CHAPTER IV
THE PURITY OF THE CHURCH ON THE ROCK
Matthew 18
That noted scholar of the pulpit, Philip Mauro, wrote in 1922:
"There is not a single deadly heresy, among all that were, in past generations, openly opposed to the faith of Jesus Christ, which has not now succeeded, by one means or another, in entering into and establishing itself within the precincts of professing Christendom, and which is not, in our day, openly preached and taught in the 'churches' and theological seminaries.''
That which was true in the North in the 1920's is now a matter of record in the South as well, and has been for some years. Atheism and infidelity of the open sort, like that of a Ms. O'Hair, seldom hurt Christianity. In fact, one of the best advertisements for Christianity is the public presentation of the weak case and weaker character of most noted atheists. 0ur problem is the amount of material, once recognized as error, which now is presented ms "biblical exposition."
How has this state of affairs come about? Very simply, by a refusal to follow the guidelines of our Savior in the matter of Church Discipline.
"Horrors!", someone exclaims. "Not that holdover from the Inquisition!"
A perfect example of how not to practice church discipline took place some years ago, in a town which shall remain unnamed but whose name might well be legion. A neer-do-well family joined the small church, possibly for the loaves and fishes (or possibly in sincerity and in truth, for none of us can read the heart; God does the judging of souls.) Some time passed, and the son became a public drunk (that was in the days before the term "alcoholic.") Then the daughter had a child out of wedlock, and the parents, in some embarrassment, quit attending services. At one poorly attended business meeting, with no previous consideration or investigation other than the public knowledge of the children, the pious flock "threw out'' the whole family, bag and baggage.
Some years later, the wife passed away, and the sorrow-stricken husband called the minister to request his assistance at the final service. "No" said the man of God; "you folk are not members here. You have been dismissed."
"Why, when did that happen?" cried the father in dismay. No one of that courageous crowd, including the minister, had ever gone to this family.
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Whether or not the church was correct in dismissing them, it was certainly wrong in its method. And it was almost as certainly wrong in refusing its services and sympathy to any fellow human in time of need.
Such examples might be multiplied, and they serve to explain the general decline of the concept of church discipline, or withdrawal of fellowship, in our day. Pendulum reactions are common, not only in physics but in psychology.
But shall we cease to use banks because a teller committed fraud, or to see doctors because of Medicare scandals, or to have and honor government because of improper use of power? Just as certainly as the answer to all these questions is "No," so the question "Shall we abandon purity because of some Pharisees?'' must be answered "No, a thousand times no."
As in other matters relating to church life, we must look to the Master for our guidelines. It is the suggestion of this work that Matthew 18, as a whole, relates directly to the question of church fellowship.
I. The Awfulness of Offense, verses 1-10.
As the disciples, in pride, vied for power, Jesus reminded them of the need for childlike purity and humility. He stressed to them that sin, especially in the life of a believer, is a terrible thing. If a "strong" Christian comes to the conclusion that his "weak'' brother can be safely ignored, and goes on about his activity without consideration for the little ones who believe, Jesus said it would be better for that man never to have been born!
Beginning with the need of the new birth, in verse 3 (the equivalent of John 3:7), Jesus stresses that the young believer (regardless of chronological age) is easily caused to stumble. In a statement loaded with implications for a Christian view of history, Jesus said, "Woe to the world because of scandals! For it is necessary that scandals come, but woe to that person by whom the scandal comes!
"Sin ought never to be taken lightly, especially our own sins, which we should view with more horror and which we often excuse more lightly than those of anyone else. Yet if we take the words of Jesus in their physical sense in verses 8 and 9, do we actually solve the sin problem? Not at all. The eye does not lust; it only brings into focus objects which the mind and heart then desire. Blind people lust as readily as those who see. The poor covet as easily as the rich. The hand or the foot do not sin; the mind and heart sin.
What is Jesus saying? So far as the individual is concerned, He seems to be saying, "Cut out the cause of the offense.” This involves radical surgery indeed, but done with God's laser beam, the Sword of the Spirit, which cuts behind the eye and removes the cataract, which cuts into the heart and removes the cause of the sin.
But is there not, in context, another level of meaning to these words? If a New Testament church is indeed a body which belongs to Christ, in the light of verses 15 through 22, could not our Lord have been illustrating church discipline by the concept of surgery?
If so, we are brought into another arena. No one eagerly awaits and earnestly desires surgery as a pleasant prospect, but most of us recognize it
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as an occasional need. Just as medical circles today are discussing the concept of "unnecessary surgery,” so churches ought to consider each case of discipline as if it involved (as it really does) the amputation of a part of their own body! Rather than rushing to the operating room, we would then delay, utilize every other means of treatment, and operate only as a last resort, recognizing that our common heartbeat will suffer with the loss of any member.
Next, Jesus turns to
II. The urgency of Redemption, verses 11-14.
It was for straying sheep that the Supreme Shepherd left the glories of Heaven for the sorrows of earth. The Son of man came to seek, not to set an example; He came to the lost, not to the good; He came to save, not to condemn. The most beautiful of parables is that which leaves the ninety-nine safe in the fold, having already been found by their Great Shepherd, and goes out on the far hills to seek, and to find, the one worthless stray in which each of us should see ourselves, the chief of sinners. It is not God's will that the Shepherd's mission be in vain. It is God's will that the Shepherd of our souls give His life for the sheep. No greater love has any one than this that one would lay down his life for a friend; but God commends His love toward us, in that while we were enemies, God loved us and sent the Shepherd. As in Eden, we did not find Him; He came for us.
What greater motive for evangelism can anyone have than the perfect example set by the Saviour? Can we not share with Him the joy of the one found sheep? Certainly we cannot cut ourselves off from a lost world, snooze safely in our stalls in the sheepfold, and complain if the under shepherd asks us to feed until five minutes past twelve!
