In heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven

"Take heed that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven. For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost. What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them goes astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine and go to the mountains to seek the one that is straying? And if he should find it, assuredly, I say to you, he rejoices more over that sheep than over the ninety-nine that did not go astray. Even so it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.

"Moreover if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother. But if he will not hear, take with you one or two more, that 'by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.' And if he refuses to hear them, tell it to the church. But if he refuses even to hear the church, let him be to you like a heathen and a tax collector. Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, I am there in the midst of them."

- Matthew 18:10-20

In the past two readings, Jesus has taught us about humility. First, he paid the temple tax (not to "give offense") although clearly he was not required to do so by virtue of his identity as Son (What do you think, Simon?). Next, in yesterday's reading, he taught further about the requirement of humility in those who will be leaders of his church, in the proper receipt of those who come to them "in his name" "as little children" (Whoever receives one little child like this in my name receives me). In today's reading, Jesus continues with the topic of humility, and also discipline in the church - how they should relate to one another among his followers and disciples.

"Take heed that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven." My study bible says, "No one should despise humble Christians, because their guardian angels occupy foremost positions before God. The angels always see the face of God, not in his divine essence, but in His divine glory, His energy, according to the measure of their capacity (John 6:46). Only the Son and the Holy Spirit can behold Him perfectly (11:27; 1 Cor. 2:10). It is not the nature of God, but the weakness of men, which requires the angels' service. They are sent for the sake of those who will inherit salvation (Heb. 1:14)." Jesus has just finished uttering the statement, "Whoever receives one little child like this in my name receives me" (a few verses earlier; see yesterday's reading). He has taught his disciples that they must take the greatest care with the vulnerable, the new to the faith, the "little children" who will come to them for teaching and instruction, as followers. Here, he tells them to keep in mind how carefully the powers of heaven minister to and consider the welfare of these "little children."

"For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost. What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them goes astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine and go to the mountains to seek the one that is straying? And if he should find it, assuredly, I say to you, he rejoices more over that sheep than over the ninety-nine that did not go astray. Even so it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish." My study bible notes here: "The search for the lost sheep is an act of God in mercy and love for each person who goes astray. No first-century Palestinian shepherd would dare leave ninety-nine to find one, lest the wolves come and devour the flock (Luke 15:4). But God's love is so great He would seek even the one that is straying." So important is every single person who will find their way to this reconciliation with God, that all effort and energy is expanded in their behalf, on behalf of this relationship. We remember that their angels always behold the face of God, that Christ says that he came for the lost sheep, to return them to the fold - and that to greet one of them who comes in his name must be as if they are receiving Christ himself. This is the love of God, that is personal, and for each one who is restored to relationship with him, through Christ. This is the message we take away from this passage, of the depth of love, of cherished love lost and restored, that God feels and cares for each one of the sheep - most especially the lost whom he seeks to restore to relationship. This is the essence of Jesus' mission, the force of the love of God the Father, all in One. This is why humility is of the essence in the church: each one is important, precious. Restored to the Father, there is great rejoicing over each one lost and returned.

"Moreover if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother. But if he will not hear, take with you one or two more, that 'by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.' " My study bible notes here, "These verses set forth a classic form of Church discipline based on mutual correction, in three expanding stages. Sin and repentance are private unless the offender refuses to repent; then the issue may have to be made public and corporate, coming before the whole Church. All discipline must be done with great care and humility, for it is easy to be hypocritical in the way we judge (see 7:1-5)." Jesus is also quoting here from Deuteronomy. The decisions of the whole body of the Church begin in private, and with the greatest consideration for the privacy of the individual, based on proper respect for persons. If we have just been given a discourse on how deeply God cherishes and wants each "little one" restored to himself, then our judgment about how to treat one another in matters of offense or error must reflect that understanding. We are to take the greatest of care to use proper judgment and discernment, as taught here by Christ. "And if he refuses to hear them, tell it to the church. But if he refuses even to hear the church, let him be to you like a heathen and a tax collector." My study bible notes: "The term church, which occurs only in Matthew among the Gospels (here and 16:18), refers to the people of God, the community of faith. Jesus came to establish a congregation, gathered by him and united with him, in the power of the Holy Spirit." To let even one of these children go, the judgment must be sure; one must take as much precaution as possible to understand the desire on the part of the accused not to participate fully in relation to the church.

"Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, I am there in the midst of them." My study bible notes here: "Temporal rulers have the power of binding, but they bind only the body. God, however, binds with a bond which pertains to the soul itself, a power which God has not given even to angels. God is with us. He has a special presence in heaven and in every church as well, through His grace and the sacraments. Mutual correction, which sometimes necessitates expulsion from the community, makes the Church strong and invincible through the love of Christ." Not only have we just been told, in the reading from yesterday, that "whoever receives one little child like this in my name receives me" - but we are also told, in fact, that where two or three gathered in his name, he is in the midst of them. A binding and strengthening power is surely revealed to us here! We recall that in the reading in which Peter made his great confession of faith, Jesus said that "on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven." My study bible then referred to the church as a "divine-human organism." So the strength in this confession, in this bond, is unbreakable. All the evil in the world cannot endure against it. Moreover, where two or three are gathered in Christ's name, so he is there as well. It is a sharing of power that we experience and understand from these teachings. And there are rules that go along with this power: the first one is one of humility. Our conduct toward the least among us is to be as if we welcome Christ himself. And the laws of governance and good judgment must always keep this in mind. This is the power Christ uses and exemplifies, and in these ways we must be like him.

How do we understand power? How do we understand Christianity as a faith that is to teach us that the least among us are to be received as if we were receiving Christ himself? How do we practice good governance in the church? Above all, what does it mean that we should bear in mind that in heaven the angels of the little ones "always see the face of my Father who is in heaven?" Jesus is not saying that bad conduct never necessitates that sheep will be lost, but he has us firmly on ground that teaches us about how precious each soul is - and how they (the disciples) must go about putting this understanding into practice. They are bound with a great power. Where two or three are gathered, Jesus is in the midst of them. Not even the gates of Hades (the power of death) can break the bond of faith. The littlest among them who comes in His name is to be welcomed as one would welcome Christ himself. But the power of this spiritual reality is grounded in important discipline: we must learn, first, humility. It is the essential ingredient with which his church is to be governed, his teachers and disciples will teach, the hierarchy must receive the little ones in his name. This great power, which also binds and looses, is to be used hand-in-hand with the understanding of how precious each soul is, of how his Father's greatest desire is to have them restored to him. Jesus has also taught recently, in the same vein, that we are to avoid giving unnecessary offense, and scandal that cause the little ones to stumble, at all cost. What does that mean to each one of us, and how must we treat one another? We have many disagreements among ourselves. We share many different opinions on a wide spectrum of ideas about how to implement Christ's teachings on any number of topics. But above all we must agree on this: that love and humility must be our guiding rules, and serve all the rest of the mission of the Church in this truth. How can we practice that better today? How do we respect the notion that the lost sheep - even every one of us - is precious and is sought to be restored to God?