Even so it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish

 

 "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 

 

Yesterday we read that, following Christ's second prediction of His Passion, death, and Resurrection at Jerusalem, the disciples came to Jesus, saying, "Who then is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?"  Then Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them, 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.  Whoever receives one little child like this in My name receives Me.  But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea.  Woe to the world because of offenses!  For offenses must come, but woe to that man by whom the offense comes!  If your hand or foot causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you.  It is better for you to enter into life lame or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet, to be cast into the everlasting fire.  And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you.  It is better for you to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into hell fire."

 

  "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."  Yesterday we read that, following a question that reflected their interest in worldly power in what they imagine Christ's kingdom will be, Jesus took a little child and instructed them in their care for the little ones.  We are reminded here that little ones include all who have childlike humility and simplicity, all who are poor in spirit.  According to St. John Chrysostom, my study Bible tells us, not only the saints, but all people have guardian angels.  But the angels of humble people have greater boldness and greater honor before the face of God because of the humility of the person whom they guard.  It's not the nature of God, but the weakness of human beings, that requires the angels' service.  

 

"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 comments that, unlike earthly shepherds, Christ sees such value in one sheep that He will leave the others at risk to save it.  It says that the ninety-nine sheep represent the the righteous who remain faithful to God (Luke 15:7).  According to some patristic teachers, this is also an image of the Incarnation, in which the ninety-nine represent the angels in heaven.  Christ descended from heaven in order to pursue the one sheep -- humankind -- who had fallen into corruption on earth.  

 

 "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."  My study Bible comments on this passage that Jesus offers us a church discipline that is based on mutual correction in three expanding stages.  Sin and correction are to remain private unless the offender refuses to repent.  All correction, it says, must be done with great care and humility, with the highest concern being the salvation of the offender (see 1 Corinthians 5:5; Galatians 6:1).  Nonetheless, correction must take place so that the sin does not spread to others as well.  

 

The parable of the one hundred sheep is an interesting one, because it emphasizes a point Jesus will make many times, through other sayings and other parables.  It tells us that to God, all is necessary, all are essential.  There is no one left out of the salvation plan of God.  On human terms, yes, it is at times necessary to let straying people go, to be left to their own devices when repentance seems impossible.  See again 1 Corinthians 5:5; Galatians 6:1, as cited by my study Bible for the passage above.  But this is because we human beings live in time, and are therefore changeable, malleable.  But we are also always in that position of being somewhere at a moment in time:  we see only what has been revealed on such a level, while God is eternal.  This knowledge must make us aware that even the worst or most unrepentant among us may have possibilities for salvation that you and I, from our purely human perspective, cannot know.  But it is right and true that Jesus repeatedly lets us know of God's concern for all, and of the great efforts of God to seek and to find that which was lost.  It is in that perspective that we understand what it is to pray for our enemies, for even those who have caused some offense.  This does not mean we embrace the offensive behavior, nor even that we tolerate.  It means that we put faith in Jesus' teachings here on the ninety-nine sheep and the one lost for whom the Shepherd will make all effort to retrieve it.  Our prayers are for God's retrieval, not for unrepentant behavior.  But we must understand that God's eternal reality prevails and is authoritative over all, while repentance is also the Lord's teaching for all of us.  That is, a turning toward the Lord that is always called for, that we always need for each moment of our lives.  These two factors are not just real, they are essential for us to understand and to hold dear for our own grasp of reality and the spiritual truth which Christ gives to us.  Jesus is teaching the disciples that His ultimate aim is to make every effort for that which is lost, for until the time of Christ's return and Christ's final judgment, this is the orientation of the Church.  In short, it means that ultimately we place all things in God's hands, and -- lest we forget -- this is what we do in prayer.  It is also what we do in forgiveness.  Forgiveness means (from the Greek, for example, in the Lord's Prayer; see Matthew 6:12) literally to "let go."  But in that letting go, we give the sin and the judgment up to God.  We ask for God's discernment in dealing with evil or sin done to us, and navigating this road in which we are His followers and disciples.  Forgiveness does not mean we need tolerate bad or harmful behavior.  Often it means we need to separate from abusive persons, even so that they have no more temptation to sin against us.  But it means also that we seek God's will in all we do, entrusting the "lost" to the Lord who seeks out all for salvation, and that we hold this perspective in our minds, for this is what the Lord teaches us.  In Christ's example of mutual correction, we should observe the expanding circles of effort and those involved which He instructs here.  It begins with the personal.  Where that does not work to bring repentance, it becomes extended to more within the context of the Church and these teachings.  When that fails the entirety of the Church is involved, and if that does not suffice, the person is outside the Church, like "a heathen and a tax collector."  But let us bear in mind Jesus' teachings about the lost sheep, and St. Paul's words in the passages from 1 Corinthians and Galatians cited above.  No lost sheep is outside of God's purview, and every effort for their salvation will be made.  If we look closely at this small, short parable, it seems that God is not going to be satisfied with the loss of even one sheep, all are unique and necessary to God's creation.  Beyond that, we are not the Judge, and we don't have the purview.  But we have His words to live by, and His reality to accept.  In this model, forgiveness or "letting go" remains always possible, even necessary, even when we must leave the salvation of the lost to God.  Let us always remember the One who is our highest authority.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven

 

 When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, "Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?"  So they said, "Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets."  He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"  Simon Peter answered and said, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."  Jesus answered and said to him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.  And I also say to you that you are Peter, and 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."  Then He commanded His disciples that they should tell no one that He was Jesus the Christ.

