Monday, August 20, 2018

Matthew 18

Matthew 18:17
If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector
There is a process when you think a fellow believer is wrong.  You try to settle the matter privately, but if that doesn't work, you aren't supposed to just let if fester.  You take it to the congregation, and deal with it as a body.  Problems which are kept secret only grow worse, as the Catholic church has been having to deal with recently.

I find it interesting the final instructions here.  In this passage, Jesus uses tax collectors and Gentiles as illustrations of how to treat the unrepentant.  Is he saying that these people are bad, and unworthy of respect and friendship?  If so, how are you supposed to win them over?  Or is he saying the unrepentant are to be treated as they are already treating the Gentiles and tax collectors, which was worse than they should be?

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