Text study for Matthew 18:15-20
Lectionary texts for September 4, 2011
I’m worn out and weary of people not knowing how to talk to each other. I’m baffled that we can’t find the words that could bring us to the beginning of understanding and the hope of healing. And it moves out far beyond my circle of relationships to our communities, our country, our world.
We’ve come up against gates, walls and deep divides. We are all worn out. Our ears seem to be closing, our eyes seem to see ever-narrowing pictures. And worse, our hearts seem to be shutting down.
Then we come to the Gospel of Matthew that lays out Jesus’ blueprint of how to deal with conflict. For many of us who are long-time workers in the church, this passage becomes a mantra of how to approach issues of dissension within our faith communities.
You go to the one with whom you have issues. You share your concerns. And if that doesn’t work, you bring in others.
In biblical times this was tied into legal requirements. Today we do this so others can hear and see what we, the conflict-involved, may not.
Is this Gospel text being adhered to in the church? Judging by the number of parking lot meetings, sacristy whisperings and back hall murmurings, I think not. The last person we would talk to would be the one who is at the heart of our discontent.
And yet we believe the heart is the place where all goodness and wholeness lives. The heart is the place from which we begin to really hear and see others — the wellspring from which we can love our neighbors as ourselves.
When we enter that place where two or three are gathered, we come into holy space. God is present — a God who gives sealed-with-the-cross-of-baptism children the courage to open up, to be honest, to be true listeners, to be forgivers, to be lovers of one another. If we want to reach beyond weariness and separation, we need to begin to see others with “God’s eyes.”
With God’s heart and eyes, walls will crumble. We will become people who actually live out those Sunday morning words, “Peace be with you.”
Talkback:
- What obstacles get in the way when you try to creatively deal with conflict?
- Try looking at people through God’s eyes for one week: How does it change how you see them, react to them?
- How can faith communities begin to be better role models for how to resolve conflict?
Carol Detweiler, an associate in ministry, is the director of Christian Education at New Hanover Evangelical Lutheran Church, Gilbertsville, Pa. Much of her teaching for the last 30 years has centered around peace and justice issues.
As "worn out and weary" as you are "of people not knowing how to talk to each other," Ms. Detweiler, is as worn and weary I am of people believing that doing, or striving to do, what Our Lord says to do requires another gimmick or program (not that I believe you are suggesting such, by the way). I am persuaded that Nike had one of the world's best slogans that should regularly be "highjacked" by the Church: "JUST DO IT." St. Matthew 18 is a prime example. I believe we would be far better off and ahead if we worried much less about what others are or are not/should or should not/could or could not be doing, and devoted our time and attention to living out what we say we believe about the Gospel ourselves. I write this, not unmindful or uncaring of other people, but mindful that the earliest and best witness of the Church, empowered by the Holy Spirit, was how it lived, "Look how they love one another." Actions are catchier than words, gimmicks or programs, no matter how catchy or trendy. To your question, therefore, as to how we can help faith communities be better role models, I would simply reiterate what Jesus said: As you wish that others would do to you, do so to them (St. Luke 6:31).
Irenaeus,
Nicely put. Faith in action, not to become saved, because we are saved. Just do it! I like it.
We all know that St. Matthew probably did not have a whole lot of extra parchment lying around to use to write his Gospel. That is why this passage, Mt 18:15-20, is so striking. Mt 18:18 repeats verbatim what is found in Mt 16:19: "Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven." I would be interested to hear what others think this means.
Through the cracks the light of God love can change your reality. Can anyone reading this shed light migrant slavery in the Tomato industry? I refer you to a pod cast from Science Friday.
The pod cast was about tasteless tomatoes. Yet it revealed a broken humanity the still uses slavery. I pray that the story is wrong. I know that thing bought to the God's people, in his truth, will lead to the right action. God dream will come to be in the active relationships of the church community.
David,
The first part is to look to Scripture to find an appropriate text. Maybe it's this one, maybe Philemon has something to say to the issue at hand. Then examine the text and ask yourself some questions:
What is the obvious sin dealt with in the story? (this one is easy, it'll be slavery)
How does that sin reflect broken hearts and evil intentions of the people in the story?
where does this brokenness lead us vis-a-vis God? (hint: death, wrath, condemnation)
Then, how does Jesus on the cross heal our rebellion against God?
How does the end of our rebellion change our hearts and heal them?
How is that healing played out in the world?
The last three questions reflect changes from the first three, so if the first one is slavery, the last one is likely freedom. An example of answering these questions for Phillipians 2:1-11 can be found in the Crossings newsletter.
We're not quite done here because the text doesn't yet speak to the situation at hand. Finding the situation is the next step, which has already been done. So the last part is "crossing" the situation at hand-- migrant slavery in the Tomato industry with the text. How do your statements from the first few questions apply to the tomato industry? Then, what does Christ mean for them?