Hope For The Sinner
Matthew 18:1-20
When you read the
Gospel of Matthew, it seems that Jesus, at times, went on and on about one
topic after another that really didn’t appear to be related at all. He would speak a few words about one subject
and then He would jump to something else.
That has led some Bible scholars to claim that Matthew’s Gospel wasn’t
an exact recording of what really took place but rather a collection of Jesus’
sayings that may have occurred on several occasions. I’m always skeptical when someone tries to
make human sense out of divinely inspired Scripture by taking it apart and
putting it back together again in a way that might make more sense to the human
mind. Instead, it would be better for us
to simply take what Jesus said as it is presented and look for something that
connects the various saying together.
One of my seminary professors called that the golden thread that runs
through the reading. What is the one
main point that is being made in a particular reading. Today’s Gospel lesson is a good example of a
section that seems to contain several unrelated thoughts but after you look at
it more closely, you begin to see that golden thread. As we meditate on the Gospel lesson for today
from Matthew 18, may we discover together that golden thread that shows us that
there is hope for the sinner.
This reading
begins with a question that came from Jesus’ disciples.
“Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” That’s an interesting question. Why do you suppose someone would ask that
kind of question? With football season getting
started, many people are wondering which team will be the greatest this
season. Everyone hopes that their favorite
team will be the greatest because then you can brag that your team is number
one. Our human nature feeds on the
desire to be the greatest. That might
explain the question that the disciples asked.
Do you suppose that deep down they were hoping that Jesus would say that
those who are his disciples are the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? Isn’t that what we would like to hear? Again, our sinful human nature would love to
say, “We are better than you are.” But
Jesus didn’t say that. In fact He
surprised them by placing a young child in front of them and saying, “Truly, I
say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the
kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles
himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” A humble child trusts completely. A humble child isn’t out to impress others
with acts of goodness intended to make points with God. A humble child will admit the wrongs done and
seek the Lord’s forgiveness. Having the
humility of a young child makes one great in the kingdom of God
Next Jesus went a
step farther and gives a serious warning to those who cause others to sin,
especially those who are like the humble child.
This shows us God’s attitude toward sin and those who cause it. Their punishment will be great. That thought also gives hope to the humble
sinner. Often there are times when you
feel like you are alone in a sinful world.
Things around you seem to be more and more corrupt all the time. You feel the pull of temptations all around
you and you find yourself more often than not giving in to those temptations. It seems like you are in a giant downward
spiral. One sin leads to another. There seems to be no hope. Yet when you are reminded how God feels about
sin and those who cause it, you can be hopeful.
He didn’t create you for sinfulness.
He created you to obey and serve Him.
He loves you and has given His only Son to rescue you from the
punishment that you deserve because of your sin. He hates sin and in His love, He wants you to
be saved from the downward spiral. He
lifts you up because He wants you to be with Him forever in heaven. That good news gives the sinner hope.
The next point in
this reading talks about how to keep from sinning. Jesus uses some exaggeration to get across
the idea that sin against God is serious.
He certainly does not want you to cut of your hands and feet but He does
want you to use the spiritual tools that have been given to us to strengthen
your resolve to do God’s will in your life.
In His mercy, God sent the Holy Spirit to work in your heart through the
Means of Grace, the Word and the Sacrament.
When you hear the Word you are reminded of God’s will and the Holy
Spirit strengthens you to do those things that God commands. Through your Baptism you become a child of
God and you live to please your heavenly Father. The Holy Spirit works to bring you to saving
faith and keeps you in that faith as you remember your Baptism daily. Through the Lord’s Supper you receive the
forgiveness of your sins and the strength to live a God-pleasing life. You are certainly not left to your own
strength when it comes to fighting against the devil, the world and your sinful
nature. That gives hope to the
sinner.
Jesus then turns
to a short parable about a shepherd and his sheep to help us to see how much he
cares about his sheep, especially those who wander. Have you ever felt like a sheep that has gone
astray? I would think that if you are
honest with yourself, there have been times in your life when you wandered off,
when you followed the enticements of the world and left the security of the
flock and the shepherd. During that time
you may have felt for a time like this was what you always wanted but then
reality set in and you felt lost. In
Jesus’ parable, the shepherd left the ninety-nine to search for the one that
was lost. This shows us the love of God
for His own. It is not His will that one
of these should perish. There is great
rejoicing when that one is returned to the flock. That also gives hope to the sinner.
The final example
in this section about giving hope to the sinner talks about a process for
reclaiming someone who has sinned against you.
First, go to that person, one on one.
If he repents, you have gained the brother. If that doesn’t work, take someone with
you. If that doesn’t work, take it to
the church. The hope is that the person
could be brought back into the body of Christ as a repentant and forgiven
brother. This process is often
recommended when there are problems between people, especially in the
church. It is seen as the God-pleasing
way to resolve problems that may arise between sinful people, and we are all
sinful people. Those things will
happen. We all have to deal with pride
and selfishness because of our sinful nature and that can cause clashes when
one person’s pride comes up against another person’s pride. But there is more to this than simply a way
to resolve differences. This shows us
once again that God’s will is that repentance overcomes pride and that there is
hope for the sinner who lets pride get in the way of humble service to the Lord
and His people. There is hope because
the Lord wants all to be saved and to come to the knowledge of His truth.
The last two
verses of this reading make a strong point about where this hope can be
found. Jesus speaks about the gathering
of His people together. “Where two or
three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.” That is a very simple description of the
Church. People gathered in the name of
Jesus will seek to do the Father’s will and will encourage others to do the
same. Gathering in the name of Jesus
means that we seek to do everything that is connected with the life and
teaching of Jesus. That means
proclaiming the Law and the Gospel in its truth and purity and administering
the Sacraments according to God’s direction.
It is in the Church, among brothers and sisters in Christ, that the
sinner can find real hope, hope for forgiveness, hope for reconciliation with
God, and hope for eternity in heaven.
With that hope then come peace and joy that make a real difference in
the way you live your life. You will
still struggle with temptation. You will
still sin, but you will also live with a sure and certain hope for your eternal
future. Amen.
Rev. Gerald Matzke
Zion Lutheran Church
Painesville, Ohio
Pentecost 13
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