For I say to you that 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, 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 yesterday's reading, we read that His disciples came to Him, asking, "Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?" Jesus drew up a little child, and said, "Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven." He added, "Whoever receives one little child like this in My name receives Me." And then He warned about causing any of the little ones to sin. "Woe to the world because of offenses! For offenses must come, but woe to that man by whom the offense comes!" If hand or foot causes one to sin, cast it off -- if an eye causes sin, cast it off, He taught. It is better to enter life maimed or with only one eye than to lose life everlasting.

"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 . . . It is not the nature of God, but the weakness of men, which requires the angel's service. They are sent for the sake of those who will inherit salvation (Heb. 1:14)." This follows on Jesus' teachings about how they are to receive the "little ones" in the Church, and what makes leadership in His kingdom truly great. It is not just a teaching on humility, but also a reminder, a remembrance about the importance with which the "little ones" are viewed in the kingdom of 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." Here Jesus explains this great emphasis on the "little ones" -- and for little ones, my study bible has reminded us, we see not only children, but the ones in the Church without great rank or influence. In the previous note, my study bible cited Hebrews 1:14, and it's worth quoting here for light upon this passage: "Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation?" This powerful message is about saving those who might have been lost. The concern for the "least among them" extends to the great love of God to save that which might otherwise be lost. My study bible says, "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. But God's love is so great that He would seek even the one that is straying."

"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, let him be to you like a heathen and a tax collector." Here is a recipe for salvation. When sin comes, there is a way to un-do and incorporate that person back into community. But when there is a clear choice made, then he or she can be let go -- "let him be to you like a heathen and a tax collector." My study bible notes, "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."

"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." Here is a tremendous and powerful promise. And for even greater emphasis, it is the second time it has been made. The first time was after Peter's confession of faith. Jesus said, "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." Taking it another step further, Jesus goes from a formula for salvation for a "lost sheep" who has sinned in the community to the powerful bond of the covenant with Him. It is a rock against which the gates of Hades cannot prevail. My study bible notes, interestingly, that the term church occurs only in Matthew. It "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." About this bond, I will quote again from a worthwhile note: "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." Clearly, the discipline in the Church is for the sake of community and to save -- not to condemn or judge.

Discipline within the Church is an important consideration. I've had experience in parishes where there was a lot of fighting and very little discipline whatsoever, especially from leadership. On the other hand, the important thing Jesus expresses here is community, respect for the little ones, the depth of the importance of salvation -- going after the lost sheep. This includes the discipline in which He notes that a starting point is privacy, care to contain the problem in a respectful way. All in all, it is a recipe for love in a world beset by problems of strife, violence, aggression. And there we get back to our propensity to want to "lord it over" others, desire for position and rank, notions of authority and influence. We are once again back to the original question that began the discussion, in yesterday's reading: the disciples asked Jesus, "Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?" Let us consider the many phases and steps in Jesus' response: His concern for the little ones, the great care He takes to emphasize salvation for each and every one, and the careful steps of discipline when the community is in some way broken by one's actions. All are a recipe for a community that is to be based on love in action. Jesus is preparing them for leadership, preparing them for Church. It is a powerful thing to realize that the term church appears only in Matthew -- and so, we are given a glimpse of the considerations that are essential to this Gospel. Jesus gives us, and the disciples, a formula for love in action, in community. Can we live that Church? The word in the Greek is ekklesia, generally meaning assembly or congregation -- but literally composed of the prefix ek, meaning out from or to, and kaleo, meaning to be called. The Church is of those who are called out from the world to something -- to the Kingdom in the midst of the world. We are called to that covenant of which He has spoken, the bond of faith, against which the gates of Hades cannot prevail. Jesus gives us His recipe for rank, hierarchy, discipline in the Kingdom of His Church, against the temptations of worldly use of power. It is love in action. Can we remember to live that today, in all the ways in which we are able? Let us remember that He is with us, that "where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them."