9.11.20 - Ezekiel, Fraternal Correction, Excommunication, Doubt

Ezekiel 33:7-11

I have appointed you as a sentinel for the house of Israel; when you hear a word

I have appointed you as a sentinel for the house of Israel; when you hear a word from my mouth, you must warn them for me.

When I say to the wicked, “You wicked, you must die,” and you do not speak up to warn the wicked about their ways, they shall die in their sins, but I will hold you responsible for their blood.

If, however, you warn the wicked to turn from their ways, but they do not, then they shall die in their sins, but you shall save your life.

…oracle of the Lord GOD—I swear I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live. Turn, turn from your evil ways! Why should you die, house of Israel?

Q: What is the message for us?

A: It was the role of the prophets not only to remind the people of their relationship and commitments to God but also to warn them when they were failing. The role of the clergy in the Church today have the same obligations – to keep our relationships and commitments to God present in our lives, and to warn us when we are failing. Although the latter isn’t done very much in the pulpit these days, that has always been part of their job description.

Psalm 95:8-9

If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts. Come, let us sing joyfully to the LORD; let us acclaim the rock of our salvation. Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us joyfully sing psalms to him.

Q: What does this Pslam have to do with OT and Gospel Readings?

A: Sin is not the cause of our problems. A hardened heart (or head) that leads to our break with God is the problem. So, we pray, harden not our hearts!

Matthew 18:15-20

Jesus said to his disciples:

“If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone.

If he listens to you, you have won over your brother.

If he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, so that every fact may be established on the testimony of two or three witnesses.

If he refuses to listen to them, tell the church.

If he refuses to listen even to the church, then treat him as you would a Gentile or a tax collector.

Amen, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

Again, amen, I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything for which they are to pray, it shall be granted to them by my heavenly Father.

For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.”

It is important to note that, in this reading, Jesus is addressing his disciples, specifically his apostles, who you could call the proto-hierarchy of the Church. Because he is addressing just his disciples, the guidelines in this passage are intended to address issues within the “Ekklesia” (the Church). Remember, they have the role of not only establishing, but upholding halakhah (which now referred specifically to the teachings of Jesus), now including the forgiveness of sin (see John 20:22-23). In terms of handling complaints of offenses by members within the Ekklesia, the offenses presupposed in Jesus’ address are sins of a grievous nature, such that, if left unaddressed, would harm the community.

1. If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have won over your brother.

The first principle may seem simple but it’s not what happens in reality. It is very common when someone sins against us or hurts someone, that they immediately go and announce that fault or sin to other people rather than confront the person who has actually hurt us or sinned against us. Jesus makes very clear here that proper fraternal correction within the Church should always begin one on one. The point is not to shame your brother in front of everyone, but rather to let him know the wrong that he has done, with the hope of him turning away from that behavior. The language Jesus uses is “repent.” What is repent? It means to turn around, to change. So, step one is individual fraternal (brotherly) correction and the goal is reconciliation, not condemnation.

2. If he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, so that ‘every fact may be established on the testimony of two or three witnesses.

As you probably know, it does not always happen that people “change” when they are informed that their behavior was offensive or sinful. People don’t tend to think they have done any wrong. So the second step Jesus gives in this process of fraternal correction (if one-on-one fraternal correction fails) is “you shall take one or two others along with you, that every word may be confirmed by the evidence of two or three witnesses.”

Now here we get into something very interesting. The words Jesus is using is religious legal language because when he says “the evidence of two or three witnesses,” he is alluding to Deuteronomy 19:15, which says:

A single witness shall not prevail against someone for any crime or wrongdoing that he may have committed; a charge shall stand only on the testimony of two or three witnesses.

Jesus’ citing of juridical instructions from the Old Covenant community suggests that the main intention of his instruction was to establish a foundation of a juridical process for the New Covenant community. Indeed, these principles would form the basis of the Church’s internal law (what is called “canon law”).

3. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the Ekklesia (Assembly/Church).

Implied here is that the matter would now be taken to the leaders or elders of the Church. Once again, the matters being considered here are errors or sins of a serious nature that, if not addressed, would harm the community.

4. If he refuses to listen even to the Church, treat him as you would a tax collector or gentile.

Note first that the meaning of this statement is that the judgment of the Church is the final court of appeal on earth.

Secondly, treatment as “a tax collector or gentile” simply means the person is excluded from the covenant community.

Third, the definition of “excommunication” is to be excluded from communion with the covenant community.

Q: BUT, BUT, we say, Jesus taught love and forgiveness and ate with tax collectors and sinners all the time! What do we have to say to that?

A: All that is true. But what is the other word Jesus uses as much as love and forgiveness? Repent!

Q: What does repent mean?

A: It means turn around, change. If someone is a liar, Jesus will forgive him in a heartbeat, but only if the person sees that lying was wrong and changes, right?

What did he tell the tax collectors?

And he said to them, “Collect no more taxes than you are required to.” Luke 3:13

Q: Why is repentance necessary?

A: Because sin damages relationships and is a barrier to the development of love.

So, excommunication does not mean the Church (us) give up on the person. Not at all. They need to be re-evangelized and whenever they do see the light, they can be readmitted!

This has been the basis for the Church’s juridical process for the next two millennia.

Amen, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

Our comments about the significance of the terms “bind” and “loose” regarding Peter’s authority two weeks ago (Matt 16:18) are also appropriate here. This authority to interpret, apply, and uphold Jesus’ teachings are now also given to the Twelve as a body. The Catholic Church has since followed this interpretation that the Church speaks authoritatively either through Peter (or his successors) or the Twelve (that is, the bishops united, i.e. an ecumenical council).

Btw, ecumenical is Greek for all/united. Ecumenism, nowadays, refers to promoting Christian unity throughout the world.

Again, amen, I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything for which they are to pray, it shall be granted to them by my heavenly Father.

This is one of the most misunderstood statements of Jesus.

First, this does not mean if Thao and Van get together and agree to pray about something, that they suddenly have omnipotence in whatever they ask for. Remember, Jesus is talking to his Apostles about Church matters.

The primary force of these words is the promise of divine assistance to the Apostles and their successors who will be responsible for establishing halakhah for the New Covenant community (the Church) and also for dealing pastorally for those who have difficulty accepting the teaching of the Church. God will guide them through these difficulties if they seek his will in prayer.

For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.

This statement extends not only to the apostles and their successors but all members of the Covenant Community (us/the Church). Jesus gathers a Church community around him, not a bunch of autonomous individuals.

More grace and blessings are available when two or more gather together and pray in Jesus’ name.

Closing prayer

The Stairwell of Faith & Doubt

At times, Father, all of this Spiritual beauty strikes me as a bit too incredible, so please help my occasional incredulity; for though you have already proven the truth of our relationship a million times, my lower, cretinous ego never seems satisfied surrendering to that which it can’t control.

Alas, I sense the ego is my Jedi trainer!

Every person’s faith is unique, not two in human history are the same; yet the common denominator to advancing is the same: handing our doubts back to You rather than descending the stairs and walking away.

Only then do we find ourselves on the next step looking back at the obvious: wondering why we ever doubted in the first place.

Though I would prefer you had given me a perfect, unwavering faith, I realize now that this would imply certainty, and certainty does not require faith.

Yet faith is the key to every relationship; and that starts with You.

In the spiritual marketplace of life, faith is currency.

It is our spiritual oxygen.

Lord, may I breathe the same air as you for the rest of time.

Amen.