Mt 18:15-20
[Jesus said to his disciples,] 15“If your brother sins [against you], go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have won over your brother. 16If he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, so that ‘every fact may be established on the testimony of two or three witnesses.’ 17If he refuses to listen to them, tell the church. If he refuses to listen even to the church, then treat him as you would a Gentile or a tax collector.
18Amen, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. 19Again, [amen,] I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything for which they are to pray, it shall be granted to them by my heavenly Father. 20For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.”
Steps to Reconciliation: “Sin” renders the Hebrew word hobah which is better translated as “debt” (see the rendition in the Lord’s Prayer: Mt 5:12). And debt does not just refer to money owed, but encompasses offenses to a person’s honor. And in a culture that prizes honor, it is very easy to “sin” against the honor of the individual person or group.
In today’s Gospel, Jesus advises three steps to achieve reconciliation and to avoid fatal consequences that may arise when an offense is committed.
The first is confrontation in private. If a person feels dishonored or offended, he is to confront the sinner in private to avoid placing the alleged offense in the public arena. If the perception of dishonor has been cleared (not intentionally intended, or accepted with the petition for forgiveness), the conflict has been successfully defused.
The second is negotiation with two or three witnesses. The conflict has become semiprivate and legal with the calling of witnesses (Dt 17:1-7). The witnesses have a serious role to play and should never bear false witness (Dt 19:15-21). It is hoped that the witnesses-negotiators succeed where private efforts failed.
The third, and last, resort is adjudication. The event has become public, and at stake are the honor of the individual and the good of the community. The community acts as the final arbiter. If the offender disregards the community’s judgment, he is expelled and no longer treated as a part of God’s people. He is designated as an “outsider,” considered as “a Gentile and a tax collector.” And in a culture where life depended on the support networks of family and community, to be excommunicated and lumped with “the enemies” would be the ultimate tragedy.