 

- Matthew 16:13-20 

 

Yesterday we read that the Pharisees and Sadducees came to Jesus, and testing Him asked that He would show them a sign from heaven.  He answered and said to them, "When it is evening you say, 'It will be fair weather, for the sky is red'; and in the morning, 'It will be foul weather today, for the sky is red and threatening.'  Hypocrites!  You know how to discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times.  A wicked and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign shall be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah."  And He left them and departed.  Now when His disciples had come to the other side, they had forgotten to take bread.  Then Jesus said to them, "Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees."  And they reasoned among themselves, saying, "It is because we have taken no bread."  But Jesus, being aware of it, said to them, "O you of little faith, why do you reason among yourselves because you have brought no bread?  Do you not yet understand, or remember the five loaves of the five thousand and how many baskets you took up?  Nor the seven loaves of the four thousand and how many large baskets you took up?  How is it that you do not understand that I did not speak to you concerning bread? -- but to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees."  Then they understood that He did not tell them to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

 

 When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, "Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?"  So they said, "Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets."  He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"  Simon Peter answered and said, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."  Jesus answered and said to him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven."  My study Bible comments on today's entire passage that Christ's question, "Who do you say that I am?" is the greatest question that a person can ever face.  This is precisely because it is the question that defines Christianity.  Peter's correct answer to the question prevents the Christian faith from being seen or known as simply another philosophical system or path of spirituality.  This is because Jesus is the one and only Son of the living God.  Such a position excludes all compromise with other religious systems.  As Jesus indicates in His response to St. Peter here, St. Peter's understanding could not be achieved by human reason, but only by divine revelation through faith (see 1 Corinthians 12:3).  My study Bible points out that Christ means "Anointed One," the equivalent of the Hebrew title "Messiah."  It also asks us to note that Christ first draws out mistaken opinions about Himself.  He does this to identify incorrect ideas, as a person is better prepared to avoid false teachings when they are clearly identified.

 

"And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it."  My study Bible explains that Peter/rock is a play on the word for "rock" in both Aramaic and Greek (petros/petra).  This rock does not refer to St. Peter per se, but rather to "the faith of his confession" according to St. John Chrysostom.  The true Rock, my study Bible tells us, is Christ Himself (and so says St. Paul in 1 Corinthians 10:4), and the whole of the Church is built on the faithful confession of Christ.  The gates of Hades are the powers of death.  In the Old Testament, my study Bible says, "gates" suggest a fortified city (Genesis 22:17, 24:60; Isaiah 14:31).  By shattering its gates, Christ has opened the stronghold of death to set free the souls of the righteous.  So therefore, the Church also shall not be stopped in her proclamation of salvation.  Moreover, my study Bible tells us that the term church is mentioned only twice in all the gospels, here and in Matthew 18:17.  This Church is the true Israel and the Body of Christ; her citizenship is heavenly.  

 

"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."  Then He commanded His disciples that they should tell no one that He was Jesus the Christ.  My study Bible says that the keys of the kingdom is a reference to a special authority that will be given both to Peter and the other apostles after the Resurrection (see Matthew 18:18; John 20:23).  St. Peter was not a leader over the others, but rather among them.  This truth was confirmed at the Council of Jerusalem (see Acts 15) where the apostles and presbyters met as equals, and where St. Peter advised, but St. James presided.  This is the New Testament witness concerning St. Peter -- his role should neither be expanded, nor should it be diminished in opposition to such claims.  My study Bible also notes for us that binding and loosing is a reference primarily "to absolve sins," according to St. John Chrysostom (see John 20:23).  But it includes all the teaching, sacramental, and administrative authority of the apostles.  This authority was in turn transmitted to the bishops of the Church, and it continues in effect to this day.

 

