they face that difficult truth and practice living more fully into the communities that God calls into being. After all, he is present wherever two or three are gathered in his name, a name that means “God with us,” who saves people from their sins.
Matthew 1:21-23
“And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus: for he shall save his people from their sins. Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.”
The power for his followers to be transformed is available for the asking, as promised. “Again I say unto you, that if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven.“ -Matthew 18:19
In His Grip,
Pastor Wendy Schenkel
Comments