Ezekiel 33: 7–11 / Psalm 119: 33–40 / Romans 13: 8–14 / Matthew 18: 15-20
This is the written version of the
homily given at Flohr’s Evangelical Lutheran Church (ELCA) in McKnightstown,
Pennsylvania, on Sunday, September 6, 2026 by Fr. Gene Tucker, Interim Pastor.
“’SOCIAL GREASE’: AN ESSENTIAL TOOL TO ASSIST IN THE CHURCH’S
WITNESS AND MISSION”
(Homily text: Matthew 18: 15-20)
Let’s
think about grease this morning. (Yes, I know, this could be a messy subject!)
Or, to be more precise, something we could call “Social Grease”.
Social
Grease consists of those things that make it possible for human beings to live
with, and to associate with, each other. Just as grease, when applied to a
piece of machinery, makes it possible for that mechanical device to function
more smoothly, so to does “Social Grease” reduce friction between people.
So,
for example, we could say that having the ability to say “please” or “thank
you” would constitute two forms of “Social Grease”.
Another
example might be the ability to say “could you help me”.
Still
another would be “I’m sorry”.
This
last example leads us to today’s Gospel text, in which our Lord Jesus Christ
lays out the means by which disagreements and tensions between members of the
church are to be addressed. (It’s worth noting that our text this morning is
unique to Matthew … none of the other two Synoptic Gospels[1] record this teaching.)
We
should begin our examination of this teaching by noting some aspects of the
text.
To
begin with, notice that the final decision about the fate of the offender lies
with the (entire) congregation. Apparently, the church that Matthew found
himself in later on in his work had no clergy at all. That local church
operated by what we would later call “congregational polity”, meaning that the
local congregation handled its own affairs and made its decisions by agreement
or consensus of its members.
Next,
we should notice the progression of the action to be taken whenever someone in
the congregation does something that is hurtful or offensive. The matter is to
be dealt with one-on-one, with the injured person confronting the offender
alone. If that doesn’t solve the problem, then the injured party is to bring
two or three others as witnesses. This is in keeping with the Law of Moses
(Torah), which required legal proceedings to be decided on the basis of two or
three witnesses.[2] Then, the Lord says, if this second step doesn’t resolve the matter, then the
entire congregation must weigh in on the matter. The wisdom of this approach
helps to ensure that the disagreement is to be resolved in the smallest
possible context. For Christian believers, this means that someone who’s been
the recipient of hurtful actions is not to go around the congregation,
spreading their convictions among the membership.
We
might – at this point – pause to remember why this bit of the Lord’s wisdom is
so critical to the church’s life, witness and mission.
We
should be realists about the human condition, for the blunt truth is that, from
time-to-time each one of us has the capability of doing or saying things that
injure others. In some cases, the things one can say or do are so damaging that
the church’s unity is threatened. The church’s witness to the wider (unbelieving)
world is imperiled. I believe it’s this sort of very serious stuff that the
Lord has in mind.
St.
Paul reminds the early Church, which was composed (more often than not) by
people who had come out of a pagan culture and lifestyle, that now that they
had come into relationship with the Lord, a new way of believing and a new way
of acting is necessary. Paul’s letters are sprinkled with admonitions which
remind these early believers that being a Christian believer means that life is
now different. Paul often goes on to say that the Church’s unity affects its
mission and its witness.
For
small congregations, frequent use of the “Social Greases” that are available to
us human beings is essential to the church’s unity. Small churches oftentimes
can fall into factions, one group harboring ill will or animosity against
others, sometimes over something that had happened a long time ago. Larger
churches have as a resource, larger groups of people, whose presence can buffer
the strains that can develop here and there. Not so with small churches.
Newcomers and visitors to the congregation can sense the tensions that are
present in the membership. Sometimes, that means that visitors will decide to
continue to shop around for a church elsewhere.
This
morning’s Gospel text seeks to make use of the “Social Grease” of the words
“I’m sorry”. (To my way of thinking, being able to say “I’m sorry” is one of
four basic forms of “Social Grease” that enable us to get along with others as
we make our way through life.)
One
final thought is, perhaps, worth noting:
This
bit of the Lord’s teaching is couched in between the Parable of the Lost Sheep
(beforehand - see Matthew 18: 10–14), and the Lord’s admonition that we are to
be ready to offer forgiveness to others in generous amounts (Matthew 18:21 and
following) as the Lord tells His Parable of the Unforgiving Servant.
Perhaps
the wider context of what precedes and what follows this morning’s appointed
text can remind us that the God’s intent is to seek out the lost and the
forgotten. And, in addition, we – as the Lord’s followers – are to be ready to
forgive others again and again.
If
this guess is correct, then perhaps what the Lord is telling us to do whenever
we encounter someone who doesn’t seem to want to acknowledge their
transgressions, is to continue to seek them out, in order that our continued
engagement might prompt a change of heart. After all, when the Lord tells us
that we are to treat unrepentant persons like “tax collectors and Gentiles”, we
ought to remember that it was exactly those sorts of people that He went out of
his way to reach with the Good News of God.
AMEN.
[1] The three Synoptic Gospels are Matthew, Mark and Luke.
[2] In accordance with the provisions of Deuteronomy 19:15.