There is a kind of dual impact of the information revealed in today's reading.  There is first of all the authority which Jesus confers to His apostles, and particularly through St. Peter, who was known as "first among equals" in the continuing spirit of conciliarity which guides the Church and is its aim.  But there is also the powerful, extraordinary understanding that Jesus is the Christ -- and that "flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven."  Let us remember that when Jesus will speak to the apostles of the sending of the Helper, the Holy Spirit,  He tells them that the Holy Spirit will be sent from the Father, and through Christ's prayers (see John 14:16, 26; 15:26; 16:7).  This is very important, because it truly teaches us that Christ's life, death, Resurrection, and Ascension has the effect of bringing humanity into deeper communion not only with Christ, but also the Father and the Holy Spirit.  For if the Father -- as Jesus says in today's passage -- is working in St. Peter to effect this revelation, then how much more is promised through the fullness of the effects of Christ's mission to us as Incarnate Jesus and His completion of that mission in Resurrection and Ascension?  We really cannot estimate the fullness of what this means, and the fruits it will bear, has borne, and will continue to bear in our lives and in our world.  We simply don't know how to calculate what God does among us, and what God will do.  But we can look around ourselves and see what that has meant, even if we can't know its fullness.  See, for example, the work of the secular historian and award-winning author Tom Holland, titled Dominion: How the Christian Revolution Remade the World, in which he examines the effect of Christ upon our world through the present day.  Moreover, this "remaking" of the world is ongoing, continuing not only through the present time but through the future we don't yet know.  We are assured of this in Revelation 21:15, in which "He who sat on the throne said, 'Behold, I make all things new.'"  The English translation does not completely capture the meaning of the Greek, in which the word "make" is in a continuing present tense, better translated as "I am always making all things new."  For this is the reality of the Church and the fullness of Christ and Christ's ongoing work in our world, and we simply cannot know all that this entails, including all the possible dimensions it might indicate of which we are unaware.  But we can know the graciousness and love of God for the world and for us human beings, for so God has granted to us this enormous, inestimable gift of salvation, to be with God in the fullness of eternal life and what that might entail for us and for our world.  Let us marvel at this extraordinary gift, coming to us through St. Peter's confession on behalf of all of the apostles, and indeed of all of us, and through the revelation of our Father who is in heaven, as Jesus says. There is no greater honor nor gift in potential for all of us.  Let us truly place the value of this blessed treasure as is appropriate to is, for taken in this perspective, our faith is everything.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Moreover if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone

 "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 or 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

Yesterday we read that at that time (just after Jesus' second revelation to them that He would be killed and on the third day rise again) the disciples came to Jesus, saying, "Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?"  Then Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them, 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.  Whoever receives one little child like this in My name receives Me.  But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea.  Woe to the world because of offenses!  For offenses must come, but woe to that man by whom the offense comes!  If your hand of foot causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you.  It is better for you to enter into life lame or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet, to be cast into the everlasting fire.  And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you.  It is better for you to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into hell fire."

 "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."  We see Jesus' reference to the little ones in yesterday's reading (above).  My study bible explains that little ones include all who are simple and humble, those who are poor in spirit in the Church.  St. John Chrysostom comments that not only the saints, but all people, have guardian angels.  But, my study bible says, the angels of humble people have greater boldness and more honor before the face of God because of the humility of the person that they guard.  It is not the nature of God, but the weakness of human beings, that requires the service of the angels to help guide us to God.

"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 comments that, unlike earthly shepherds, Christ sees such value in one sheep that He will leave the others are risk to save it.  The ninety-nine sheep represent the righteous who remain faithful to God (Luke 15:7).  According to some Church Fathers, this is also an image of the Incarnation:  the ninety-nine represent the angels in heaven.  But Christ came from heaven in order to pursue the one sheep -- humankind -- who had fallen into corruption and sin on earth.

"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 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 or 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 Jesus gives a formula for mutual corrective discipline in the Church, and exercised in three expanding stages.  Sin and correction remain private, except in the case where the offender refuses to repent.  All correction has to be done with enormous care and humility -- the highest concern is the salvation of the offender (see 1 Corinthians 5:5, Galatians 6:1).  Nonetheless, correction must take place so that the sin does not spread to others as well.

We often forget how wise Jesus is when He speaks about correction -- and moreover, demonstrates this by His actions.  Repeatedly we have seen Him give correction to His disciples in private, and before today's passage when He teaches them about correction in the Church (see this reading, for example).  Frequently Jesus' "corrections" come in the form of teaching privately to the disciples away from the crowds, or possibly explaining a parable they don't understand.  When Jesus tells Peter, "Get behind Me, Satan!" He is already speaking privately to him, and away from the rest of the disciples.  We don't know what other incidents may have happened, but these are given to us freely in the Gospels, so that we all may know and understand:  the disciples aren't perfect either, theirs is a growth of faith, but we also learn Jesus' way of caring and nurturing, both for the disciples and the little ones who will come in the future.  I have personally had occasion to think a good deal about this lately, as the social media platforms on which people have been forced to communicate even more frequently under lockdown for coronavirus do not lend themselves easily to private correction or dialogue.  Everything is in a public platform.  The wisdom of Christ's advice for personal correction before public becomes lost -- and paradoxically, possibly more true!  Even the "public" in Jesus' correction example is the expanding community of other brethren, members of the Church, starting with a small group of two or three, and only later to the whole of the Church.   He does not extend this to the wider community of the whole public of those outside the Church, except to teach us how to understand one who doesn't want a true and loving correction.  But on social media, there is rarely room for private correction, or time to think about it.  Everything is done in front of a great audience, and even more problematic, before a group of one's peers or friends and acquaintances.  This dynamic -- as Jesus so wisely understood -- makes responses of rage, anger, and defensiveness so much more likely.  It also encourages bullying, just as schoolyard battles in front of the rest of the kids do.  Let us consider what work we might need to do to apply Jesus' teachings in our own lives.  The correction first in private seems so important, but also in our modern context, so is the admonition to understand that not everyone shares our faith nor the intimacy and understanding in which it shelters us and couches our possible disagreements.  Let us endeavor to live what He teaches and apply it as best we can.  Life is for learning.  None is perfect, least of all myself.  But we are meant to grow in Christ's wisdom.  Let us be attentive  to it.  Once again, Christ has couched these teachings in the context of care and nurturing of the "little ones" who will make up His Church.  We endeavor to avoid giving scandal for their sake -- and for the sake of possible future believers who were St. Paul's concern.  We might put all of Christ's teachings on forgiveness into this context as well.  Let us note that Jesus does not say all offenses are fine nor that we should ignore them.  But He gives us a way to cope with offenses, including forgiveness and "letting go" of our own rage and anger, even to the understanding that this might include needing separation.  But no teaching of Christ is separate from the other, all form a cohesive whole, in which we endeavor to grow in wholeness ourselves.

