I have often heard people use the Bible to justify “putting
out” a sinner from the church community. In Matthew, Jesus taught a form of
conflict resolution: Confront the person, confront the person with a witness,
confront the person in the presence of the church, kick the person out. In 1
Corinthians, Paul urges the church to turn their back on a sinning member.
But in today’s reading, 2 Corinthians, Paul has a different
message: “Most of you opposed him, and that was punishment enough. Now,
however, it is time to forgive and comfort him. Otherwise he may be overcome by
discouragement. So I urge you now to reaffirm your love for him.” It’s pretty
clear that Paul is following up on the case he mentioned in 1 Corinthians.
We like kicking people out. The us v. them mentality is
ubiquitous and deeply satisfying. We like bringing people into our club and we
like pushing them out. We like joining and then leaving. I have heard far too
many stories of churches kicking people out for their sins.
And this isn’t a hobby just found in the American
Evangelical and Fundamentalist groups. Early church history is a long list of
excommunications and double anathemas. Part of the spread of Christianity is
due to the exiling of “heretical” priests. They went into the wilderness and
spread the gospel.
I personally believe that the church needs to transcend this
divisive mentality. As we prepare to celebrate Maundy Thursday, it would be
good to meditate on the actual words Jesus spoke. Maundy comes from the same
root word as “mandate.” Jesus gave us a mandate: to serve one another. To wash
each other’s feet; in other words, to do lowly and humiliating service to
everyone in our community. Jesus taught us very clearly that it is in abiding
in Him that we will be identified. Not by who we exclude. But by our
willingness to extend our loving service to every single person.
As always, I’m not bragging here. I write these words as a
reminder as much to myself as to anyone else. Today I will strive to abide in
God’s love, and I will fail. But God will always open Her arms back to me.
