Be Still And Know

Matthew 18.17 NLT Jesus said, “If the person still refuses to listen, take your case to the church. Then if he or she won’t accept the church’s decision, treat that person as a pagan or a corrupt tax collector.” On the face of it this might sound rather harsh, but Jesus has just given the best possible advice for how to handle the situation where someone has done you wrong. First, speak to them one to one and, if that fails, take one or two people with you. The aim is to achieve restoration as quickly as possible. But if that doesn’t work then the matter needs to go to the church. If the person still refuses to listen then Jesus says that they should be treated like a complete outsider. As we hear these strong words, we need to remember that Jesus, of all people, was always reaching out in love to pagans and corrupt tax collectors, so he wasn’t saying that they were beyond hope. However, there may sadly come a time when a dispute cannot be resolved and you need to move on. What I love about this teaching