Matthew 18, the Offenders, and the Offended

There is a phrase in the middle of Matthew 18 that people love to use in their prayer meetings.

It's verse 20:  "For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.”

It is a nice sentiment, and it is not an untrue statement, but in this context, it has absolutely nothing to do with His presence in our corporate prayer meetings.

The entire chapter of Matthew 18 deals with offenses.  Starting in verse 15, we are given the proper procedure within the assembly for dealing with offenses against each other.  The first step is for the offended one to confront the offender.  The next step is to bring two or three along so that witnesses can be established, and then if that doesn't work, the matter is to be brought before the congregational assembly - the ekklesia.

Yeshua is reaffirming the procedure which had already been given in Deuteronomy 19:15-19 for dealing with matters of sin:  One witness shall not rise against a man concerning any iniquity or any sin that he commits; by the mouth of two or three witnesses the matter shall be established.  If a false witness rises against any man to testify against him of wrongdoing,  then both men in the controversy shall stand before the Lord, before the priests and the judges who serve in those days.  And the judges shall make careful inquiry, and indeed, if the witness is a false witness, who has testified falsely against his brother,  then you shall do to him as he thought to have done to his brother; so you shall put away the evil from among you.

Our American judicial system is based on this premise  – one person, as a sole witness, cannot rise up and accuse you of something and send you to the gallows on his testimony alone.  Verse 19 of Matthew 18 reaffirms the Deutoronomic requirement for two or three witnesses to establish a matter, so that someone’s life isn’t ruined by false accusation. 

Thus, we have the result of binding and loosing, which is simply a Jewish idiom for allowing or not allowing.  Verse 18 says “Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven."  Put in our terms, this means that if obeyed and done properly, the blessing of the Lord is given to the process of judgment. 

For example, when 1 Corinthians 5:12-13 talks about judging within the congregation and putting out the the wicked from among them, it is assumed that the proper procedure from Matthew 18 (and Deuteronomy 19) would have been followed by the leadership.
 

In the same context, Peter then asks how many times he must forgive in regards to sinning against one another.  (Perhaps he's thinking, "cause I’m at number 6 and I’ve already hired a hit man for this dude that's ticking me off).  Not seven times, but 77 times, says Yeshua.  The text changes to the offended, and not the sinner.  Yes, they might haved kicked the offender out of the fellowship, but you gotta forgive him anyway.  The text then goes right into the story of the unmerciful servant who would not show forgiveness to his perpetrator.  The whole passage is beautifully connected!

 

So anyway, I guess it isn't a horrible thing to announce in your prayer meeting that wherever two or more are gathered, He is among you there.  Of course He is... duh.  Just like He is with the person who obeys the directive in Matthew 6:6 - But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.

 

 

Judge not?

Lately, it has seemed to me that "You're so judgmental" actually means "I am enjoying my sin and I don't want you to remind me." 

Are we really not to judge anything?  Let me pose a question. Isn't the statement "You're so judgmental," um, making a judgment?   (I am speaking to myself here as well).

What do the scriptures say?

First, Matthew 7, from the sermon on the mount:
Judge not, that you be not judged.  For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.  And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye?  Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye’; and look, a plank is in your own eye?  Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.  Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces.

Because of the context, "Judge not" is actually not a command, but a warning.  Why else would the passage warn us to get the specks out of our own eyes FIRST?  And from whose eye are we to help remove the speck?  Our brothers - meaning those in the household of faith.  Not those on the outside -the passage tells us that we are not to give what is holy to the dogs, or they will turn and tear you in pieces. 

1 Corinthians 5 offers further confirmation:

I wrote to you in my epistle not to keep company with sexually immoral people. Yet I certainly did not mean with the sexually immoral people of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world.  But now I have written to you not to keep company with anyone named a brother, who is sexually immoral, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or an extortioner—not even to eat with such a person.  For what have I to do with judging those also who are outside? Do you not judge those who are inside?  But those who are outside God judges. Therefore put away from yourselves the evil person.

Galatians 6:1 says how we are to approach our brother who is caught in sin:

 Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted.

Is there judgement when we do this?  Yes!  Is it difficult?  Yes!  Nobody wants to be called "judgmental."  As believers, we need to be careful to follow what scripture says, and to challenge, exhort, and restore those believers who are caught in sin - NOT for the purpose of condemnation, but for the purpose of restoration.  If someone comes back at you with "Stop judging me!," then perhaps this is a clue that they either don't understand the role of fellow believers in restoration, or they are not a fellow believer in the first place.