Jesus' Most Neglected Words
Read Matthew 18.
There is not, in my estimation and life-long experience in the church, another passage that is more neglected in the church today than the one found in the middle of this chapter. When you ask people outside the church what the church is known for, one of the things that often comes up is that we fight with one another. People point to the plethora of different denominations and ask how it is we can all claim to believe the same thing but not get along. But another thing that's often said in such polls is that we don't practice what Jesus taught.
Both of those observations or complaints come together in this chapter.
There is a discussion of greatness that opens the passage and a picture of what forgiveness is that closes the chapter (though, remember, Matthew didn't write in chapters). And in the middle of it all is Jesus' own description of how we ought to fight with one another. Not that we ought to fight. But Jesus knows it will come (and, if you read some church history, you'll find it came pretty quickly—we are human, after all). So, like a good parent, he gives us guidelines on how to do it before we need to do it. It's fairly straightforward.
Step 1 - Talk to the person who has upset you directly.
Step 2 - If there is no resolution, ask a mediator to work with the two of you.
Step 3 - If there is still no resolution, "tell it to the church." I have argued elsewhere that in that culture, their house churches would have been like our small groups, so perhaps the best place to do this last, hopefully avoidable, step is in your small group, a caring community that wants the best for all of you.
But what is meant by "resolution"? The goal in everything like this is healing. The goal is not to "win" the argument. The goal is not to be number one or to be right. The goal is to find healing for the relationship. In the grand, eternal scheme of things, will it really matter if you win this particular argument or not? But it will matter if you do damage to your brother or sister, and it will matter if the relationship is not repaired. God's goal for us in all of this is healing.
Instead, today, we take to social media, we aim hurtful words, we spread rumors about them, we talk about the other person behind their backs. In many cases, we do irreparable harm both to the individual and to the cause of Christ.
What if we stopped neglecting Jesus' own instructions and sought healing the way he tells us to? I bet if we follow Jesus' instruction, healing just might come.
There is not, in my estimation and life-long experience in the church, another passage that is more neglected in the church today than the one found in the middle of this chapter. When you ask people outside the church what the church is known for, one of the things that often comes up is that we fight with one another. People point to the plethora of different denominations and ask how it is we can all claim to believe the same thing but not get along. But another thing that's often said in such polls is that we don't practice what Jesus taught.
Both of those observations or complaints come together in this chapter.
There is a discussion of greatness that opens the passage and a picture of what forgiveness is that closes the chapter (though, remember, Matthew didn't write in chapters). And in the middle of it all is Jesus' own description of how we ought to fight with one another. Not that we ought to fight. But Jesus knows it will come (and, if you read some church history, you'll find it came pretty quickly—we are human, after all). So, like a good parent, he gives us guidelines on how to do it before we need to do it. It's fairly straightforward.
Step 1 - Talk to the person who has upset you directly.
Step 2 - If there is no resolution, ask a mediator to work with the two of you.
Step 3 - If there is still no resolution, "tell it to the church." I have argued elsewhere that in that culture, their house churches would have been like our small groups, so perhaps the best place to do this last, hopefully avoidable, step is in your small group, a caring community that wants the best for all of you.
But what is meant by "resolution"? The goal in everything like this is healing. The goal is not to "win" the argument. The goal is not to be number one or to be right. The goal is to find healing for the relationship. In the grand, eternal scheme of things, will it really matter if you win this particular argument or not? But it will matter if you do damage to your brother or sister, and it will matter if the relationship is not repaired. God's goal for us in all of this is healing.
Instead, today, we take to social media, we aim hurtful words, we spread rumors about them, we talk about the other person behind their backs. In many cases, we do irreparable harm both to the individual and to the cause of Christ.
What if we stopped neglecting Jesus' own instructions and sought healing the way he tells us to? I bet if we follow Jesus' instruction, healing just might come.
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