 |
 |
||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
BIBLE STUDY MATTHEW 18:1-35 REVIEW: Chapter 17 began with the account of Jesus’ Transfiguration. Matthew specifically calls it a vision – that is, a glimpse of what will happen in the future. In the future, Jesus will be completely glorified – and everyone will understand (as attested by the presence of Moses and Elijah) that Jesus is the fulfillment of the law and the prophets. Peter apparently wanted this vision to be a present reality, which is why he proposed building three dwellings for Jesus, Moses, and Elijah so that they would continue to stay there in that state of glory. The voice from the cloud, however, reminds the disciples to listen to Jesus – that is, follow him in a life of service and even suffering that lay ahead. The theme of suffering is then reinforced by Jesus’ second teaching about Elijah being John the Baptist. Jews expected that Elijah would triumphantly appear to prepare people for the coming of the Messiah, but Jesus shows that instead of triumph Elijah (John) was rejected and killed – and that it would be the same for the Son of Man. Jesus next was asked to heal an epileptic boy whom his disciples could not heal. Jesus upbraids them for their “little faith”, telling them that if they had faith the size of a mustard seed, they could move a mountain. Jesus’ point is that faith means not giving up. As I (Pastor George) explained it, if one starts digging and moving the dirt and rock of a mountain just one pail full at a time and keeps at it, eventually the mountain WILL be moved! So it is with faith! Finally, after Jesus predicts his future suffering and death for the second time, the chapter ends with a passage about whether Jesus should pay the Temple tax. Jesus makes the point that he (and his followers) are children of God – and that just as the children of kings of the earth would not be expected to pay taxes levied on subject, so they likewise should be exempt from the requirement. Nevertheless, Jesus says that they should pay it – not because they have to – but to avoid giving offense to others. He tells Peter to catch a fish and “find a coin” in its mouth – that is, go back to his vocation as a fisherman and earn the money needed. INTRODUCTION TO CHAPTER 18: Chapter 18 is the fourth of the five major teaching discourses of Jesus in Matthew’s gospel (the previous three being the Sermon on the Mount (chapters 5-7), Jesus’ missionary instructions to his disciples (chapter 10), and a collection of Jesus’ parables (chapter 13). This discourse deals with how Jesus’ followers should deal with each other in the community of the church (not necessarily outsiders) in their relationships and in various situations. CHAPTER 18:1-4 “The Childlike Spirit” “At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” He called a child, whom he put among them, and said, “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever becomes humble like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” In Mark 9:33-35 the disciples had been arguing with each other about who was the greatest. Matthew “edits” Mark’s account and makes it into more of a general question by the disciples. The point of Jesus’ calling a child and saying that they must change and become like children is not that children have a special quality of humility. Then, as now, many children could be self-centered and even obnoxious at times! The Greek word paidion refers to children under the age of twelve – that is, to children with absolutely no social status or political significance – and THAT is the point Jesus was trying to make to his disciples. Only by becoming a “nobody” like the child in their midst and disregarding any desire for social status could one enter the kingdom of heaven, let alone become great in it! This teaching certainly has a lot to say to us in the church today! It also echoes what Jesus said previously in the beatitude “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (Mt. 5:3) CHAPTER 18:5-14 “Responsibility for ‘Little Ones’ in the Church” “Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me. If any of you put a stumbling block before one of these little ones who believe in me, it would be better for you if a great millstone were fastened around your neck and you were drowned in the depth of the sea. Woe to the world because of stumbling blocks! Occasions for stumbling are bound to come, but woe to the one by whom the stumbling block comes!” In this passage, the focus changes slightly to refer to believers who are “little ones” that can easily fall into sin and despair. We are to welcome them as we would welcome Christ himself. The main emphasis of this passage, however, is a warning to those of us who are more “advanced” in our faith to not become stumbling blocks to such persons. What are such “stumbling blocks”? Certainly one is an insistence upon all kinds of rules and rituals such as the Pharisees did – which may end up driving people away from having a loving relationship with God. This was the case with the church at the time of Martin Luther. False teaching and preaching is another “stumbling block” in many churches. Another “stumbling block” that is in too many churches is a tendency to be judgmental of others – of “seeing the speck in someone else’s eye while ignoring the log in one’s own eye.” (Mt. 7:3) Yet another “stumbling block” in many churches is an atmosphere of conflict that drives away many people, because they cannot experience God’s love in the midst of that. “If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away; it is better for you to enter life maimed or lame than to have two hands or two feet and to be thrown into the eternal fire. And if your eye causes you