The end of Matthew 18 is often referred to as the ‘Church Discipline’ section by churches who actually obey these commands of our Lord. All the other churches seem to ignore it and then both sets of churches attack the other. Jesus’ words are mostly contained in four books which the average person can read in about ten hours, all if it important. Often these books get divided up into sermon size bites and we forget that the whole, chapter, book, Bible goes together. There are a lot of ideas all connected in this chapter, children, lost sheep, sin, forgiveness. But the main idea I want to bring out is about lost sheep.
Christ the Good Shepherd. Bartolome Esteban Murillo. 1617-1682. Oil on Canvas. Madrid Spain.
I have seen almost no evidence that the church in America cares at all about lost sheep. A recent study showed that a large percentage of ‘evangelicals’ think that ‘evangelism’ is wrong. I mean really, the contradiction is right there in the word, no need to get into doctrinal statements or verse exposition. The church doesn’t address the lost outside the Church. And searches on church discipline don’t turn up much either. There are no studies on Jesus’ words here because no one knows them. The Church doesn’t address the lost in the Church either. My experience bears this out as well. Almost all attempts I have made to reconcile or have-it-out to see who is correct Biblically, to correct or be corrected, have come to nothing. No one seems to care. We are encouraged to take the easy way out and just leave or let the other person leave. Attempt to pursue another person and professing Christians talk about restraining orders and taking their lame excuse for a case before godless men(I Cor. 6)! Our communities are large enough that we never really have to see that person, we can just go to the new church-plant-of-the-month and pretend everything is fine. But it’s not fine.
I get tired of walking this road, of saying these things, but I was confronted with a few verses that bring it all together. The Lost Sheep isn’t just a person without Jesus, who needs to make a commitment of faith. It is someone who has been living in the light and then rejects it. They are a sheep who have strayed from the flock, from orthodox in practice, orthopraxy. It’s not about church membership. If you claim the name of Christ, take communion, and then err without repenting, you are a lost sheep. Peter speaks of these sheep in 2 Peter 2:20-22:
For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them. But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.
It is worse for sheep to stray than to have never been sheep. You should want to correct your erring brother over saving others, or getting new converts. In Matthew 18 Jesus says you leave the 99 sheep and go to rescue that sheep. You don’t just go down to the market and get another sheep. Because the errant sheep is in peril, and you love that sheep, that sheep is valuable. Correction should come before evangelism.
I’ve said before we aren’t ‘adults’, we are children. And that’s why Jesus connects these things in a back and forth in these verses. The disciples are on a high because they don’t have to pay the temple tax. They are wondering about the ranks in this army which they think Jesus is building to overthrow Rome. He brings them back down and tells them they must be like children. But do not be stupid. Sin is serious. Do what is necessary to address it in yourself. Then he adds the children into the lost sheep image. These children are sheep, they were probably Jewish children in the covenant. They had a certain type of infant faith. Yet as they would grow the Pharisees would destroy that promise and turn those children into copies of themselves, sons of Satan(John 8:44). Jesus does not want any of these children to be led astray, as many would be and the Romans would wipe out so many. Leading sheep astray is serious evil.
He then goes into the so-called church discipline section. Brothers in sin, are connected with the lost sheep. Don’t you care for your lost brother as the shepherd who goes after that lost sheep? You should. Two thirds of this procedure have nothing to do with the formal church. Most situations should be resolved brother to brother. You are your brothers keeper. My point here isn’t getting into the details or to consider traditional wisdom on best practices, but simply to encourage you to do it, to work it out. At least try. Go talk to your brother. And be willing if other people ask you to help them talk to someone.
Prov. 27:6 Faithful are the wounds of a friend;
Then you bring in more people as you need them. The point is to bring them back not scare them away and gloat over how much better you are, or to gossip about their sin. Sometimes it might not work, take heart, God is with you. And he will respect the decision of the church on such matters. What we do on earth has eternal consequences. Don’t throw up your hands and say it’s up to God, in heaven, some day. He has given us these tasks, this is our work now. Don’t say vengeance is God’s. This isn’t vengeance, or punishment, this is correction or discipline. It’s about restoration and unity, and if it is successful, James says in 5:19,20:
Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him; Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.
Oh how wonderful to rejoice over that lost sheep. But then Peter wants some clarification on the forgiveness side. Jesus says pour out your forgiveness, because God has forgiven you much more. Don’t be stingy. This is the type of interactions which can not be faked. This is the moving of the spirit. I hate to think that the failure of the church all around to restore those lost sheep or to prevent those children born into Christian homes from falling away, is simple ignorance. Maybe they haven’t heard this spoken clearly, Lord. I pray it is not a lack of the Spirit.