In this coming Sunday’s gospel (Matthew 18:15-20, Proper 18A) the
final step in Jesus’ system of reconciling differences in the church allows
for the non-repentant offender to be treated as someone who is lost to the community –
lost in the manner of a Gentile, or a tax collector. I think there’s
significance in those particular words, as opposed to “casting into outer
darkness” or something permanently damning. After all, who did Jesus accept and
spend time with, even eat with and forgive, much to the consternation of the
religious elite of his day, the scribes and Pharisees? The answer is: Gentiles
and tax collectors. There’s even a bit of irony here, because this particular
gospel was written in the name of one who was a tax collector! So like that
lost sheep that the shepherd goes and finds, there is always hope of restoration
and reconciliation, even if one has to go back and start over. Perhaps this
was Jesus’ way of warning the church not abuse its authority to “bind and
loose” – that is, decide whom to forgive and accept back into fellowship, and
who would be excommunicated and thus lose hope of salvation. And, he promised
to be in the midst of even the smallest gathering of believers, to guide their
decision making.
The world of first century Christianity was
much smaller, and its worldview so vastly different from ours that we can
barely begin to compare them. Our lives are not isolated, and for many of us,
no matter how faithful, the church may no longer be our primary form of community;
we move in many diverse circles, some of which barely overlap one another. Though
Jesus’ words are clearly intended for the church, is there a message here for
us about forgiving and reconciling with those outside it? The larger message in
this gospel tells us that our behavior, no matter where we may be, should
always be modeled after the life and teachings of Jesus: courageous honesty,
true humility, and above all, love. We bring those virtues to any of our
damaged relationships, and we have the tools of reconciliation.
