On Line Bible Study - for the week June 30 - July 6, 2008

Lesson 342

All For One . . .

Matthew 18: ¹⁵If your brother sins, go and show him his fault in private; if he listens to you, you have won your brother. ¹⁶"But if he does not listen to you, take one or two more with you, so that BY THE MOUTH OF TWO OR THREE WITNESSES EVERY FACT MAY BE CONFIRMED. ¹⁷"If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.”

In the United States we will celebrate “Independence Day” on July 4^th. But as Christ-followers, our goal is not so much “independence” as it is community. “Sin” separates us from God – and from each other. It’s not an easy thing to go to someone and say to them: “You have sinned!” But remember, the emphasis here may not be so much on the fact that some one has done something terribly wrong as it is on the fact that something has happened to cause separation.

If the rift cannot be healed in a one-on-one meeting, then members of the community are brought into the situation. This has the value of verifying the legitimacy of the sin. It also serves to underscore the importance of the fellowship. It is not good for man or woman to be alone! But look at what happens to those who jeopardize the integrity of the community – if attempts to heal the problem are unsuccessful, the one causing the problem is essentially removed from fellowship!

Recall in Matthew 16:19 the “keys of the Kingdom of heaven” were given to Peter, with the promise that “whatever [he] bound on earth [would] be bound in heaven”? Here, however, it is the whole church that makes the determination with regard to our brothers and sisters.

Matthew 18: ¹⁸"Truly I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven.”

The “you” is plural. The promise made to the one is now made to all the disciples. We have individual responsibility; we also have corporate responsibility.

Assuming you go to church, the next time you attend, may it occur to you that you are there not only to receive, but also to contribute. It is for all of us to create together the kind of climate each of us desires!

The Forgiveness Question . . .

After assuring his disciples that God hears them when they pray in his name, he then is asked the question:

Matthew 18: ²¹Then Peter came and said to Him, "Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to seven times?"

Jesus then tells the parable of the king whose servant owed a large sum. The king decided to sell the servant, his wife and children in order to make good on the money. However, when the servant pleaded for mercy and the master’s patience, the king granted it, only to have the servant go out and mistreat those who owed him much less. When the king found out about the servant’s behavior, he called him in, confronted him, then gave him to the jailer to be tortured until his debt was paid. Then Jesus says these troubling words:

Matthew 18: ³⁵ “My heavenly Father will also do the same to you, if each of you does not forgive his brother from your heart."

Maybe you remember Lamech in Genesis 4 – he killed a young man and claimed he would be avenged seventy-seven times. The Lord had assured Cain that should anyone kill him he would be avenged seven times over (Genesis 4:35). Lamech ups the anti. Is Jesus turning the equation around? Stop thinking about vengeance; start thinking about forgiveness! There must be no limit on our willingness to forgive, and the forgiveness has to be authentic – from the heart!

The tests for Jesus keep coming . . . we begin Matthew 19 next time.