RESTORING FALLEN MINISTERS - The Process (Part 2)

 In Part 1, we looked at what Jesus said in Matthew 5 about seeking reconciliation with someone you have offended BEFORE you present an offering at the Temple.  Of course, Jesus was speaking to Jews under the Mosaic law, but the principles still apply.  No true restoration without reconciliation.  No reconciliation without confession and repentance.

But what about when the offender doesn't seek reconciliation first?  Did Jesus say anything about that.  He definitely did!  That is what we will look at here in Part 2.

Matthew 18: 1 - 17 NAS95

At that time the disciples came to Jesus and said, “Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”

And He called a child to Himself and set him before them, and said, “Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever then humbles himself as this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever receives one such child in My name receives Me; but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him to have a heavy millstone hung around his neck, and to be drowned in the depth of the sea."

"Woe to the world because of its stumbling blocks! For it is inevitable that stumbling blocks come; but woe to that man through whom the stumbling block comes!"

“If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it from you; it is better for you to enter life crippled or lame, than to have two hands or two feet and be cast into the eternal fire. If your eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out and throw it from you. It is better for you to enter life with one eye, than to have two eyes and be cast into the fiery hell."

"See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that their angels in heaven continually see the face of My Father who is in heaven. For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost.

“What do you think? If any man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go and search for the one that is straying? If it turns out that he finds it, truly I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine which have not gone astray."

“So it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones perish."

"If your brother sins, go and show him his fault in private; if he listens to you, you have won your brother.

“But if he does not listen to you, take one or two more with you, so that BY THE MOUTH OF TWO OR THREE WITNESSES EVERY FACT MAY BE CONFIRMED. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector."

Now, Jesus is talking to His disciples. The directions He gives here applied not only to them, but to us as well, because we also consider ourselves to be His followers.

I have heard of the final verses being used against the victims of fallen ministers, saying they should have privately confronted their offender and not come out publicly. However, many of the victims were children at the time of the offense, and they experienced trauma that would effect even an adult. They had to grow and heal, often with help, until they had the strength to face their offender.

In the case of ministers, they have built reputations that enable them to continue in their ministry activities. If they admit to harming anyone, they will lose their reputations, their positions, their influence, their money. So, most of them refuse to admit anything until they have been backed into a corner. Some times, even if they admit to some wrongdoing, their associates and followers will call for their restoration. And some have been restored to ministry activities, but they continue their abuse.

Obviously, this should not be. But some people cannot or refuse to see the obvious. Thus, I am examining from a Biblical standpoint what the restoration process should be.

How does this passage relate to the restoration of fallen ministers? Let's go step by step through the context.

First, the disciples ask which one of them is the greatest in the Kingdom. To understand this question, we must consider the first century century Jewish culture. Rabbis would not just teach the people in general, they would gather disciples to follow them full time so each rabbi would train that group of disciples to become rabbis too. With this in mind, we can see how each one of Jesus' disciples would wonder about how valuable he would be in the ministry. In other words, who would be their leader?

But Jesus had to show them their need for humility and who really is important in His Father's eyes. So, he takes a child and places him in the middle of their group. The wording in the Greek indicates this boy was young, but able to stand on his own. He could have been a toddler, but I believe he was older than that, one able able to converse with adults on a very basic level. I think he was at least 5, but no more than 12. Jesus uses him as an example of humility.

Think about that for a moment. These were grown men, who had careers, families, houses, and more, that they had left behind to follow Jesus for several years. They too had preached, cast out demons, and ministered healing. Peter, James, and John had seen the Transfiguration. Now, Jesus compared them to a child??? If they had not known that Jesus loved them, they would have felt that He had insulted them.

But they knew. They continued to listen, because they knew Jesus would teach them more about the Kingdom that they needed to know.

Jesus goes on to say that children need to be protected from offenses - both from being offended and from being made to offend. Then He continues, but talks about sheep. However, He is still talking about the Kingdom. Sheep and children are quite similar. When Jesus talked about the one sheep that strayed, the one the shepherd would leave the rest of the flock to go look for and rejoice over when found, He was still talking about who was great in the Kingdom. He equated an offended child to a straying sheep. Both need to be sought out and restored.

Then Jesus says something that sounds harsh. If part of your body causes you to sin, to offend, CUT IT OFF! Is Jesus promoting self-mutilation? Of course not! How could someone who healed people, including those with missing body parts, recommend removal of those parts? What was He really saying? He was talking about the desires of our bodies. We should not let them control us if they cause us to offend. He just used extreme language to show how much we need to do this.