to stumble, tear it out and throw it away; it is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and to be thrown into the hell of fire.” In the context of this overall passage, the emphasis here does not so much seem to be upon an individual as it does upon the community as a whole. If there is something going on in the church that is causing the church to stumble (sin) and may also be driving away the “little ones” in its midst, Jesus says that we must get rid of it. This teaching seems to be similar to what Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 5:1-5 about the necessity of excommunicating an evil-doer before his sin affects the entire community. The church community as a whole has a responsibility to make sure that its life is not a “stumbling block” in any way to people in their relationship with God and Jesus Christ. “Take care that you do not despise one of these little ones; for, I tell you, in heaven their angels continually see the face of my Father in heaven. What do you think? If a shepherd has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray? And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray. So it is not the will of your Father in heaven that one of these little ones should be lost.” In Jesus’ time, people believed that each person had a patron angel. The point, however, is that the disciples (the church) are being warned not to treat those with lowly social standing in contempt. Jesus then tells the parable of a shepherd searching for one lost sheep (also found in Luke 15:3-7) to illustrate that God cares for everyone – even those who have went astray. In the same way, THE CHURCH is to do likewise because every person is valuable. This certainly has a message for us in the church today – to seek to make sure that no person “slips through the cracks” of wandering away without our community seeking to invite and brings them back into our fellowship. William Barclay in his Daily Study Bible commentary says that this parable teaches us many things about God’s love:
This is the kind of love which the church community should have for all its members – even the lowliest, the most insignificant, and those who may have wandered away! CHAPTER 18:15-20 “Discipline in the Church Community” “If another member of the church sins against you, go and point out the fault when the two of you are alone. If the member listens to you, you have regained that one. But if you are not listened to, take one or two others along with you, so that every word may be confirmed by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If the member refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if the offender refuses to listen even to the church, let such a one be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. Again, truly I tell you, if two of you agree on earth about anything you ask, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them.” Two aspects of translation in this passage make it especially difficult to interpret. First, the NRSV uses the word “member” rather than the literal word “brother.” While technically accurate, “member” does not adequately convey the relationship that Jesus is obviously referring to – that this is someone whom we love and care about. Secondly, the phrase “against you” is not in many ancient manuscripts and is almost certainly a later addition. In the original Matthean text the offense was probably NOT “personal” but rather something that had implications for the entire church community. The problem, then, is that this “brother” (or “sister”) was “sinning” in a way that could harm or bring into disrepute the entire local church community. What were these sins? They were probably one of three categories: 1) false teaching or denial of the Christian faith; 2) publicly scandalous or immoral conduct; or 3) persistent trouble-making in the church community. (The ELCA Model Constitution for Congregations defines these three areas as being grounds for church discipline.) The first step in the process is based on Leviticus 19:17 - “You shall not hate in your heart anyone of your kin; you shall reprove your neighbor, or you will incur guilt yourself.” It also makes the supposition that reproof given in private is more gracious and more likely to be received graciously than reproof given in public. SIDE POINT – I (Pastor George) believe that this step of private reproof perhaps should NOT be done if indeed the problem is a conflict between you and this other person (which, as mentioned above) was probably NOT the kind of situation being referred to in the original text. In case of a personal conflict, sometimes the best thing would be to proceed directly to step #2 that follows. Why? Because it may very well be that the person – far from accepting your reproof – will actually twist and distort what you have said and tell that version to others. In that case, it certainly would be best to have witnesses. The second step is based on Deuteronomy 19:15 – “A single witness shall not suffice to convict a person of any crime or wrongdoing in connection with any offense that may be committed. Only on the evidence of two or three witnesses shall a charge be sustained.” This Biblical procedure supposes a criminal offense rather than a problem within the community. Be that as it may, the witnesses may confirm either the offense, or the offender’s unwillingness to repent. If the first two steps do not resolve the problem, then the third step is to take it to the entire church community. (In ELCA congregations, the Church Council would fulfill this role according to the Constitution section on “Discipline”.) Why take that step? Because this issue is apparently one that is a threat to the very faith and life of the whole