Be Still And Know

Matthew 18:17 [Jesus said:] “If the person still refuses to listen, take your case to the church. Then if he or she won’t accept the church’s decision, treat that person as a pagan or a corrupt tax collector.” This might sound rather harsh, but Jesus has just given the best possible advice for how to handle the situation where someone has done you wrong. First, speak to them one to one, and if that fails, take one or two people with you. The aim is to achieve restoration as quickly as possible. If that doesn’t work, the matter needs to go to the Church, and if the person still refuses to listen, Jesus says that they should be treated like a complete outsider. As we hear these strong words, we need to remember that Jesus, of all people, was always reaching out in love to pagans and corrupt tax collectors, so he wasn’t saying they were beyond hope. However, there may sadly come a time when a dispute cannot be resolved and you need to move on. What I love about this teaching is that it shows that Jesus deepl