Then, He talks about offenders. Notice His words. "If your brother sins," and some versions add "against you." But does it really matter? As long as you know someone has sinned, you should go confront them, and not just to recover them for the Body of Christ, but so that others will not be offended against or to offend.

How should we approach the offenders? In humility before God and love for the offender, remembering that you are doing this for their sake as well for the offended and the entire Body of Christ.

So, to sum up this passage: No one in the Body of Christ is more important than anyone else. We are often to eager too believe otherwise, and we need to stop that. Consider the teachings of Jesus and James about avoiding partiality, and Paul's teaching about the Body of Christ.

Part 2 of Restoring Fallen Ministers is a fallback for when Part 1 does not happen. It is the confrontation in love and humility.

Part 3 to come...

A PHARISEE, A PUBLICAN, CHILDREN, AND A RICH YOUNG RULER

What do these have in common?  First of all we find them in Luke 18:9 - 30. These verses all have a common theme: humility.

This article will deal with the first three, as the last one will require a post of its own.

The Parable of the Pharisee and the Publican

And He also told this parable to some people who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and viewed others with contempt: “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.  The Pharisee stood and was praying these things to himself: ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector.  I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.’  But the tax collector, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his chest, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, the sinner!’  I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other, for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Luke 18:9 - 14. Legacy Standard Bible

Who were these men?

If you haven't heard, the Pharisees were a sect within Judaism that put an emphasis on keeping the law of Moses.  This emphasis goes back to when the Jews returned from the Babylonian Exile.

Before the Exile, the Jews saw themselves as God's people; living in God's land; their capital, Jerusalem, was God's city; and within that city was God's house, the Temple.  They saw the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple, and the Exhile as God's judgment on them for not keeping the law.

Tax collectors were called pupblicans under the Roman Empire, but they were not on the government payroll.  They were contractors.  They would pay the tax for a given jurisdiction, a city or a district, and then recover that plus a little bit extra from the people.  They got to keep that extra for their pay.

The Roman government would specify how much that extra was.  But, the tax collectors would tell the people a larger amount than what the government specified.

That was fraud, but the people couldn't do much about it.  The tax collectors would be granted Roman citizenship, and so they had the backing of the Roman Army.

Most of the tax collectors in the province of Judea were Jews.  The taxes they collected financed the government operations in the region, from the army to building projects, including pagan temples.  The other Jews didn't like seeing their money go to pagan temples, so they saw the tax collectors as traitors to God and His people

What did these men have in common, besides being Jews?

They most likely were rich.  The Pharisees made a show of their religion, and people supported them for it, having been deceived into believing these "holy men" deserved to receive money.  The publican took his by force of law.

Rich people like to spend money on nice things.  The best food, housing, clothes, furniture and furnishings.  Also entertainment, including the proverbial wine, women, and song.

What was the major difference between these men?

Pride, humility, and how they saw God.

The Pharisee saw God as a God of Judgment.  When he looked into the Old Testament, he saw God acting in judgment, from the Garden of Eden, to the Babylonian Exile.  When he looked at himself, he thought he was safe from judgment not just because he kept the law, but because his "devotion" to God went beyond the law and even the Jewish traditions.  When he "prayed" he didn't talk TO God, he talked AT God.  That is, he assumed God would hear him because of his righteousness.  Self-righteousness is spiritual or religious pride.

The tax collector knew God was a God of Judgment, but he also saw God as a God of Mercy.  When he looked into the Old Testament, he saw God acting in mercy every time he saw Him acting in judgment.

His view of God caused him to humble himself, and ask God for mercy.  And he received mercy!

I see these two men in the Temple.  The Pharisee is standing up, ramrod straight, nose up in the air, and speaking in a loud voice, not because he wants God to hear him, but so he would impress the people.

The tax collector is probably leaning up against one of the pillars at the edge of the Temple.  His eyes are bleary, his head is pounding from a hangover, and his stomach is doingsomersaults, back flips, cartwheels, and pirouettes all at the same time.  He knows he can't  deny what he has done, or what he is.  But he also knows God will hear him! That is why he cried out for mercy.

What about the children?

In verses 15 through 17, Jesus rebukes His disciples for preventing people form bringing their children to Him.  He goes on to use children as an example of humility.  Notice, the children did not come on their own.  Their parents brought them.  The parents wanted blessings for their children, and so the children submitted to their parents first.  Jesus implies that as children in humility submit to loving parents, so we must humble ourselves to God as our loving 

Father to be part of His Kingdom.

Most false religions, doctrines, and practices have a false view of God.  A true view of God leads to humility.