I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it

Soorp Purgich "Holy Savior" Armenian church (wall detail; likely an ancient stone re-used).  1830, Istanbul

 When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, "Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?"  So they said, "Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets."  He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"  Simon Peter answered and said, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."  Jesus answered and said to him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.  And I also say to you that you are Peter, and 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."  Then He commanded His disciples that they should tell no one that He was Jesus the Christ. 

- Matthew 16:13-20

Yesterday we read that the Pharisees and Sadducees came to Jesus, and testing Him asked that He would show them a sign from heaven.  He answered and said to them, "When it is evening you say, 'It will be fair weather, for the sky is red'; and in the morning, 'It will be foul weather today, for the sky is red and threatening.'  Hypocrites!  You know how to discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times.  A wicked and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign shall be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah."  And He left them and departed.  Now when His disciples had come to the other side, they had forgotten to take bread.  Then Jesus said to them, "Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees."  And they reasoned among themselves, saying, "It is because we have taken no bread."  But Jesus, being aware of it, said to them, "O you of little faith, why do you reason among yourselves because you have brought no bread?  Do you not yet understand, or remember the five loaves of the five thousand and how many baskets you took up?  Nor the seven loaves of the four thousand and how many large baskets you took up?  How is it you do not understand that I did not speak to you concerning bread?  -- but to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees."  Then they understood that He did not tell them to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

 When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, "Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?"   So they said, "Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets."  He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"   My study bible calls this latter question the greatest a person could ever face.  It is the question that defines Christianity.   My study bible invites us to note that here, Jesus first draws our wrong opinions about Himself.  He does so in order to identify the incorrect ideas:  a person is better prepared to avoid falsehoods and false teachings when they are clearly identified.

  Simon Peter answered and said, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God  Jesus answered and said to him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven."  My study bible comments that Peter's correct answer to this question prevents the Christian faith from being seen as simply another philosophical system or path of spirituality, as it names Jesus as the one and only Son of the living God.  This distinct understanding distinguishes Christianity from other religious systems.  Peter's understanding cannot be achieved by human reason, my study bible notes, but only by divine revelation through faith (1 Corinthians 12:3).  Christ means "Anointed One," and is the same as the Hebrew title "Messiah."

"And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it."  In both Aramaic and Greek there is a play on words here.  The same word for Peter also means rock.  St. John Chrysostom comments that this "rock" isn't referring to Peter per se but rather to "the faith of his confession."  The real Rock is Christ Himself (1 Corinthians 10:4), and the Church is built upon the faithful confession of Christ.  The gates of Hades, my study bible says, are the powers of death.  In the Old Testament, gates suggest a fortified city (Genesis 22:17, 24:60; Isaiah 14:31).   My study bible comments that by shattering the gates of Hades, Christ opens the stronghold of death to set free the souls of the righteous.  So also, the Church shall not be stopped in the proclamation of salvation.  "Church" (ἐκκλησία/ekklesia or "assembly") is a term only used twice in the gospels, here and in 18:17.  This Church is the true Israel.  It is the Body of Christ, and her citizenship is heavenly. 

"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."  Then He commanded His disciples that they should tell no one that He was Jesus the Christ.  My study bible comments that the keys of the kingdom is a reference to the special authority given to both Peter and the other apostles after the Resurrection (see 18:18; John 20:23).  It explains that Peter was not a leader over the others, but rather a leader among them.  At the Council of Jerusalem (Acts 15) the apostles and presbyters met as equals, and Peter advised, while James presided.   Peter's role should be neither diminished nor expanded in terms of later controversies.  Binding and loosing refers primarily to the authority "to absolve sins" according to Chrysostom (see also John 20:23).  This also includes the teaching, sacramental, and administrative authority of the apostles, my study bible says, and this authority in turn is transmitted to the bishops of the Church, continuing to today.

