REBUKE TO RECONCILE
Opening Prayer
Jesus, thank You for desiring and pursuing a relationship with me.
Read Matthew 18:15–20
For additional translations of the passage, use this link to Bible Gateway.
Dealing With Sin in the Church
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.”
New International Version (NIV)
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
Meditate on Matthew 5:23,24. Are there relationships you need to repair?Yesterday’s reading emphasized that every individual matters to God. Today’s passage underscores the importance of community. We generally acknowledge the need to seek forgiveness when we wrong someone. But why are we made responsible for reconciliation when the other party is the offender (15)? Recall when you suffered a fracture, a sprain, or even a “simple” toothache. Not just that one part, but the well-being of the entire body was affected. Fractured relationships harm the body of Christ.
Reconciliation involves confronting an offender, not with animosity, but with grace and sensitivity. The prescribed process (15–17) requires both patience and perseverance. The purpose of the rebuke is not to condemn an enemy, but to win over a brother (15). The offender is first approached alone (15), then with just one or two others (16), affording the offender every opportunity to repent without losing face before the whole community.
Only as a last resort is the matter dealt with publicly (17). The call to treat the offender as a pagan or tax-collector (17) may sound harsh! But think how Jesus treated such people—with love and grace. The goal of church discipline is never punishment, but restoration.
Apply
This week, what steps will you take towards bringing about reconciliation in a fractured relationship?
Closing prayer
Lord, You have forgiven me for so much, help me to forgive others in the same way.
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