Reconcile

Scripture: Matthew 18:15-17 [The Message]

15-17“If a fellow believer hurts you, go and tell him—work it out between the two of you. If he listens, you’ve made a friend. If he won’t listen, take one or two others along so that the presence of witnesses will keep things honest, and try again. If he still won’t listen, tell the church. If he won’t listen to the church, you’ll have to start over from scratch, confront him with the need for repentance, and offer again God’s forgiving love.

Observation(s): Jesus says to His followers, in response how we will gain the Kingdom, that we need to work things out when someone hurts us.  If you go to them and tell them how they have hurt you and they respond positively then you have gained a friendship.  And what if the person does not cooperate?  Then Jesus says to take a couple of other people along with you (as witnesses) and try again.  If the person still refuses you take it to a larger body/group within the community.  If this person still refuses to be accountable, then you must start over from the beginning and be more forceful, inviting the person to seek forgiveness all the while offering unconditional love of G-d to this individual.

Application(s): More times than not we do not go to the person who hurts us.  Instead we recoil in our pain, or seethe with anger over the injustice.  Scripture is clear.  We must go to the person and talk to them about it.  G-d is like that also.  He keeps coming to us when we separate ourselves from Him.  He doesn’t stop, he keeps coming back pointing us back to Him, starting over with us if necesarry–always offering His unconditional love.  Some questions.  Do I personify the person who hurts others and refuses to listen?  Am I the victim who is inactive and lives with dread in my life because I do not seek out forgiveness?  Or am I a person who seeks out my perpetrator and when ignored is persevering until the end; willing to start over again when necessary–always loving and offering G-d’s unconditional love to that person?

Prayer: Lord, thank you for always pursuing me when I get off the beaten path.  Forgive me when I hurt someone, I do not want to prevent anyone from seeing You or entering the Kingdom, because of my failures.  If I am the person who is not listening to how I’ve hurt someone open my eyes and ears so that I will listen and seek repentance.  Keep me from playing the victim and not stepping up to the plate and going to the person who hurts me.  Give me the courage to seek reconciliation in peaceful ways.  Thank you for loving me, I love you.