Matthew 18:15-20
New International Version 1984 (NIV1984)
15 “If your brother sins
against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he
listens to you, you have won your brother over. 16 But if he will
not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be
established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’ 17 If he
refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen
even to the church, treat him as you would a pagan or a tax collector.
18 “I tell you the truth,
whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on
earth will be loosed in heaven.
19 “Again, I tell you that if
two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you
by my Father in heaven. 20 For where two or three come together in
my name, there am I with them.”
Now skip ahead several thousand years to the time of Christ. He is once again explaining the reason for Christian brothers (and sisters). We are to hold one another accountable. If someone sins against us, it is really easy to go and tell someone else who tells someone else and the story gets bigger and bigger. Jesus said to go to the source of the pain and let the brother know. For one, you are holding your brother accountable to make the matter right and for another you are allowing your brother to know that you have been hurt. Who knows, you might even find out that you hurt your brother just as much as he hurt you. It is very painful that to be told several years after an incident that you hurt someone but even worse to be told by someone else that you hurt another person. Gossip is cruel and has no place in the world let alone the church but it continues. Jesus makes it clear that we are to go to the one that has hurt us and make amends. I do not believe Jesus is saying to go to that person and tell them how horrible they are and how they need to get right with God but I think he is saying to mend the hurts. Listen to one another in brotherly love and understand each other.
If this doesn’t work you are to take someone with you, not to gang up on the other person but to be a mediator. I think that many people read this as taking someone else with you to confirm what you are saying and to belittle the person even more but I do not believe this is what Jesus is saying. I have been trained and have trained others in mediation. In mediation you listen to what each other has to say and try to understand their point of view. You then come to an agreement, one that both can be satisfied with. It is a beautiful thing to see happen when mediation works the way it was designed to work. But when it doesn’t work Jesus goes on to say that we need to take the matter to the church. When Jesus was saying this there were not churches like there are today. What/Who was the church? Did He consider the Synagogue the church? Were they supposed to get up in front of the church and announce how this brother sinned against him? Were they supposed to spread gossip concerning this person? I believe what Jesus is saying is that when someone doesn’t not want to listen to you regarding their sin against you or anyone else, and you have tried to reconcile on your own and using a mediator but they person still will not reconcile, you should take it to other members of the body in order to have prayer for that person. The human side of us will take the to others to get support for ourselves but Jesus says we need to take it to them in order that the offender can get support.
Okay, what do I mean by all of that? Let’s take a look at the greatest mediator ever, Jesus. I Timothy 2:5 “5 For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,” (http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=I%20Timothy%202:5&version=NIV1984).
When we read that verse we automatically think about Jesus interceding for us at the throne of grace but let’s look a little deeper. If you read the verses just prior to verse 5, this is what you read, I Timothy 2: 1 -6 “1I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone— 2 for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. 3 This is good, and pleases God our Savior, 4 who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. 5 For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave himself as a ransom for all men—the testimony given in its proper time.
Now take what is said there and tie it back to the Matthew scripture. First of all we need to pray for everyone which includes those who have sinned against us or who have hurt us. We need to come together in the name of the Lord and invite Him into our meeting. So when you go to meet with someone you need to do so with an attitude of prayer as they too should do. If that attitude of prayer is only one way, the next time take someone else who will be in the attitude of prayer as the human mediator in order that you can pray together and have the Spiritual mediator in your presence mediating to God on behalf of your brother who has offended you. If the person still refuses to see and understand his offense then take it to the church, not to condemn the person, by no means. Rather for the church to pray for this person as well. When Jesus says to treat them like the tax collector or the pagans He is telling you to treat that person as though they were unsaved in order for them to be drawn near to Christ. Think about how Jesus interacted with the tax collectors and pagans. He entered their homes, He ate with them, He allowed them to sit at His feet and weep, He gave them living water, He healed them, He cared for them. He did this so all would have the opportunity to know of the Grace that He has to offer and so they would know the Truth. That is what we need to do as well. If we are to have the penalty of sin loosed from us and our brother, we need to treat them as Jesus would have treated them. We need to show brotherly love, love that will sacrifice our own desires in order that they may walk in the truths of Jesus Christ. None of us want to be bound in sin when we are in Heaven nor should we want our brother to as Jesus said that we leave this earth bound in sin it won’t be released in Heaven. We need to do our part by taking our cross up daily for the sake of our brothers.
As you seek Him and find Him may you remember to share His love with others so that they will be given the opportunity to know our wonderful Lord Jesus Christ.
Seeking Him with all my heart,
Sheila
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