Seeking Christ in the Word
Thirty or more years ago, Irene*, a parishioner, came to me fiery-eyed with indignation, to report that Kathy*, another woman in the church, had moved in with a man and they were living together out of wedlock. “Shacking up”, she called it. “Living in sin”, she said. “Adultery”, she said. “Fornication at least”, she said.
Irene took offense that Kathy was a parishioner in high-visibility ministry. Quoting Matthew 18 that we just read and heard as today's gospel, Irene called Kathy a sinner, her involvement in parish ministry a public disgrace. Irene insisted that I as rector remove Kathy from her ministries in the church.
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Did you notice our loving scripture for this morning?
No, not Matthew! Paul to the Romans:
Owe no one anything, but to love one another; for the one who loves others fulfills the law. The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery; You shall not murder; You shall not steal; You shall not covet”; and all other commandments, are summed up in this, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no wrong to a neighbor; LOVE is the fulfilling of the law.
Did you notice the contrast between Paul’s word of Love echoing Jesus himself, versus Matthew’s disciplinary rubric for punishing sinners? With the Romans reading for his Wednesday evening homily, Father Steve said “Christianity is not rules and regulations”.
So, is Matthew 18 the good news of Jesus Christ?! I think NOT! As the Word of the Lord, it’s unsettling! Indeed, it IS Matthew’s disciplinary rubric. Evidently, members of Matthew’s church are calling each other out as sinners, and Matthew wants discipline and order procedures for dealing with deviant behavior. But Jesus is not in a canon about kicking stubborn sinners out of church - - Jesus who ate with tax collectors and sinners, Jesus who healed us Gentiles.
Jesus was Love God Love Neighbor. Jesus did not write rules for disciplining those who offend each other, violate church rules, and disobey church elders.
Yes, I could devise casuistry to rationalize this gospel text, but I won't! You are not our Adult Sunday School class, so I’ll not mention it, lest, as Paul says, needing γάλα οὐ βρῶμα** you take offense. But if we were in our Sunday School class, where nothing is off the table and no one takes offense, someone would point out the obvious: That when Jesus was teaching and preaching there was no ἐκκλησίᾳ, no Church needing disciplinary rubrics. That Matthew did not write his gospel until 80 or 85 or 90 A.D. That Matthew wrote his gospel to keep members of his Jewish-Christian church on board and in line. And without offense, we in our adult Sunday School class would face the unutterable unspeakable unthinkable inevitable: Jesus never said this! Moses wrote this. Matthew said this. But Jesus never said this!
Jesus despised self-righteousness. Jesus had no use for pomposity, arrogant authority, rules and regulations. Jesus had no part in church canons*** that exclude people and put people down. Jesus never said Visitors remain seated while baptized members are fed. Jesus forgives us. Jesus saves us. Jesus raises us up. Jesus calls us forward and feeds us with the Body of Christ, the Bread of Heaven.
Jesus said The First Commandment is this: Shema, Yisrael, Adonai elehenu, Adonai echod. Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is One. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength. The Second Commandment is its equal in every way: you shall love your neighbor as yourself.
Do you believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God?
Will you seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving your neighbor as yourself?
Seeking, you will not find Jesus in rules and regulations. You will find Jesus in his Word: Where two or three gather in my Name, I am there in the midst of you.
The presence of the Lord is in this place. Jesus is here.
In the Word. In the Bread. In person.
You will find Jesus in your neighbor, a forgiven sinner.
You will find Jesus in yourself:
a sheep of Jesus' own fold,
a lamb of Jesus' own flock,
a sinner of Jesus’ own redeeming.
THIS is the Gospel of the Lord!
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Art: "Matthew 18:15-20: Insiders and Outsiders" HuffPost 08/31/2011
* names changed to shield the dead self-righteous,
and render incognito the living loving.
** γάλα οὐ βρῶμα gala oo brōma, milk not meat,
milk not food, milk not solid food, 1 Corinthians 3:2
*** Canon 1, section 17 of the canon law of the Episcopal Church states,
"No unbaptized person shall be eligible to receive
Holy Communion in this Church".
Matthew 18:15-20 (NRSV)
(Matthew wrote) If another member of the church sins against you, go and point out the fault when the two of you are alone. If the member listens to you, you have regained that one. But if you are not listened to, take one or two others along with you, so that every word may be confirmed by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If the member refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if the offender refuses to listen even to the church, let such a one be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. Again, truly I tell you, if two of you agree on earth about anything you ask, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. Jesus said, “where two or three gather in my name, there am I in the midst of them.”
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Homily in Holy Nativity Episcopal Church, Panama City, Florida on 6 September 2020, the 14th Sunday after Pentecost: Proper 18A, the Rev Tom Weller (Retired), Priest Associate.