church – and to leave it unresolved would seriously harm or even possibly destroy the church community. (St. Paul certainly sees it that way in 1 Corinthians 5:1-13.) Jesus says that if the offender refuses to listen even to the church, “let such a one be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.” This sounds like excommunication (see 1 Corinthians 5:13), meaning that the person – because of his/her unwillingness to repent – is no longer a part of the community. That being said, however, the emphasis is that this person not just “cast out” but rather is now someone to be “evangelized” and sought after. If that person later repents, he or she should certainly be welcomed back with love and joy! Finally, Jesus talks about the authority of the church community to “bind” or “loose”. The authority that he had given to Peter in Mt. 16:19 is now explicitly given to the community as a whole. Indeed, when the community renders a decision about whether to excommunicate, forgive, or welcome back an offending “brother or sister” – Jesus says that HE HIMSELF is participating in that decision! (St. Paul in 1 Corinthians 5:3-5 certainly sees it that way in a situation involving judgment of a scandalous sin.) CHAPTER 18:21-22 “The Limits of Forgiveness” “Then Peter came and said to him, “Lord, if another member of the church sins against me, how often should I forgive? As many as seven times?” Jesus said to him, “Not seven times, but, I tell you, seventy-seven times.” Here, unlike in 18:15, the “sin” is apparently a personal offense against him by another “brother or sister” of the church community. The Rabbinic teaching was that one must forgive another three times. According to William Barclay in his Daily Study Bible commentary, Rabbi Jose be Hanina said; “If a man commits an offense once, they forgive him; if he commits an offense a second time, they forgive him; if he commits an offense a third time, they forgive him; the fourth time they do not forgive.” The Biblical proof for this was from the Old Testament book of Amos, where there is a series of condemnations – “For three transgressions and for four, I will not revoke the punishment.” (Amos 1:3, 6, 9. 11. 13; 2:1, 4, 6) From this it was deduced that God’s forgiveness extends to three offenses and the he visits the sinner with punishment at the fourth. Since it was not to be thought that a human could be more gracious than God, so forgiveness was limited to three times. Peter thought that he was going very far by using the number “7” – which implied completeness. Jesus, however, answered that he must forgive seventy-seven (some translations have seventy times seven) times. In other words, there must be absolutely NO LIMITS to forgiveness! CHAPTER 18:23-35 “The Parable of the Unforgiving Servant” “For this reason the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his slaves. When he began the reckoning, one who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him; and, as he could not pay, his lord ordered him to be sold, together with his wife and children and all his possessions, and payment to be made. So the slave fell on his knees before him, saying, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.’ And out of pit for him, the lord of that slave released him and forgave him the debt. But that same slave, as he went out, came upon one of his fellow slaves who owed him a hundred denarii; and seizing him by the throat, he said, ‘Pay what you owe.’ Then his fellow slave fell down and pleaded with him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you.’ But he refused; then he went and threw him into prison until he would pay the debt. When his fellow slaves saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their lord all that had taken place. Then his lord summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked slave! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. Should you not have had mercy on your fellow slave, as I had mercy on you?’ And in anger his lord handed him over to be tortured until he would pay his entire debt. So my heavenly Father will also do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother or sister from your heart.” This parable dramatically illustrates the principle of the Lord’s Prayer petition “Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors” (Mt. 6:12) and Jesus’ following commentary; “For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you; but if you do not forgive others, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” (Mt. 6:14-15) The point is that if GOD places no limits on forgiveness (illustrated by the HUGE sum owed by the servant to his lord – more than the total budget of an ordinary province!), then humans cannot place a limit on it! (This turns the traditional Rabbinic teaching “on its head”!) On the other hand, those who place limits on forgiving others will also have limits placed on their forgiveness by God. A children’s sermon illustration of this is that a cloth can be dipped into a bowl of water and then SHARE its moisture (forgiveness) with another cloth – and then can be dipped again and again into the bowl as often as needed. But if the cloth is sheathed inside a plastic bag, then it will not share its moisture with another cloth – BUT that plastic bag (an unforgiving attitude) will also keep it from receiving moisture from the bowl of water! So it is with us! Another point is that NOTHING that we have to forgive someone can even faintly or remotely compare with what we have been already forgiven by God. Therefore we ought to gladly forgive – because we know how much forgiveness we have already received! -------------------- George R. Karres, Pella Lutheran Church 418 W. Main Street Sidney, MT 59270
|
||||