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#38 Go to Christians who offend you
Matthew 18:10-20
โ15 If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. 16 But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. 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 collectorโฆ 20 For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.โ
If youโve lived for a day with another Christian youโll know that even followers of Jesus – even the โbestโ ones – sin against each other. The question isnโt if, but when. Given Jesusโ constant reminders to love each other, it may come as a surprise that he teaches us in Matthew 18 that we are to โgoโ and tell them their fault. For Jesus, just like his โgreat commissionโ to take his good news to the world, restoring relationships with those who sin against us is meant to be dealt with proactively.
As a prelude to this teaching and an explanation for how important it is to, โgoโ, Jesus tells the โparable of the lost sheepโ, one of Jesus’ most famous stories. In this parable, Jesus outlines that like a shepherd who has 100 sheep, but one goes missing, Godโs heart is to pursue anyone who wanders and becomes separated from him and his people. With this story as a backdrop, Jesus makes it clear that we are to do likewise! When there is conflict, separation, or even just a wandering, we are to pursue that person. The goal Jesus has for us isnโt to simply โcall them outโ on their sin but to โcall them back inโ to relationship and family.
The last sentence in this passage, โFor where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among themโ is critical to understanding why this should matter to us. This passage is usually quoted with a focus on an expectation that Jesusโ presence is promised wherever โtwo or moreโ Christians gather. However, the context encourages us to remember how important it is for him to have all his โsheepโ living together in harmony.
If our focus is merely expecting Jesus to be with us, we have missed the point. If Jesus is present wherever two or more are gathered, then we shouldnโt want anyone to miss out! Rather, Jesus is calling our focus to those who are not present with us due to our unwillingness to restore our relationship with them. Furthermore, Jesus may even be hinting that โif you value your own experience of me without sharing my heart for the โlost sheepโ who are separated from you, then you may not know me as well as you think!โ
Like a shepherd who has lost one of his precious sheep, Jesus calls us to, โGo now! Lay out the fault that you may be restored as family. Remember, they are missing out on not just a relationship with you, but time with you in my presenceโ. In short, donโt keep the beauty and power of the Christian community to yourself. Jesus came for us all and desires us all to be together as one.