"The Seriousness Of Sin"
Text: Matthew 18:1-20
9-10-2023
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. Years ago, I used to write articles for our Police Union paper in Omaha. After a while, one of my fellow officers teased me that he called my articles, "Meyer's Potpourri." He labeled it that way because quite often, within the same article, I'd write about several unrelated issues that affected us on the Police Department. It was a fitting title which I then adopted.
Well, when you read our Gospel lesson for today you might think that Matthew is giving you a "Jesus Potpourri." At first glance it may seem that these 20 verses are a mixture or medley of issues that aren't directly related. The only common thread would be that Christ spoke them. The first section is about humbling yourself like a child. The next is about not causing a little one to sin. Then there's the part about temptation and avoiding it at all costs. Next, we have the parable about the 99 sheep that the owner left behind to go searching for the 1 lost sheep. And the final section is about how to confront a brother who has sinned, which morphs into church discipline and excommunication. But don’t fall into the trap of thinking these are just a random collection of Jesus-sayings that Matthew threw together. They're not. We would do well to examine this text as a whole to discover the main theme that runs through it as Christ develops it further with each section.
So, what is the main issue that Jesus is focused on here? It's the seriousness of sin. Each of these sections addresses a different aspect of it. Apparently, people in Christ's day had the same problem we have now: sin was being treated as minor little flub-ups and trivial indiscretions that don't really affect our relationship with God and our eternal destiny. Jesus makes it clear that’s not true. But the good news is that while Jesus stresses the seriousness of sin He also highlights God's mercy and His willingness to go to any extreme to save us from sin and damnation. With that in mind, let's work through this text, asking the Lord to open our eyes to how He instructs us to deal with our own sin, the sins of others, and the temptations to sin.
In the opening verses we find the disciples having a debate about who would be the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. You don't have to be a rocket scientist to figure out that those 12 men thought they were near the top of the list and they were jockeying for the number one position. It seemed natural for them to think in this way since Jesus handpicked them to be His leadership team. And since Peter, James, and John were selected to be part of Jesus' inner circle you can bet they argued that this meant a higher rank for them. That might seem normal in our world, but not in Christ's Church. The sins of envy, jealousy, and pride were threatening to destroy their childlike faith, and that's a serious problem. Only empty vessels can receive the gifts of God and humility empties our hearts of those sins. So, Jesus used a little child to show them what spiritual humility looks like. An unassuming and trusting attitude within a Child of God is the essence of saving faith.
To extend that further, Jesus then warns that we dare not do anything that would injure or mislead the faith of a person, young or old, who has childlike faith. If we do anything that would cause a trusting soul like a child to sin, He says that it would be preferable to suffer a horrible death by drowning. It sounds drastic but that's how serious sin is. Do we view it that seriously? Children as well as adults who are childlike in their faith are easily influenced by us so-called "mature" Christians. When we're around them outside of our time here at Church, what kind of language do they hear from our mouths? Likewise with our actions and how we treat others. Or what about our attitude concerning worship? Are we misleading them with our sporadic attendance? Are we teaching them that receiving God's gifts in the Divine Service are a low priority? Do we give them the impression that Sunday School is just for kids and not adults? Children will imitate what we say and do. Jesus says we dare not cause them to sin because it's such serious business.
Carrying that thought further, Christ says that the temptations to sin are inevitable in our fallen world. But we need to check and make sure we are not the source of those temptations. We must also be on guard against the things that lure us into those sins that might ultimately lead a little one astray. Again, Jesus uses a drastic illustration. But His point is not to promote self-mutilation. Rather, the danger of hellfire ought to make us pause and consider the seriousness of sin. It should be avoided at all costs. And we should be willing to "sever" ourselves from anything that might open the door for temptations to enter. Think about that the next time you're exposed to circumstances, places, and people that are conduits for temptation. Look at it this way. If you're tempted by overeating then you probably should stay away from the restaurant buffet because there's going to be a strong pull at your inner weakness. Jesus is saying it would better for you to end a relationship, quit going to your favorite hangout, or cancel your internet and cable TV than to risk being caught in the trap of sin. It's that serious!
