Sermons for the Month
A Unified Family of Faith and An Uncompromised Witness - Our Goal
DATE: 9/8/02
SERVICE: 16th Sunday After Pentecost
TEXT: Matthew 18:15-20“To all of you Saints here this morning, grace and peace to you from God our Father, from His Son, Jesus Christ and His Holy Spirit. AMEN
There is a quote by author Mark Twain that seen to ring true. He once said, "Most people are bothered by those passages in scripture which they cannot understand; but as for me, I always noticed that the passages in scripture that trouble me most are those which I do understand." Those words certainly fit today's Gospel lesson. It would be tempting to say that this is one of those scripture passages that is too complex to grasp, but the fact of the matter is that with some explanation it's quite clear. It's just not so easy to do. And it's particularly difficult for us to do because the principles behind the process Jesus describes for addressing sin in the church is far removed from how the church today often functions. Jesus' words are based on two principles, that Christians live in community and that how each person acts affects the unity and witness of that community. We struggle with the concept of community, and we really balk at the suggestion that other people's sin should be addressed. So, before we can even begin to apply this text to our lives, we have to understand several things. First, it is important to remember that this Gospel was written late in the first century, when the church was suffering persecution from without and growing pains from within. At that time it was vital for Christians to remember that the life of discipleship is not an individualistic matter; relationships are precious in the church. This was, and is, so important that scholars today are concerned about how the first words of today's text are translated. In the NRSV we read, "If another member of the church sins against you, go and point out the fault when the two of you are alone." Scholars debate about that translation. Many say that the first phrase should read, "If your brother or sister" rather than "another member of the church", emphasizing that we are family. The person sitting near you, whose name you may not know, is your brother or sister. And, although families do have their struggles, we usually have more reason or feel more of an obligation to love our brother - or to take care of our sister - and to find a way to keep peace than would be true of an acquaintance or fellow club member. The community is so vital, Jesus says, that we must be concerned about how an individuals' actions affect the unity and witness of the church. That brings us to the other translation dilemma. The end of the first verse is translated, "sins against you," which focuses on a personal offense or conflict. However, the oldest and most reliable Biblical manuscripts do not include the "against you". (Which, by the way, seems to fit what was actually happening in the early church.) What is left is, "If your brother or sister SINS, go and point out the fault when the two of you are alone." Now that's a different matter. In that case Jesus is not talking about someone gossiping about you or slandering you, but about how that person's behavior - that may or may not have anything to do with you - affects the unity and witness of the church. Now, that makes us uncomfortable. Who wants to go around pointing out other people's sin, especially since doing so forces us to take a good, hard look at ourselves. As we gather here on Market Street we must admit that these words of Jesus sound foreign to us. Our culture emphasizes individualism; we do not necessarily view our relationships with others who attend Faith Lutheran Church as precious - although there are examples of that. And, we may not know what is going on in the lives of others in this community, nor do we care to comment on it, in case we are viewed as judgmental or hypocritical. Yet, for the sake of the community and its witness, this is precisely what Jesus is telling his followers to do. And, if that's not hard enough to hear, Jesus says that after the sin has been discussed with the person individually, and then, if necessary, with a small group, and finally as a last resort with the entire faith community, and the person still refuses to listen, then he or she must be disciplined. Jesus says that the person must be treated as a Gentile or a tax collector. Now, it is difficult to know exactly what Jesus meant, since he constantly offered God's love and forgiveness to those who other viewed as undeserving, like Gentiles and tax collectors. It seems to me that - given the context - the message is that the situation must be addressed, but the door is always open for reconciliation and forgiveness. As we struggle with the concept of church discipline it is important not to forget the big picture, the reason for all this. The state of relationships within the church, and the actions of its individual members, affect our Christian witness. Or, to quote one writer's comments about the early church, "Only by taking sin seriously could the church continue to win the world for Christ." While we would agree that that's still true, I would guess that most of us would rather not be the sin police. Yet, in order to be a positive witness in the world we have to be serious about discipleship, about how we live our Christian lives. So, what are we to do? As we face that difficult question it is important to remember four things: 1. That we must take these words of Jesus seriously, and that acting on them must be approached with only one attitude - humility. 2. That the behavior in people's lives about which we are concerned is only that which compromises the unity and witness of the church. (Examples) 3. That discipline can have a positive side. Confronting behavior that threatens to destroy the person who is engaged in it and others can be an act of grace. It shows that we care not only about the church's witness, but also about that individual. 4. That goal of following the steps that Jesus presents are to strengthen the body of Christ, to reconcile and individuals (or individuals) to one another and to God and for the church to present an uncompromised witness to the community. Do we understand these concepts and steps? Yes we do. Are they difficult to do? Of course they are. Should we do them? Yes, but for one reason only, not to satisfy any personal agendas, but only to further the proclamation of the Gospel. AMEN