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Matthew 18:12-27: Return

If one of a flock wanders off, you go and get them. If someone gets stuck in a sin; you do what it takes to free them from it because you love them. First you try to help them out by yourself like a shepherd would try to help his sheep from a pit and then, if you can’t help them by yourself and you need to go get help from one friend or a whole bunch of friends then that is what you do.  You do whatever you can to help them return and if they don’t wish to be a part of you then treat them like you would treat pagans or tax collectors; What does it mean to treat people like tax collectors? Who is a famous tax collector in the Bible? Matthew. Matthew is the one who wrote this text. Matthew is saying, 'treat them as Jesus treated me – with the love –' hoping that they will return to the flock. Peter asks, 'how many times must we forgive someone who sins against us, always?' 'Always times forever', Jesus replies.

Jesus, the Church and Christians aren’t about attacking people with random laws to punish them; we are about loving them so that they can experience God’s salvation. The vulnerable and the little ones’ messengers always see the face of God.

We were in Florida years ago. There were signs everywhere telling you not to go near ditches, lakes, or any still water because it may have an alligator waiting for you.  My 7 year old daughter, for whatever reason, just wouldn’t listen. I was getting quite frustrated. Every time I turned around Rebecca would be running to look in another body of water. I kept telling her not to, not because of some arbitrary law that I wanted to enforce but because I love her and I didn’t want her to be eaten by an alligator. Sure enough, the last time Rebecca went unaccompanied by any Floridian water, no sooner had I picked her up and headed up the embankment than an alligator came out of the water right where she was standing.

It is the same with us and God. That is why we are always to forgive and to try to return each other to holiness: not to punish or to be mean to people but to save each other from the alligator of sin that wants to drown us eternally. Just as I never gave up, time and time again, pulling my daughter from the water’s edge, none of us should ever give up on anyone we know; we need to keep pointing them to God’s love and His Salvation.

How can we help point our friends to that salvation?
   
Originally presented to River Street Cafe, 27 Jan 2017
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