CRITICAL NOTES
Matthew 18:15. Moreover, etc.—Better, and if thy brother shall sin. A twofold train of thought is traceable in what follows.
1. The presence of “offences” implies sin, and the question arises how each man is to deal with those sins which affect him personally.
2. The dispute in which the teaching recorded in this chapter had originated implied that the unity of the society which was then represented by the Twelve, had for the time been broken. Each of the disciples thought himself, in some sense, aggrieved by others. Sharp words, it may be, had been spoken among them, and the breach had to be healed (Plumptre).
Matthew 18:17. Church.—The word “church” (Gr. ekklesia), is found only here and in Matthew 16:18 in the Gospels. Carr says the reference is either to:
1. The assembly or congregation of the Jewish synagogue, or to:
2. The ruling body of the synagogue (collegium presbyterorum, Schleusner). This must have been the sense of the word to those who were listening to Christ. But, as Dr. Morison points out, the Saviour had deliberately gone out of his way to avoid the employment of the word “synagogue.” The expression, he adds, just means the church. And yet, as assuredly, it determines nothing as to the arrangements which the church might be at liberty to make for the profitable, seemly, and efficient transaction of its discipline and other business.
Matthew 18:18. Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth, etc.—What was spoken to Peter alone (Matthew 16:19) is now spoken to all the disciples representing the church (Carr).
Matthew 18:19. It shall be done for them.—The promise is dependent on implied conditions. Those who pray must be gathered together in the name of Christ (Matthew 18:20), i.e. as trusting to His intercession, asking a prayer which is not the utterance of the natural but the spiritual man, asking it in entire submission to the will of their Father in heaven. In the absence of those conditions, as in the prayer of the sons of Zebedee, asking they knew not what (Matthew 20:20), that which they desired might be withheld from them, or granted in quite another manner than that on which they had set their hearts (Plumptre).
MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.— Matthew 18:15-20
Collective grace.—“Occasions of stumbling” cannot always be avoided (Matthew 18:7). When they do come how should they be dealt with? They should be dealt with by the “church,” in other words, by that general body of believers in Christ of whom He spoke under that name not long before, in reply to the confession of St. Peter (Matthew 16:18). This seems to be the general principle implied in this passage. The cautions to be observed in applying it, and the reasons which make these cautions necessary seem to be the chief further points here presented to our notice.
I. The requisite cautions.—These may be regarded as three. The first is a caution against too great eagerness in applying this method at all. It is not the first thing—it is rather the last thing—to be thought of in such cases. The first thing to be thought of, if thy brother has offended thee, is the welfare of thy brother. The thing to be done, if it may be, is to bring him to a sense of his sin; and so, as it were, to “gain him” back again to his proper standing and place (Matthew 18:15). If this be accomplished there will be no necessity for appealing to the church. And this can best be done, it is evident on the face of it, by dealing with him alone. Let this, therefore, be the universal first rule in regard to such offences. Do not have recourse to any degree of publicity till you have seen what private dealing can do. The next caution is on similar lines. Do not go by one leap from the individual to the general. Even if strictly private remonstrance should fail entirely of obtaining a hearing (Matthew 18:16), there is a process far short of complete publicity which may be adopted with hope; and which you are bound to adopt, also, if you wish, as you ought, to make sure of your ground. In reality, the matter in question is one both of fact and of judgment. Has thy brother really done as you say? Is the character of that which he has done really that which you think? If he refuses to “hear” thee privately because he disputes these two things, endeavour to obtain the opinion of others about them; but only so in sufficient numbers for the occasion (Deuteronomy 19:15). And then, with these to fortify you (if they agree with you), appeal to him again. In any case, till you have tried this, do not proceed to the extreme step of appealing against him to all. Rather—so the legitimate inference is—try all other plans first. Finally, be careful if at last driven to this, not even then to push matters too far. Keep in view carefully what is the very outside of what you have to do in such matters. All that is asked of you, in regard to such offences, is to avoid complicity with the offender (cf. 1 Timothy 5:22). And all that the church itself can do legitimately, in regard to such offenders, is to withdraw its countenance from them. Let that, therefore, be the very utmost that you yourself seek to attain in this way. Let the most obdurate brother be to you only as not a brother in truth (Matthew 18:17).
III. Why these cautions are so especially needed.—Generally, we may say, because of the vast importance attaching to the idea of the “church.” Like an ironclad on the waters, the great body of believers has a momentum about it which makes its least movement momentous. This seems to be illustrated here in three separate ways. There is special weight, we are taught, in the first place, in the common judgment of those who believe. In a general way we may even say of that judgment that it is the judgment of God. Whatever difference of opinion there may be as to the best way of ascertaining this common judgment, and whatever undoubted and formidable difficulties there are in the way of so doing, it cannot be doubted, that, if ascertained, it is a thing of great weight. No true believer will readily venture either on setting it aside, on the one hand, or adding to it, on the other (Matthew 18:18). In a similar way, we are taught, next, that there is very great power in the common desires of those who believe. What God leads them to agree in (Matthew 18:19), He agrees in as well. We cannot doubt this if we really believe them to be “led” by His “Spirit” (Romans 8:14). Neither dare we deny this even where the number of those thus “agreeing together” is the very least that it possibly can be in the nature of things. There cannot be agreement at all unless there are two at least to agree. If there are but two such, we are taught here, their prayer will be answered (Matthew 18:19). Judge, therefore, of the efficacy of the “common prayer” of all who believe. Lastly, these things are true because of the special honour which it has pleased God to put on common confession of Christ. This would seem to be the secret of all. Where “two or three only” are so far united as to be “gathered together” in the “name” of Jesus, they are doing open homage to Him. The fact of their being there with that object—the fact of their having come there with that object—the fact of their being there unitedly, with that object—all lend significance to their presence. That significance is not lost on their Master. So far from this He is with them in spirit to accept their homage. He is with them in power to honour them for it; He is with them in grace to give weight and authority and efficacy to all that they do in. His name. That is why these “candlesticks” give the light that they do—because He Himself walketh in the midst of them (Revelation 1:13). That is why “the blessed company of all Christian people” is the thing that it is—because it is “the fulness of Him who filleth all in all” (Ephesians 1:23).