Whatever debates and controversies might have ensued from this passage in today's reading down the centuries since this event took place, one thing remains very clear from it:  that is the power of faith.  It is Peter's confession of faith that is the rock upon which the Church has been built, and it is the rock upon which the Church remains standing, through which holy power in any instance or setting -- or at work in a human being -- effectively exists and is present in this world.  There is little doubt, from St. Peter's example, of the powerful effect of this building block.  In fact, Peter himself would go on to use the illustration of "living stones" as the power of the Church in its faithful.  He writes, "Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious,  you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.  Therefore it is also contained in the Scripture,  “Behold, I lay in Zion/ A chief cornerstone, elect, precious,/ And he who believes on Him will by no means be put to shame.” (1 Peter 2:4-5, citing Isaiah 28:16).  In this image begun by Christ, as He renamed Peter based on His confession made on behalf of all of the others, we find the greatest and most powerful statement regarding faith itself.  Jesus spoke of faith as a mustard seed, from which the greatest tree may grow, housing even birds in its branches (13:31-32).  He used another illustration of the power of faith when He said that faith as a mustard seed could move mountains (17:20).  At this time as we look around the world, we see many entrenched in the power of politics and political movements, slogans, rage, anger, and clamor as methods to change the world, to correct or redress injustices, and fix everything that we might think is wrong with the world.  But I do not see a lot of people reminding us of the power of faith.  So for today I am going to start there.  Because this is what our bible passage is telling us.  No matter how powerful you think the media might be, or political slogans might be.  Regardless of what moves people to build a movement, or even to burn down a city or tear apart someone's neighborhood, we must not forget this all-powerful potent power of faith and Christ's words in today's example in which He renames Peter.  We see a world engulfed in misunderstanding and excitement, but we must not forget also that it is the word of God that goes everywhere in the world and reaches into human hearts, grasping them with its power found only in real faith.  We should not underestimate where the power of our faith might take us, even as we, too, may become living stones to build up life in this world -- to make it and not break it.  Whatever we choose and wherever we go now, 2,000 years after Christ's Incarnation in this world, let us be sure that what we want to do is build up, to make better.  We want solutions and healing.  What makes life better and more meaningful for people?  What builds life?  To my way of thinking -- and also in my experience -- this will not happen properly without faith.   When everything is confusion and so much is couched in rage, let us consider turning first to our faith for guidance and to be led.  Let us turn to faith to correct whatever is in the heart, to adjust us where we are mistaken, to calm harsh and hurt feelings, but most of all to affirm what we need to believe in so that we can build up the good.  If we think we see the gates of Hades showing themselves in chaos, let us remember the rock that will prevail against them.  Christ's love for us is where we start, and His word for how we need to go forward applies to any and all circumstances.  Start there, for the power of faith is real.  We might not see its effects in the next five minutes, but on the other hand prayer does a powerful amount of good to soothe the heart and set us in the right place with the perspective we need to see clearly.  Let us remember to turn to the rock.  Let us all be living stones building something good up, for everyone.

The Son of Man has come to save that which was lost

 "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 who 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

Yesterday we read that that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, "Who then is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?"  (This is just after the second prophesy Jesus has given them of His suffering, death and Resurrection.)  Then Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them, 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.  Whoever receives one little child like this in My name receives Me.   But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea.  Woe to the world because of offenses!  For offenses must come, but woe to that man by whom the offense comes!  If your hand or foot causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you.  It is better for you to enter into life lame or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet, to be cast into the everlasting fire.  And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you.  It is better for you to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into hell fire."

 "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."  St. John Chrysostom teaches that not only the saints, but all people have guardian angels.  But, my study bible notes, the angels of humble people have greater boldness and greater honor before the face of God because of the humility of the person that they guard.  It is not the nature of God, but the weakness of human beings, that requires the service of the angels.

"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 who 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 is a display of the love of God.  Christ sees such value in one sheep that He will leave the others at risk to save it (unlike earthly shepherds, my study bible adds).  The ninety-nine sheep represent the righteous who remain faithful to God (Luke 15:7).  In accordance with some patristic writers, this is also an image of the Incarnation:  the ninety-nine represent the angels in heaven; Christ descended from heaven to pursue the one sheep -- humankind -- who had fallen into corruption on earth.

"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."  Jesus gives us a model for Church discipline, which is based on mutual correction in three expanding stages.  Sin and correction, my study bible notes, remain private unless the offender refuses to repent (note that this mirrors Jesus' own behavior, as He corrects His disciples in private; see for example this reading).  All correction has to be done with great care and humility (see 7:3-5), with the highest concern being the salvation of the offender (see 1 Corinthians 5:5; Galatians 6:1).  However, correction is necessary so that sin does not spread to others as well.

"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 says that the authority to bind and loose sins is given to the apostles and transmitted to the bishops and presbyters they ordained.  This authority is given for the sake of the salvation of the sinner.  St. John Chrysostom writes that "seeing that he is not only cast out of the Church, but that the bond of his sin will remain in Heaven, [the sinner] may turn and become gentle."

