Matthew 18:15-20 [Pentecost 16—CWS A]
Pastor Ron Koehler
Grace-Tucson, AZ
September 20, 2020
Dear Friends in Christ, Two weeks ago, we focused on Jesus’ promise that the gates of hell would not overcome the Church because it is based on Christ. But at the end of that lesson was another promise from Jesus that we did not emphasize that day. It was this: I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven (16:19).” This is something that Jesus told his disciples more than once, and so it is found in our lesson for today. But it’s at the end, so we’re going to back up and see what led to this promise and one more. Actually, it would be good for us to back up just a little bit more to catch why he says what he does in our lesson. Jesus said to his disciples, “What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go looking for the one that wandered away? If he finds it—Amen I tell you—he rejoices more over that one sheep than over the ninety-nine that did not wander away. In the same way, your Father in heaven does not want even one of these little ones to perish (18:12-14).
Jesus explains the great love of God, that he wants people to live—not die—eternally. He used the example of a wandering sheep. A shepherd would care enough about an individual sheep, that he would seek it out in order to bring it back to the flock. This is the way God feels when a person’s eternal life is threatened because they are spiritually wandering. That sets the stage for the words before us now in Matthew 18. Jesus suggests that we are to have a God-like love for sinners. And he gives us a blessed privilege to show that love: handling his law and gospel for the salvation of souls! We get to serve others with the gospel of forgiveness! Our doing this is how Jesus Guides His Church. He uses his people to Call Each Other to Repentance Are you a procrastinator? Do you put things off until the very last minute? You know, sending out a birthday card only a couple days before the birthday, banking on the post office to do its thing in a timely way? Or waiting until right before an assignment is due to work on it? Maybe you’re a December 23-24 Christmas shopper. Or perhaps it only happens with things you don’t really want to do, but know you need to. We all can probably relate to that. I think that over the course of my ministry, I have seen more procrastination with this work that Jesus calls all Christians to do for each other than with anything else. That goes for church members, Christians not in our church, pastors—all of us! There’s a whole bunch of us who are about to feel really uncomfortable because we know we have ignored Jesus’ command here. Or at best we have procrastinated, which stems from a sinful reluctance to listen to Jesus and show love for someone else.
If your brother sins against you, go and show him his sin just between the two of you. When someone sins, Christians are told to “go” to them. We are not to ignore sin. Jesus doesn’t want us to just wait and hope they stop sinning. A God-like love for others does not permit us to say, “It’s none of my business,” or “I don’t want to get involved.” Are you starting to squirm yet? Are you beginning to think of a situation or two where you did not love a person enough to point out the sin that was a stumbling block in their relationship with God? Perhaps you even tried to convince yourself that you loved the person so much that you didn’t want to say anything and hurt their feelings…or lose their friendship…or drive them further away. There’s a reason you didn’t totally convince yourself. It’s called guilt. You know better. And the truth is, your love for that person and for God was not strong enough! First we need to admit that ongoing, unrepentant sin leads to eternal death. We can’t be as carefree as the world around us that says, “Who am I to judge?” or “You do you.” Jesus has given us a command, an expectation. This is actually part of his plan for keeping people in the saving faith and preventing them from suffering eternally. This is his plan for reaching out to wandering sheep. You are the plan! But we know our failures. We say nothing as couples behave as if God does not make it clear that intimacy is reserved for marriage. We might not only say nothing, but actually have been persuaded by the world that same-sex relationships are okay—even though God says they are perversion. We know God expects us to join to worship him and yet, how long have we sat by and not said anything to the sinful avoidance of worship by family or friends? How often have we heard a parent, a child, another Christian use God’s name carelessly, throwing out “Oh, my God!” and “Jesus!” as exclamations, yet said nothing? Have we stopped someone in mid-sentence to ask whether they should be sharing information about that other person? Or is gossip and slander and harming people’s reputation not that big a deal to us either? How many chances have passed us by on social media where we could have spoken up to another Christian about God’s will for us to show respect for those in authority or that God’s people should express love and not hate? AND if we have taken the opportunity to speak up about sin, how often haven’t we done it with the wrong motives and attitudes? Pride that we don’t do that sin. Reveling in the chance to point out someone’s sin. Those aren’t the same as the Father’s love for a wandering sheep. Like I said, I’ve seen this so much over the years. Maybe you have too. And maybe you feel like I do and know that repentance is needed. I need to look to the very same Jesus who gave the command to watch out for each other in love, and admit that I