And surely we cannot take the callous and casual attitude to church discipline that says, "Good riddance.'' Not if we really understand the parable of the ninety and nine.
But, some object, I thought we were going to discuss church discipline, and here you go sounding like one of these liberal “anything goes” pastors, some bleeding-heart social gospeller!
Very well, let's note next:
III. The Instruction of Discipline, verses 15-20.
Dr. Scofield rightly notes that this is a church action, and even sees verse 20 as a description of a “local church.” The disciples evidently understood it as a possibility open to them even then, not merely as a matter for the future.
In that light, let us first note that church discipline is not to be conducted by the state, or “secular arm.” It is not to be done by the physical sword, nor by carnal means. It does not involve any coercion, force, or violence. It does resemble surgery, and should be entered into, “not lightly or unadvisedly, but discreetly and soberly,” with a great deal of antiseptic caution.
If someone at Corinth has his father's wife, or if someone on Crete rejects the first and second admonitions, the Bible has the answer. (We are often told, “Our church cannot exercise discipline; it is a family situation, and we
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would offend and lose the whole family.” What closer family situation can we have than Paul rebuked at Corinth, that one should have his father's wife?)
The answer is, first, “Go and tell him his fault between you and him alone.” Someone has defined the difference between Baptists and Catholics this way: Catholics confess their sins to the priest, and Baptists confess their neighbor's sins to the preacher--and often to the world! Jesus carefully used the word “alone.”
But suppose the offending brother refuses to hear you? If he hearkens, you have gained a brother, and no one need ever know. Church discipline is not a public matter, to be settled--or even discussed--on the front porch of the village store, or at the laundry mat. If the offender rejects your sincere efforts at real reconciliation, Jesus said, “Take a committee.” Select some of the genuinely spiritual people of your church: deacons, or in the case of women, deacon's wives, older members, mature believers, people who live in the Word. At this point, probably the pastor ought not be directly involved, though he may be informed.
If the offender heeds the second admonition, the matter is to be forgiven and forgotten, buried with no handle sticking up for future reference. If not, then a third procedure is stated. “Tell it to”--the world? No. “To the Church.” And that in private, in business conference, not with lost people present. We are too often good at washing our dirty linen in public. If he accepts the offer of the church, there is to be full, frank, free forgiveness. No grudge is to be held, and the matter is done.
But if not—“Aha,” someone responds, “NOW we can get rid of the rascal, can't we, preacher?”
Well, let's see. Jesus said, “Let him be to you as a heathen and as a publican.”
Who was the human author who penned these words?
Matthew.
What was Matthew's occupation before Jesus called him?
He was a publican.
What did Matthew hear Jesus saying? While you have withdrawn from this offender, you cannot forget him. LET HIM BE TO YOU AS AN OBJECT OF REDEMPTIVE CONCERN.
There is never a time when we can “write off” and finally forget any fellow human being, especially one to whom we have been joined in covenant church capacity, short of eternity. It is always our duty, and it should be our joy, to agree on earth as touching the redemption of these with whom we have been knit in the body of Christ, just as we would rejoice to receive back as from the dead that arm lost in surgery, that appendix, that organ taken by surgeon's knife.
And if radical surgery does become necessary, let's call for the best surgeon, not for the butcher from the neighborhood supermarket. Let's use the most skillful surgical techniques and instruments available, so that we lose no more of the diseased organ than absolutely necessary. And let us never rejoice in surgery, but always rejoice in healing.
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This leads us naturally to
IV. The Command of Forgiveness, verses 21-22.
Peter, again with his usual case of “foot-in-mouth disease,” put on his best “what-a-good-boy-am-I” face and said: “Lord, I'm a pretty fair fellow, aren't I? I'm willing to forgive seven times!
“And Jesus’ reply should surely sting us all: “Not seven, but seventy times seven,” in short, “Don't keep count!” Don't make notches on the spine of your Bible! Forgive, and keep on forgiving, at every sign of repentance, and be always willing to go the first mile, and to go the second mile, to keep from being even thought to be at fault in any dispute. Suffer wrong rather than offending, and remember that “Love doesn't keep score.”
And last, there is
V. The Illustration of Compassion, verses 23-25.
In line with our thesis that the entire chapter concerns church discipline, which begins with self-discipline, let us hear a modern parable.
“And behold, a certain driver went forth to drive, and truly the streets were crowded with those who did not follow the rules of the road. And as he went on his way, he grew more and more upset with all the other fools.
“Finally he found a parking place, but it was a long distance from the stores he was seeking, and with the walk, and the weather, and the waiting, he grew more and more irritated. The shops were crowded with rude, offensive people, and the clerks were less polite than usual, and the prices were just fuel for the fire. But finally he finished the long list and went back to his car--to find a ticket for over parking!
“After paying the fine (grumpily), in the slot so thoughtfully provided by the city, and wondering why they couldn't stay on top of everything else that well, he jumped in his car, gunned the motor, and--sat, impatiently drumming his fingers on the steering wheel while traffic moved relentlessly by. No one slowed down to let him back into line, in spite of his rocking the car back and forth, leaning out of the window, and generally indicating his impatient importance--importance which the others obstinately refused to recognize.
“Then miraculously, a driver behind him stopped! A tap on the horn, a wave, a friendly smile--sure enough, someone was willing to let him back into the flow of traffic! And. even more astoundingly, it wasn't someone who wanted the space--just someone willing to wait a minute!
“Without a word, only a brief wave, our driver pulled rapidly into the line and moved toward home. As he did, he noted with smug satisfaction a number of cars trying to pull out of parking spaces. Poor devils! Too bad they weren't like him.”