Jesus presents the disciples with teachings about how His Church is to function after His death, Resurrection, and Ascension.  They don't know yet how events will unfold.  He's just given them two warnings about what is to come, telling them that He will be raised on the third day.  In yesterday's reading, their concerns came to light when they asked who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.  It's likely they expect the worldly eternal kingdom of the Messiah in accordance with popular understanding, and so they ask about their positions in this coming kingdom.  But Jesus prepares them for what is come, teaching first of all about humility ("whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven").  In today's reading He gives us a model for correction in the Church, but begins with the model of God's love, teaching about the effort to save all, and in particularly those who are straying.  He pictures God as one of us, rejoicing over finding what was lost more than all that had remained.  Indeed, He gives them the word that He Himself is sent into the world as human being in order to save that which was lost.   And here we get the true "flavor" of Christ' ministry and the Church.  The Church is here to save that which was lost, to call us back to where we belong.  We are all imperfect beings, but we are meant to grow in likeness to our Creator, and this is the purpose of the Church:  to teach us to find the way to do that, to show us the way.  It is, in that sense, a portal, a doorway to the Kingdom, in which Christ Himself is the door (see John 10:9-16).  In the same passage in John, Jesus also calls Himself the good shepherd.  He's the one who gives His life for the sheep.  In this is an illustration of God's love, and in particular for those whose angels always see the face of "My Father who is in heaven."  Let us consider what it is to be a stray, a lost sheep.  Perhaps many of us have had this experience.  To be astray is not to really know where we are going, wandering far and wide from the place where we really need to be and where we have belonging, and in particular, a deep love.  It is always God's deep love missing from lives that are astray, and it is that love that pulls us back.  He will wander far and wide, our Good Shepherd who comes to the ends of the earth to find His sheep.  That is the kind of love that does not abandon, even when everyone else has (Psalm 27:10-11).  It is the king of love that will lead us back when we have no guide.  He is present with us when we call on Him.  It is this kind of love the disciples are to learn, and we who seek to carry His light must remember our call as well. 

On this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it

 When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, "Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?"  So they said, "Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets."  He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"  Simon Peter answered and said, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."  Jesus answered and said to him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.  And I also say to you that you are Peter, and 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."  Then He commanded His disciples that they should tell no one that He was Jesus the Christ.

- Matthew 16:13-20

Yesterday we read that the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and testing Him asked that He would show them a sign from heaven.  He answered and said to them, "When it is evening you say, 'It will be fair weather, for the sky is red'; and in the morning, 'It will be foul weather today, for the sky is red and threatening.'  Hypocrites!  You know how to discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times.  A wicked and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign shall be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah."  And He left them and departed.  Now when His disciples had come to the other side, they had forgotten to take bread.  Then Jesus said to them, "Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees."  And they reasoned among themselves, saying, "It is because we have taken no bread."  But Jesus, being aware of it, said to them, "O you of little faith, why do you reason among yourselves because you have brought no bread?  Do you not yet understand, or remember the five loaves of the five thousand and how many baskets you took up?  Nor the seven loaves of the four thousand and how many large baskets you took up?  How is it you do not understand that I did not speak to you concerning bread? -- but to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees."  Then they understood that He did not tell them to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, "Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?"  So they said, "Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets."  He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"  Simon Peter answered and said, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."  Jesus answered and said to him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven."   According to my study bible, the question "Who do you say that I am?" is the greatest question that a person can ever face.  It is the question that defines Christianity.  Peter's correct answer to this question prevents our faith from being seen merely as another philosophical system or path of spirituality.  Rather it names Jesus as the one and only Son of the living God.   Such a perspective excludes all compromise with other religious systems by the nature of the truth it reveals.  This understanding of Peter could not be achieved merely by human reason.  It's by divine revelation through faith that it comes (1 Corinthians 12:3).  Christ means "Anointed One."  It is equivalent to the Hebrew title "Messiah."   My study bible also makes note that Christ first draws out erroneous opinions about Himself.  This is so that He identifies incorrect ideas; we're better prepared to avoid false teachings when they are clearly identified.

"And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.  Then He commanded His disciples that they should tell no one that He was Jesus the Christ."    Jesus' saying here regarding Peter/rock is a play on the word for "rock"  in both Aramaic and Greek (petros/petra).   The rock is not Peter per se, but rather, in the words of St. Chrysostom, "the faith of his confession."  The true Rock is Christ Himself (1 Corinthians 10:4).  Therefore the Church is built on the faithful confession of Christ.   The Gates of Hades are powers of death.  In the Old Testament, gates are suggestive of a fortified city (Genesis 22:17, 24:60; Isaiah 14:31).  Shattering those gates, Christ opens the stronghold of death, my study bible says, to set free the souls of the righteous.  Additionally, the Church shall not be stopped in her proclamation of salvation.   Only twice in the gospels is the church mentioned, and both in Matthew -- here and in 18:17.

"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."  Then He commanded His disciples that they should tell no one that He was Jesus the Christ.   According to my study bible, keys of the kingdom refers to a special authority that will be given both to Peter and the other apostles after the Resurrection (see 18:18; John 20:23).  Peter was not a leader over the others, but rather among them.  This truth, it says, was confirmed at the Council of Jerusalem (Acts 15), in which apostles and presbyters met as equals -- where Peter advised, but James presided.  Modern struggles over interpretations of this passage should neither diminish nor over-inflate the role of Peter.  Binding and loosing, according to Chrysostom, is primarily a reference to the authority "to absolve sins" (see also John 20:23).   My study bible says it also includes all the teaching, sacramental and administrative authority of the apostles.  This authority was in turn transmitted to the bishops of the Church and continues in effect to this day.