Two brief but not unimportant lessons seem to follow:—
1. We shall be very careful how we allow ourselves to trust implicitly in all we hear on the subject.—There are those who are always ready to speak in the name of the church. They are to be found in very diverse and very far apart ecclesiastical quarters. We shall be very careful how we admit so great a claim simply because it is claimed. Nothing comes more naturally to a partisan spirit and a self-sufficient judgment and a narrow nature, than the assertion of such a claim. All the more reason for not allowing ourselves to accept it without thought (1 John 4:1).
2. We shall be equally careful not to oppose ourselves rashly to what others think on this subject.—So to do, in effect, would be little else than making a church of oneself. And that may safely be said to be, of all conceivable churches, the farthest of all from the truth. How is it possible for one mind to be a collection of many? (cf. also Jeremiah 7:4).
HOMILIES ON THE VERSES
Matthew 18:15-17. Brotherly love in dealing with injuries.—“If thy brother shall trespass against thee,”—what? Pay no heed to it? Since it takes two to make a quarrel, is it best simply to let him alone? That might be the best way to deal with offences on the part of those that are without; but it would be a sad want of true brotherly love to take this easy way with a fellow-disciple. It is certainly better to overlook an injury than to resent it; yet our Lord shows a more excellent way. His is not the way of selfish resentment, nor of haughty indifference, but of thoughtful concern for the welfare of him who has done the injury. That this is the motive in the entire proceeding is evident from the whole tone of the paragraph, in illustration of which reference may be made to the way in which success is regarded: “If he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother.” If a man sets out with the object of gaining his cause or getting satisfaction, he had better let it alone; but if he wishes not to gain a barren triumph for himself, but to gain his brother, let him proceed according to the wise instructions of our Lord and Master.—J. M. Gibson, D.D.
Matthew 18:17. The offender and the church.—
1. When more private means avail not to remedy a scandal, Christ hath appointed more and more public censure and discipline in His church. 2. Christ hath appointed a church of governors or rulers over congregations, and over all particular persons within the same, which must attend the complaints of the offended and remove scandals, and who have power to call before them and to examine and censure the offender for that end.
3. The church hath means and power to remove public scandal, which, being employed by the church and obeyed by the offender, excommunication is not to be used; for neglecting to hear the church presupposeth the church’s direction and order to be given forth for amendment of the offender and removing of the scandal.
4. When the church hath given sentence upon the offender and hath appointed the way to remove the scandal, then the offender should obey in the Lord, for Christ declareth it a censurable fault to neglect to hear the church. 5. If the offender disobey the church’s direction for removing the scandal, then the church may and should excommunicate the obstinate, i.e. declare him to be deprived of the honour of a Christian till he repent, and to be holden in such disrespect as the heathen and publicans were by the Jewish church in those days.
6. When the church declareth an offender contumacious or excommunicateth him as unworthy of the fellowship of the saints for his present abominable condition, then every believer must carry himself toward the excommunicate as toward a man disgraced and cast out of church-honour, to the intent the offender may be ashamed of his sin and repent.—David Dickson.
Matthew 18:20. Christ’s church.—This is the principle of the text—wherever men come together for a common purpose, and that purpose represented by the name of Christ, there is in them a more than human power—the power of an indwelling Christ, wise to guide, patient to endure, strong to achieve. I wish to apply this principle to three aspects of church life.
I. This is the principle which underlies and gives its chief value to ecclesiastical independency.—We stand as Congregationalists, not for the principle that we will be free to do what we please, not merely for the principle that no other ecclesiastical organisation shall dominate us; we stand for a spiritual principle, that wherever men, whatever their form of creed, their method of worship, their organisation, come together, animated by a Christian purpose, there Christ is and there is a part of Christ’s church.
II. In this declaration is the secret and the inspiration of our faith in catholicity.—There are but two conditions to the promise—gathered together, and gathered together in My name. Go with me and take the round of the Brooklyn churches. Their creeds are not all correct. Possibly none of them are quite correct. Their formularies are not all correct, possibly. Not one of them is essential. But they are united in a common purpose, and they are united around a common Lord.
III. This text gives to us the secret of the power of the church.—It is the power of Christ in His church—not in a hierarchy, not in a definitely organised and established body, but in every body of faithful disciples united to worship Him and to work for Him.—L. Abbott, D.D.
Christ in the church.—The living presence of Christ in His church is:—
I. The bond of its union.
II. The soul of its worship.
III. The power of its ministry.—J. Branwhite French.
The power of combination.—The chemist mixes his various elements together in the battery, and when they are brought together, and the conditions are fulfilled, electricity is there. He does not summon electricity from some remote distance; but already dormant in those elements was the electric power, and when they are combined, instantly the electric power springs into existence. So Christ says, “In each one of you Christians there is a dormant power.” I am in you, but there is more of Me in all of you together than there is in any one of you separate and individually; and when you have combined around My banner and My name to do My will, there springs into existence, not merely the strength that comes from union, but the Diviner help that comes from this, that I am in the midst of that organisation, the spirit that inspires the body. It becomes at once more than human—it becomes Divine—the body of Christ.—L. Abbott, D.D.