The Great Agreement

It seems that Matthew has put together three different sayings in our gospel today. He is the only gospel writer that has these instructions on confronting another Christian who has sinned.* Did Matthew have another source from which he received this or is it another example of his expansion of the tradition? We cannot fully answer that question. It probably is a little bit of both. Especially when we find the instruction about binding and loosing given to Peter earlier (16:19) which now is given to the whole community. We need to be clear here. This passage is not talking about confronting someone who has done you wrong in order to get recompense. It is about helping someone who has sinned see their error and correct it so that they may enjoy the fruit of salvation. 

We also note that this text is not about a leader of the community being in charge of discipline. It is about the members of the community taking care of each other. It is not a trial in order to judge. It  is to help another Christian to be a better Christian. The reason for the involvement of others – “one or two,” and “the church” – is to show concern for the one who has sinned and an agreement on the wrong that had been done. This may be a difficult lesson to learn in our selfish world of today where people think that they can do whatever they want without any concern of how their actions affect others. Matthew tells us the opposite of this (as did Paul). We are called to be concerned about others. We are to be careful that our actions do not cause others to sin. We are also called to point out to others how they have sinned, knowing full well that we too are not perfect and have sinned against others. We are called by Jesus to be a community, the Church, his own body. With that call comes great responsibility.  That burden is clear in the gift from Jesus to bind and loose sins. And perhaps this may echo Paul’s metaphor of burning coals. We can bind sins hoping that the sinner will see his or her error and repent. Ezekiel also reminds us that if we ignore the sins of others and do not help them see the wrongs in their life we will be called to answer for our lack of action.

That is why Matthew brings up prayer at this point. There are some who may tell you this passage is about getting those things that you desire. That is not Matthew’s meaning. He clearly has placed this in the context of this passage about correcting others. We are to pray for the church and the needs of others. Especially praying that they may experience the love of God through the community and ourselves. To be Christian is to be concerned about others, working so that they may experience the love of God through us. It is in communion, where two or three are gathered, that we experience God’s love and are able to live the life that God calls us to. As the Body of Christ we are fully ourselves – God’s children filled with love, hope, and faith. Filled so that we can pour God’s gifts upon the world so that all will experience God’s love. That is the great agreement. God gave his son for us so that we can share God’s love with the world. 

*It is also one of the few Biblical passages that is in our congregational constitution.