Verse: Matthew 18:15-20
15 “If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over.16 But if they will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.17 If they still refuse to listen, tell it to the church; and if they refuse to listen even to the church, treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector.
18 “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. 19 “Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. 20 For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.”
Devotion
When I read this passage, my mind gets flooded with time after time where the church has gotten these verses wrong. I think about the wounds people have carried. I think about the broken hearts and the tears that have been shed. The term that has surfaced in our community is “church hurt.” I’m not going to raise my hand and say this is something I have handled perfectly in my life, but I’ve seen conflict in the church change the trajectory of entire lives. Jesus gives us an outline of how to handle issues in the church. But more importantly, I think Matthew 18 as a whole shows us that the issues of the human heart run much deeper than what we see on the surface.
The chapter starts off with the disciples asking who among them is the greatest. Jesus redirects the conversation, shifting their focus. He tells them the least will come first. And I don’t think it’s a coincidence that right before giving these steps, he shares the parable of the wandering sheep. Jesus is focused on heart change.
So often, people feel the need to take immediate action to right what is wrong. But I believe Jesus is asking us to be gentle with one another. Stop with the power dynamics. Stop with the elevation of status. Focus on one another’s hearts.
Jesus points out that the real power is in our words to each other. What we “bind” or “loose” here carries weight on earth and in heaven. So today, I encourage you to be gentle with one another. Look at the steps Jesus outlines in verses 15-17. Are you handling your conflicts in this way?
Christianity isn’t a religion. We are a community of people who want to reflect Jesus. Let’s make sure we’re doing that, even in the hard moments.
Author: Joanna Martin
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