Seeds for 11/13/2023 - Matthew 18:18
Scripture: “If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over. But if they will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’ If they still refuse to listen, tell it to the church; and if they refuse to listen even to the church, treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector.
“Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”
Observation: Binding and loosing, heaven and earth… We’ve heard this talk once before—what’s it about?
The only other point of reference is two chapters previously in Matthew 16:19. Peter has confessed Jesus as the Messiah and Jesus has affirmed him as the rock on which His church will be built. Then Jesus adds, “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”
So again, what’s this binding and loosing? The context in our passage today is the previous verses, which we looked at last time. They dealt with sin and accountability within the church. The believers are called to pursue holiness together. The pursuit of holiness with support and accountability from one another is what John Wesley, founder with his brother Charles of the Methodist movement, called, “social holiness.”
Based on that context, binding seems to refer to this work of accountability. That is, naming, confessing, and repenting of behavior that doesn’t honor God or respect others. There are specifics, of course, but that’s the broad brushstrokes. Loosing, then, would seem to refer to releasing—facilitating the turning away from the bonds of sin and towards life-giving holiness in the Lord.
There’s a practical way this gets applied and lived out within the church’s worship in the service of Holy Communion (or Eucharist, Mass, the Lord’s Supper, etc., depending on your tradition). Part of preparing to come to the Table is confession of our sin and need for God’s grace. Our liturgy includes a common confession of sin as the church and silent confession personally before God. This is followed by the pastor reminding the people of God’s love for us in Christ and God’s faithfulness to forgive. At this point, something very important happens. The pastor announces that the people are forgiven in the name of Christ, and the people—because the pastor is a fellow Christian in need of this, announce the same back to him or her. Binding and loosing. Binding the sin of people that it may reign no more. Loosing the people from the bonds of sin. Yet another reason why we need one another. Holy work, praise be to God.
Application:
When have you helped another person feel heathy conviction?
When you you helped another person have assurance that they are forgiven?
What else might the Holy Spirit be speaking with you about in the text today?
Prayer: Lord, lead me in authentic confession and repentance, that my sin may be bound and my whole self may to loosed unto a joyous life in you. And help me offer that gift to others as well. Amen.
“But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.” (Matthew 13:23)
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Love the explanation of binding and loosing in the context of Holy Communion.