· Ezekiel 33:7-11
· Psalm 119:33-40 (35)
· Romans 13:8-14
· Matthew 18:15-20
Today's readings remind us of the obligation we are called to as disciples of Christ, to witness to others.
God reminds the prophet Ezekiel: "If you do not warn the wicked to turn from their ways, the wicked shall die in their iniquity, but their blood I will require at your hand." 1200 years later he speaks the same message to the prophet Mohammed: "As for the unbelievers, they will not hear; your only duty is to warn them."
Are we to be damned then for the sins of others, though we are saved not by works, but by faith? And what of Paul's admonition that we "live honorably as in the day, not in reveling and drunkenness, not in debauchery and licentiousness, not in quarreling and jealousy"? Why do we need straight-edge living, when we are saved by faith?
Clean living will not save us, nor will preaching to "sinners". But we are saved by faith, not so that God may serve us, but so we may serve him. God calls us to be his disciples so that we may proclaim his Word to the world. He sends us after the Twelve, saying "what I say to you in the dark, tell in the light; and what you hear whispered, proclaim from the housetops."
This, then, is our obligation to God, our part in the New Covenant in Christ's blood: that in exchange for the remission of all our sins, through our faith in Christ the Lord and his sacrifice, we will be witnesses for God in this world. We must live cleanly, not to gain our salvation, but to be respected by the world, so that people will listen to our testimony. For who would listen to a drunk, a hypocrite, a crook or a dissolute person talking about God?
Our Gospel reading tells us how often we are to testify for His sake. If our neighbour sins against us, we are to speak to him privately. Is this for our healing, for the redress of this wrong? No, for Christ told us, if someone takes your coat, give him your tunic also. But we are to warn our brother of his sin, so that he will turn from his ways; otherwise God will require his blood at our hand. And if he doesn't listen to us, we are to go again with two or three others; what today we call an "intervention." And if he still doesn't listen, we are to bring the pastor and the church; but first we are to go ourselves, not pass off responsibility to the church, because each of us is a minister of God. And if our brother will not listen to the church, then we treat him as "sinners and tax collectors."
But how do we treat "sinners and tax collectors"? We call them to follow the Lord. Jesus saw Matthew sitting in the tax collector's booth and called him to follow, and Matthew did. Jesus ate and drank with sinners and tax collectors. For as he told us, "it is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick." Jesus does not send us to witness to the righteous, but to the sinners, the lost sheep of Israel. "I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance."
This, then, is our obligation to God, our part in the New Covenant in Christ's blood: that in exchange for the remission of all our sins, through our faith in Christ the Lord and his sacrifice, we will be witnesses for God in this world. And our witness is in our love for others, for as Christ told us, "by this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." But not only for one another, but for our enemies. "For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?"
This, then, is our obligation to God. There is a modern saying that "standing in a garage doesn't make you a car and going to church doesn't make you a Christian." Who among us right now is congratulating himself or herself for having come to church, while "sinners" partied last night and slept in this morning? But truly it would be better for us if we had partied and slept in, than to congratulate ourselves on our righteousness yet fail to do the work of God. Coming to church does not make us a Christian, a disciple of Christ. Church attendance is not the culmination of our commitment to God, but the preparation. This is the locker room of God's workers. Coming to church is the easy part, where we congratulate ourselves and cheer ourselves on – but it is pointless if we do not go out with our game faces on and bring God's Word to the world. Not to the righteous, not to our fellow church-goers, but to sinners and tax collectors, to our enemies, to those who will not listen. And we bring this word, not by judging, but by serving. Only if we have love for one another, for sinners and our enemies, will men know that we are disciples of Christ.
And when the "sinners and tax collectors" come and follow us to Christ, and in turn become disciples and show love to each other and to their enemies, and when other "sinners and tax collectors" follow them, and when the Word of God thus reaches every man, woman and child, and so by the witness of the disciples the world learns peace and love, that is the great miracle that God is working on, through us whom he has saved in the blood of Christ.
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