Matthew 18:15-20 | Psalm 32:1-2 | Gospels in Lent Track: no reading today
Communication is key in so many areas of life, right? How many difficult situations would be better off if we’d have talked to someone sooner than we did…or at all? In Matthew, Jesus is quite focused on the community of his disciples, the church.1 These instructions below are pretty specific in situation and detail. Yet we can receive from him a general understanding that when something is wrong between us and another, communication is the beginning of a solution.
He tells us that he’s present in our agreement. Think about that. (It’s not worship!) He is present in our agreement. Not in our righteousness, not in our theological accuracy. But in our agreement. Not in our uniformity or conformity, but in our…agreement.
The beginning of agreement is communication.
Matthew 18:15-20
“If your brother or sister sins against you, go and correct them when you are alone together. If they listen to you, then you’ve won over your brother or sister. But if they won’t listen, take with you one or two others so that every word may be established by the mouth of two or three witnesses. But if they still won’t pay attention, report it to the church. If they won’t pay attention even to the church, treat them as you would a Gentile and tax collector. I assure you that whatever you fasten on earth will be fastened in heaven. And whatever you loosen on earth will be loosened in heaven. Again I assure you that if two of you agree on earth about anything you ask, then my Father who is in heaven will do it for you. For where two or three are gathered in my name, I’m there with them.”
Psalm 32:1-2
The one whose wrongdoing is forgiven,
whose sin is covered over, is truly happy!
The one the Lord doesn’t consider guilty—
in whose spirit there is no dishonesty—
that one is truly happy!
Prayer
God,
Christ’s disciples argued about who would be greatest in your kingdom. Many still do. Help us to be confident in the love you have for us, so that we feel no need to compete for your attention.
By your Spirit & in Christ, Amen.
Matthew is the only gospel to use the word church, and then only four times, three in chapter 18.