Proper
18 :: Ezekiel 33: 7–11; Psalm 119: 33–40; Romans 13: 8–14; Matthew 18: 15-20
This is the homily by Fr.
Gene Tucker that was given at St. John’s, Huntingdon, PA on Sunday, September
10, 2017.
“GOD’S
PEOPLE – A LIGHT TO THE WORLD”
(Homily texts: Ezekiel 33: 7–11, Romans 13: 8–14, and
Matthew 18: 15–20)
At
times, the Scripture readings that are assigned for our hearing and
consideration are quite well matched, sharing a consistent theme. That seems to
be the case with our three main readings for this morning, all of which have to
do with the ways in which we – as God’s people – relate to one another, and –
in turn – how we relate to the world around us.
The
Old Testament lesson, from the sixth century BC prophet Ezekiel, admonishes us
to acknowledge and to deal with sinful behavior in a brother or sister.
Likewise, the Gospel text for this morning, from Matthew, chapter eighteen,
prescribes a method for church discipline involving a member of the Church.
And, finally, St. Paul admonishes us to “owe no one anything except to love one
another.”
Let’s
be honest with one another: Sin is never
a popular topic for consideration or discussion. But – given the fact that each
one of us is capable of sinning – we must admit that, at times, some means of
dealing with wrongdoing (what Ezekiel calls “wickedness”) is necessary. Such a
mechanism ensures that the people of God will be able to be a bright light,
shining in the darkness of the world around us. Such a mechanism enables the
members of the faith community to integrate their personal and inner selves
with their outer and public personas.
To
grasp the idea of light, shining in the darkness of the world, we ought to turn
back to the Old Testament prophet Isaiah, who wrote that the people of God,
ancient Israel, were to be given as a “light to the Gentiles”. (see Isaiah 42:
6.)
In
due course, the followers of Jesus, those who would come to constitute the
Church, saw themselves as the successors of ancient Israel, a new Israel. They,
too, knew that God had called them to bring light into the darkness of
Greco-Roman world of the first century.
The
efficiency of the light-bearers is what is at stake. Matthew[1] records
Jesus’ teaching about the means by which each light-bearer will be fitted out
for bearing the greatest amount of light possible. We would do well to examine
what Matthew passes along to us in more detail:
The
first thing we might notice is that the matter which sets the disciplinary
process in motion is wrongdoing that has surfaced to the point where someone
else in the faith community has noticed that there is a problem. No longer is
the offense limited to one’s own, personal temptations or inclinations, which –
we must admit – is the origin of all sin.
But
the Lord lays out a progression of events which is to follow the reality of
publicly observable sin: The offender is to be approached by the individual who
has been sinned against. Here, we see consideration for the sinner is in view:
At this point, the sin is not a matter of wider or generally-known knowledge.
So,
if the initial stage of encounter results in a cessation of the sin and a
restoration of the sinner, then all is well, and the matter remains entirely
personal, confidential and private.
But
if not, then the discoverer of the offense is called to widen the net of
inquiry, taking along two or three witnesses to corroborate the nature of the
encounter between sinner and discoverer. Here, we see traditional Jewish legal
practice at work: No one could be convicted of an offense under the Law unless
there were at least two witnesses to establish the truth of the charges.[2]
However,
if this step does not restore and reform the offender, then the entire body of
believers, that is, the Church, is to be consulted.
At
this point, it would be good for us to notice that, for Matthew’s Church,
apparently things were run by congregational action. There were, apparently, no
clergy as we would know them in Matthew’s faith community.
Now,
the final step has caused some difference of understanding: Jesus says that, if
the offender still won’t repent, then they are to be treated as a “Gentile or a
tax collector”. Some have taken this to mean that the person is to be expelled
from the community, to be shunned (as some Christian communities continue to do
today). But another understanding holds that – following Jesus’ example –
Gentiles and tax collectors are to be pursued until they come to faith, for that
is what the Lord did: He hung out with tax collectors and associated with
non-Jewish people. (I leave it to your own reflection as to the meaning of the
Lord’s intent.)
Why
is all of this important?
The
first reason has to do with sinfulness, our own sinfulness and our ability to
fall short of God’s standard of holiness and righteousness. Unfortunately,
though we may have been baptized and have put on Christ as we pass through the
waters of Baptism, we have not fully shed our old nature, which is in rebellion
against God and against God’s will. Our old nature continues to battle with our
new nature in Christ, as St. Paul acknowledges so well in Romans, chapter
eight. So, given this reality (and we might as well be bluntly aware of this
fact), we must admit that any one of us can fall into sin.
If
the God who loves us, and the God whom we love and serve, were a stern judge,
but not a loving God, then we would be condemned for our inclinations and our
acting on those inclinations. But the God whose properties include both law and
grace, both holiness and mercy, offers His forgiveness to
all who seek it. So God has provided the means for restoring us to wholeness of
relationship.
The
process of ever-increasing levels of holiness in God’s people can be an awesome
thing to witness. Consider, for example, someone who’s been redeemed and
rescued from a drug addiction: That person, who has come into a close and
enduring relationship with the Lord, offers the world a compelling witness to
God’s love and God’s power.
Finally,
the Church – which is made up of people – is often accused by outsiders as
being a place that is inhabited by hypocrites. (No doubt many of us have heard
such comments.) A hypocrite is a person with “low judgment”, which is the
word’s root meaning in Greek. Today’s Old Testament lesson and our Gospel text
call us to be mindful of the ways in which we can fall victim to being people
with “low judgment”. Corrective action, not ignorance or turning a blind eye
away, is the default position that God calls those who are His followers to. As
God’s people, we are called to live lives of integrity, lives in which our
insides match our outsides.
Only
in that way may we be bright and shining beacons of light and hope to the
world.
AMEN.
[1] Matthew alone provides this account of the
Lord’s teaching.
[2] Recall that, at Jesus’ trial, two false
witnesses came forward to accuse the Lord. See Matthew 26: 60.