 Why does faith give such an unfathomable and unshakeable bond to Christ?  Here, the confession of Peter not only renders such a bond as we might conceive of it, but also confers tremendous powers which are shared by Christ with His disciples.  The power to bind and loose sin, for instance, is not something that is conferred through human prestige, nor reasoning, nor intelligence.  This is something that faith confers, an unshakeable bond with Christ, as illustrated by the "rock" in the image Christ gives here.  That bond is such that the gates of Hades will not prevail against it.  We have to think of ancient cities, fortified by city walls and gates as protection against invaders and outsiders.  The gates of Hades are those that prevent anyone from entering upon the territory of that which is against Christ, which would seek to keep God out.  Inside of ourselves we may find all kinds of walls we've set up -- consciously or unconsciously -- against our faith, against incursion by the Holy Spirit's work in the world.  There are all kinds of defenses we have against opening up to what God might have in mind for us, and all kinds of reasons for those defenses.  Psychologically speaking, we may hold onto an identity we don't want to change, relationships that will need shifting, and any number of assumptions about ourselves and our own behavior we don't want to challenge or question for all kinds of reasons and depending upon where they came from.  But Christ promises that faith is stronger than all the fears and troubles and worries that the "gates of Hades" can use to keep Christ out.  This expression, gates of Hades, also puts us in mind of another statement in which Jesus speaks of the taking of a kingdom.   In referring to John the Baptist, He said, "And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force"  (11:12, see this reading).  The faith of the Kingdom is such that those who grasp this faith in Christ possess a kind of power that isn't available any other way.   Jesus refers again to an action of one kingdom raiding another when He replies to accusations that He casts out demons by the power of demons:  "But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you.  Or how can one enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man?"  (see this reading).  In the centuries just prior to Jesus' time, the history of Israel and the surrounding regions was one of endless wars of kingdom against kingdom.  Jesus gives us a picture of our faith as that which prevails against any gate that would keep it out, keep us bound or oppressed or enslaved or held hostage.  In fact, this bond of faith is that which confers to the faithful the powers that He shares with them.   As faithful, we must remember the power of this bond and the image that Jesus gives of it.  We remember that not only do we share in His life through the gifts He gives, but also through the persecutions we may experience, just as He did.  Ultimately, in the Eucharist and other sacraments or mysteries of the Church, we participate in His life, death, and Resurrection.  When we face what seem like insurmountable problems, or feel assaulted in any number of ways, let us remember the strength and power of this bond that He pictures as a rock, and the power with which He describes it.  We are heirs of that faith and Kingdom.  Let us see how it works in surprising ways in our lives, as it did for these earliest faithful we read about.

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?

 "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

Yesterday we read that, after Jesus' second warning that He will suffer, be killed, and rise on the third day, the disciples came to Jesus, saying, "Who then is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?"  Then Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them, 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.  Whoever receives one little child like this in My name receives Me.  Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea.  Woe to the world because of offenses!  For offenses must come, but woe to that man by whom the offense comes!  If your hand or foot causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you.  It is better for you to enter into life lame or maimed, rather than having two hands or tow feet, to be cast into the everlasting fire.  And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you.  It is better for you to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into hell fire."

 "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."  Jesus continues speaking of the little ones, the ones who are "least" in the Church, the humble and dependent.  Regarding their angels, St John Chrysostom teaches that not only the saints, but all people have guardian angels.  But the angels of the humble have greater boldness and greater honor before the face of God, because of the humility of the person they guard.  My study bible tells us that it is not the nature of God but rather the weakness of human beings that requires the angels' service.

"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 says that unlike earthly shepherds, Christ sees such value in one sheep that He will leave the others at risk to save it.  (See also Zechariah 11:15-17, referring to false leadership, in which it is a worthless shepherd who leaves the flock and does not seek the strays.)  The ninety-nine sheep represent the righteous who remain faithful to God (Luke 15:7).   According to certain patristic interpretations, this is also an image of the Incarnation, in which the ninety-nine represent the angels in heaven.  Christ descended from heaven to pursue the one sheep -- humankind -- who had fallen into corruption on earth.

"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."  The parable about "lost sheep"  brings up the problem of those who sin in the Church.  Jesus gives a formula for discipline within the Church, based on mutual correction, and expanding in three stages.  Sin and correction are to remain private unless the offender refuses to repent, my study bible notes.  All correction must be done with great care and with humility.  The highest concern is, in fact, the salvation of the offender -- thus, with the one who may be "lost" or astray (see 1 Corinthians 5:5, Galatians 6:1).  However, correction must take place so that the sin does not spread to others as well.

"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."   The authority to both bind and loose sins is given to the apostles and transmitted to the bishops and presbyters they ordained, according to my study bible.  This authority is given for the sake of the salvation of the sinner.   St. John Chrysostom comments that, "seeing that he is not only cast out of the Church, but that the bond of his sin will remain in Heaven, he may turn and become gentle."