No one is expendable to God. On the contrary, the parable of the man searching for his lost sheep shows the extremes that the Lord will go to in order to rescue a little one from going astray in sin. I once heard a Pastor say that these words of Jesus mean that He loves the lost souls outside of the Church more than those of us who are already Christians. Poppycock! He said nothing of the sort. He loves and cares about all of us equally. Normally, a person who lost 1 out of a hundred sheep would be content with the 99 he still safely had. That's an acceptable loss ratio in business, but not when it comes to a soul lost in sin. And the crux of the matter is that if God places such a high value on that soul, then so ought we. The question is, are we willing to go to such extremes to help rescue someone who has gone astray? How about here within our own flock of this congregation? Or our family and friends who have wandered away from the faith? As someone once said, "Life is short, hell is hot, and eternity is a long time." Understanding the serious consequences of sin ought to inspire our efforts to search out lost sinners.
If that's the case, and if we truly believe in the seriousness of sin, then we can't turn a blind eye to it. Not in our own lives and not in the lives of our fellow believers. So Jesus gives us a loving method for dealing with an erring brother or sister in the faith. We can't sweep it under the rug because a person's soul is in jeopardy. But before we look at the steps that He gives for addressing it, you need to know that even though our reading says, "If your brother sins against you", the words "against you" don't appear in the most reliable manuscripts that we have of this text. And that fits with the pattern we've seen building since verse 1. Sin is damnable and we must take it seriously. It doesn't matter if it's a sin against you personally or a sin that didn't involve you directly. Either way, we have a responsibility to confront it.
And every step of the way, Jesus teaches us to lovingly and gently seek the rescue of that sinner. First, He says, go to them privately. Regardless of whether that sin was against you or not, you're not free to go around blabbing about it. If you do, then you're sinning and need to be the one who is admonished. On this first step and the following ones there is often a very defensive response: "Mind your own business!" "Who are you to judge me?" "You think you're holier than thou, but I know you've got your own boatload of sins to deal with." Rather than being intimidated and walking away, our humble answer is: "As a fellow believer, your soul's welfare becomes my business. Yes, I'm a sinner too, but I've repented of those sins and received God's gracious word of forgiveness. And that's all I want for you."
If the erring person repents and is forgiven, marvelous! It’s over and done. If not, we move onto the next step. You are to take two or three others with you, not so that you can gang up on the person, but rather to show the seriousness of the sin and your shared concern over it. It also helps to assure you that you're not off base. Again, confidentiality is in order. If the person repents then forgiveness is announced and it's done. If not, this serious matter is taken before the body of believers. Now, due to the circumstances, it becomes a public matter. But remember what St. Paul says in Galatians 6:1, "If anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted." In other words, don't fall into the temptation to gossip or think that you're better than the one who is being confronted because then you too will be caught in the trap of sin. It's that same sin of pride that we saw in the opening verses of our text. Bringing the matter before the congregation is not for the purpose of embarrassing the person. Rather, now more believers will join the effort to gently correct and rescue them from their sin.
Sadly, sometimes a person is so deeply ensnared in their sin that they refuse to acknowledge it or repent. If so, Jesus says to treat them as a Gentile and a tax collector. That is, treat them like the rest of the unconverted souls in the world. And what does that look like? It doesn't mean snubbing them or being cruel. No, we gently evangelize those who are outside the faith keeping in mind the urgency due to the seriousness of sin. That exclusion from the congregation is supposed to be a shock to their spiritual senses. And all along the way, the hope is that it will bring them to repentance. Why is it that we find this last step so distasteful that we avoid it in the Church? It's because most of us, myself included, don't like confrontation. I'll grant you, it's no fun, but the love of Christ for lost sinners demands it.
And that's the main point that runs through this discourse of Jesus. Sin is very serious and leads to damnation in hell. But God in His mercy went to the extreme in order to rescue us lost sinners. The innocent Son of God suffered the pains of hell on the cross to pay the price for your sins, my sins, and the sins of everyone else. By grace He has removed them from us. And through repentance and forgiveness He continues to cleanse us of our guilt when we fall into temptation. That's the good news that He has given us to share with all sinners who have gone astray. May God grant us the courage to faithfully speak that truth in love to the lost world around us. Amen.
Soli Deo Gloria!