Treating the Outcast

Gospel: Matthew 18: 15-20

So what do we do with a case of someone who offends against the community, one who has done wrong and needs to be corrected? Jesus presents us with a process for one who will not hear private correction or even that of others and the church community: we are to treat them as one would a tax collector or a Gentile.  

We might be inclined at this point to treat such a person harshly, as tax collectors and Gentiles were not regarded very highly.  But consider how Jesus treated Gentiles and tax collectors: he healed Gentiles and fed them when hungry.  Jesus ate meals with tax collectors and prostitutes, inviting them to such meals! He did not exclude them, shun them, or excommunicate them.  He invited them to meals and healed their infirmities.  

The teachings and instructions of Jesus are very much like the parables he uses: they often teach us to do the exact opposite of what we might expect and what the world might do.  We are not to be vengeful people seeking retribution and punishment; we are to always be seeking the way of restoration and transformation for all people, even the one who offends us the most.