The parable of the Good Shepherd who leaves the ninety-nine to seek the one straying sheep may have struck ancient ears as rather odd.  After all, a shepherd of the time wouldn't necessarily leave the majority of his flock to seek out one, and risk losing them all.  But this isn't a story about sheep; it's a story about the love of Christ and the type of leadership He wants from His disciples.  They should go to the "ends of the earth" to find the strays and the lost who belong to the Master, and bring them together in one flock.  And this is, of course, what the Apostles will do after Pentecost.  We should remember that today's reading is given in the context of preparing the disciples for their leadership in the Church that is to come.  They've just received the second warning from Christ about what is to come:  that He will die on the Cross, and after three days He will be risen.  This news has left them dejected, but also no doubt curious to know their place in what they believe is the Kingdom to come.  His first teaching (in yesterday's reading, above) was about the use of power in His Church.  They are most importantly to care for the "little ones," that is, those who are like little children in the Church, the humble who will be in their care.  Into that context comes the story of the shepherd who leaves ninety-nine sheep to go after the one that's lost.  No effort should be spared in caring for "the least of these."  Christ's parable gives us a guarantee of the importance of personal attention.  It teaches us that each one is sacred and unique and special to the Father.  Perhaps Jesus makes His most important statement about the whole essence of His Incarnational mission when He says, "For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost."  It's an indication of how beloved each person is by God, our Creator.  It's not a call to selfishness or self-centeredness on our part.  It's rather a statement about the importance of returning the sheep to where they belong, to the place that is truly home, where they may dwell in that love.  It's about recalling the sheep to their true natures, and finding the place where identity becomes complete.  That is really the mission of the Church, to seek and find those who've been lost to this truth, this essence about ourselves as persons.  So strong is the desire to find the "lost sheep" that Jesus strongly warns the disciples that all care and all effort must be made to avoid their alienation, in the ways that they are to provide leadership and in seeking out those who've been lost.  It remains the essence of what it is to belong to Christ, and to find our true image and identity in Him.  Even in teaching about discipline within the Church, all care is taken to protect privacy and proper means of correction for each one.   At the Last Supper, Jesus will give one commandment that is both new and final:  "Love one another as I have loved you" (John 13:34, 15:12).  In these teachings about the lost sheep, Jesus really teaches us about the love of God, a love so great as to seek redemption for each one.  Let us remember His command and seek to follow His example.

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?

 "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

Yesterday, we read that the disciples came to Jesus, saying, "Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?"  Then Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them, 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.  Whoever receives one little child like this in My name receives Me.  But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea.   Woe to the world because of offenses!  For offenses must come, but woe to that man by whom the offense comes!  If your hand or foot causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you.  It is better for you to enter into life lame or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet, to be cast into the everlasting fire.  And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you.  It is better for you to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into hell fire."

 "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 tells us of this verse, "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 God 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 (Hebrews 1:14)."

"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."  A note here tells us:  "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."  Here the "lost sheep" and the "little ones" converge in image in Christ's teaching.  The message is that even the marginal in the community are those for whom there must be a concern -- and that this reflects the concern and love of God for each of them.  There is a longing expressed here that expresses true love, like that of a loving parent.

"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."  A note reads:  "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)."  My study bible additionally points out that the term "church" occurs only in Matthew among the Gospels, and 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."

"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."   A note explains:  "Temporal rulers have the power of binding, but they bind only the body.  God, however, bonds 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."

At first glance, it would seem as if there is not too much connection between the earlier verses in today's reading, and the latter verses.  How do the two tie together in answer to the question of the disciples in yesterday's reading, "Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?"  If we think about it, everything in today's reading reveals to us an ultimate concern for community.  But in this ultimate concern is the core and the heart of Jesus in the concern for the "little ones" and the "least of these."  That is, the ones on the margins:  the strays, the powerless, the seemingly unimportant socially -- and those who may err so that there may be a break with the group.  At the core of Jesus' love is the overall concern for community, for keeping the flock together, even those who may be straying in various ways.  We are reminded of course of the parable of the Prodigal Son, found in Luke's Gospel.  Jesus' heart is with the strays, and He teaches His followers that those who would be great among them must be concerned, too.  In this correction plan in the Church, we find a kind of self-regulating mechanism for those who would cause offense within the Church, and it begins with a one-on-one respect for privacy, only gradually growing in scope when there is no correction.  The thread that links all of these things together is concern for the community, but especially in the form of the care of the lost, straying, and "least of these."  So, the emphasis remains on the image in the littlest ones, and the great love of One who would leave the ninety-nine to seek the one who has gone astray.  There is a love here that is found in the key to understanding the mind of God, or perhaps the kingdom of heaven:  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.  Jesus has taught that He has come to the "lost sheep of the house of Israel."  But He's come for each of us who may be "lost sheep" of His community.  It really doesn't matter what place we hold, this is the love that teaches us about our God, our Creator, our Savior.  It is the love that won't let go without a great effort.  Tellingly, it is only after three attempts -- and one by the whole of the community -- that one who is determined to stray is let go apart.  It should be noted that when Jesus uses the word "lost" He's really using the Greek word for perdition or destruction; this is "lost" as in a complete and ultimate loss of life.  When Jesus speaks of bonds, and His presence where even two or three are gathered, it is giving us a deep understanding of how this community works.  It is through His power, His presence and love, through the presence or "energies" of the Spirit, that this community is kept together.  When we act "in His name" we are hereby cautioned to remember what He is truly about, where His heart is, so that we can be "like Him."  Those who would be greatest among us, those who would lead, are most strongly cautioned about the use of power.  It is the littlest ones who must always be kept foremost in mind, the ones who are straying, whose angels always behold the face of His Father in heaven.  It is the power and Spirit of this great loving parent that binds us, guides us, shapes community and -- especially -- gives us our notion of what relatedness and community is to be like, what real leadership is all about.