Printer Friendly VersionMatthew 18:15-20, Exodus 12:1-14, Romans 13:8-14
The passage for this Sunday reminds us that Matthew’s story
was written initially for a small community, living in a hostile environment
that took its corporate life very seriously. The text in isolation reads like
a legal manual on how to deal with someone else’ sin, what steps to take
in route to a member’s excommunication. The cut-and-dried character of
the process leaves us somewhat uncomfortable. We are not at all sure we want
to deal with grudges and grievances the way this passage suggests, much less
make it the basis of a sermon. Yet, in what William Willimon calls, “the
nitty-gritty everyday reality of the ordinary church,” one has to deal
with this issue.
The question is how to do this in a way that honors God and
inspires others to change?
In the text we are instructed by Jesus to not disdain fellow
members (“little ones”). God cares about straying sheep and rejoices
when one is restored, i.e. “It is not the will of your Father in heaven
that one of these little ones should be lost” (v. 14)
The powerful images of pardon and mercy found in the context color the reading
of 18:15-20. Forgiveness and restoration are the topics of the day. God forgives
freely, and those forgiven evidence their reception of forgiveness by forgiving
others. Thus, when we are the injured party we are to seek out the one who
we think has done the injuring and initiate reconciliation. In other words
we have no right to nurse our grudges, whine about our wounds, and resist
efforts at healing. We are to take the first step to risk the engagement that
can lead to restored relationship. That surely is easier said than done. (taken
in part from Interpretation’s Commentary on Matthew) We’d rather
“die” than deal with conflict!
That is until we are confronted with the epistle lesson where
we discover that love covers a multitude of sins. “Love does no wrong
to anybody,” (Rom. 13:10) thus it moves us to not hold grudges by addressing
the conflict! Why? Because “we should be decent and true in everything
we do.” That’s hard to do when we don’t want to confront truth.
The key is to “let the Lord Jesus Christ take control of you,” (13:13-14).
It’s true, you cannot deal with conflict, but Christ can through you!
The question becomes then, will you let him do through you what
you cannot do?
We have a wonderful example of an outward expression of “conflict
resolution,” in the churches practice of Holy Communion where we are
all “one at one table with the Lord.” Let’s illustrate this
“conflict resolution” this morning by practicing being people of
grace to each other, forgiving each other even as God in Christ has forgiven
us.
This message is not meant to imply that the process of resolving conflict in the Body will be an easy one and certainly not sought after, however, one still has to deal with the nitty-gritty reality of the ordinary church. And obviously God has helped us with this challenge in the gift of his Son who died that we might have life even in the midst of our conflicts, Amen.