haven’t done it perfectly. I have been the wandering sheep. But please know that our sins are forgiven in the blood of Jesus. This is why he went to the cross for us. He led a life of perfectly, lovingly, pointing out sin so that people could repent and find forgiveness in God. We even heard him do that last week with his friend Peter. What we have messed up so often, Jesus handled with perfection. That perfection was nailed to cross beams to pay for these sins of ours. And Easter morning proved the payment was good and that forgiveness and eternal life are found in Jesus. And so, we are forgiven and put back to the task! And who better to reach out to help save a sinner than a sinner who has been reached out to and saved themselves?! You and I are perfectly equipped for the job! Now, Jesus doesn’t say that we are to go around trying to find sin in people’s lives. But if it happens that we become aware of sin on someone’s part, we are to first go the person privately. This first step is done in love for their soul. The hope is that they repent and that’s it; they are restored. Incidentally, this is mostly what happens! For all our fears and worry and stress, most of the time fellow Christians know you are right when you share what God says. Think about how you would likely react if someone pointed out something sinful you were doing. Isn’t it very, very likely that you know what God says and would want repent? This is mostly what happens. But not always. A brother or sister in faith could be so tied to that sin that they respond poorly to you. “That’s just the way I talk; I didn’t mean anything by it.” Or “We love each other but how do you know if you’re compatible if you don’t live together?” Or “I can quit any time; it’s not a problem.” If they are not listening to what God says—through you—Jesus says to take another Christian friend or two, so that you might convince the person to listen to you and see the seriousness of their sin. This second step is also done in love for their soul. The hope is that they repent and that’s it; they are restored. A step like that often does get their attention. You might imagine it would get yours and you would be grateful that a few people cared, right? But sometimes that doesn’t happen. It is important then, Jesus says, to let the family of believers know so that the church might reach out in love to that wandering sheep. No one is looking to kick someone out of the church; they want the person to repent to God and know his love and forgiveness. Though the overwhelming majority of sinful situations are cleared up long before this step, it does happen. Sometimes there is recognition of sin at this point and sometimes not. A final step is given by Jesus. If he refuses to listen even to the church, then treat him as an unbeliever or a tax collector. Now, remember that Jesus loved unbelievers and tax collectors. This helps us to not get the wrong idea about what is going on in this final step. Those unbelievers and tax collectors Jesus talked about were outside of the family of God. They did not have salvation. That is what the church
is saying when an action like “excommunication” is taken. It is saying that the person rejected what God says and despite loving efforts commanded by Jesus himself—with each step typically repeated several times—they continued to remain in their sin. This final step of removing them from the fellowship of believers is also a step of love because it is still the hope of everyone that this serious action will get their attention and that they will ultimately stop their wandering and return to God. How certain can we be that what we are doing and saying—as individuals, as a few Christians, as a church of believers—is right? When done in love and according to God’s Word, absolutely certain! Jesus finished by saying, Amen I tell you: Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. Amen I tell you again: If two of you on earth agree to ask for anything, it will be done for them by my Father who is in heaven. In fact where two or three have gathered together in my name, there I am among them.” Some of you remember that we call this loving service to each other The Ministry of the Keys. That term comes from the lesson a couple weeks ago when Jesus spoke of the “keys of the kingdom of heaven” followed by the same Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. Our words to the one who sins are like a key that unlocks the door to heaven when there is repentance, and we assure them that they are truly forgiven. The sin that was attached to them is now loosed, set free. Or our words are like the key that locks the door to heaven when they are met with a lack of repentance. Their sins are still bound, or tied, to them. Jesus says that as we Call Each Other to Repentance, whatever we properly proclaim is done in heaven. This reassures us that this is God’s work we are carrying out. Added assurance comes in Jesus’ promise that he is with us as we gather in his name and do this work. So often we have looked at this the wrong way! You and I get the blessed privilege of sharing God’s Word with people so that they will repent and be saved. This is gospel ministry! We also are so blessed that others will do this for us too! It is my prayer—and it is the will of Jesus, our Savior—that each of us will do this loving work when the opportunities arise. That we will stop making excuses, stop procrastinating, and have the willingness to serve God and each other by Calling Each Other to Repentance, so that we are all restored and built up in the faith as Jesus Guides His Church this way. May the Holy Spirit help us to see this as loving work and fill our hearts with God-like love when we see each other wandering. Amen. Now the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.