Park United Methodist Church

Romans 14:1-12

Matthew 18:21-35

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Community is wonderful, and hard, and necessary. Last week we talked about Jesus giving his followers some guidelines on how to live in community. Today we get to jump in even deeper, with more teachings about living in community.

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Remember, this is not the Cain and Abel community we're talking about, where jealousy and our egos reign. Last week we heard Jesus reminding his followers not to be a stumbling block, to talk directly to one another when they have a problem, and to offer forgiveness to one another when they have disputes. This week Peter asks, "Well, Lord, exactly how much forgiveness?"

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That's the problem, isn't it? We want to put limits on things. We want boundaries. We want to be able to say "this much" or "that much" — that it needs to stop. Jesus answers: 77 times — or in some translations, seventy times seven. It essentially means a lot. This is complicated. And it comes right after the conversation about going to the person and having them turn from what they are doing that is "sinning" against you.

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So now we are told that not only are we to have these hard conversations, but if the person turns from the harm they've caused, we are to forgive. Forgiving does not mean we have to have the same relationship with the person, or make ourselves vulnerable with them again. It does mean we have to let go of the animosity, hatred, and vengeance in our hearts and lives.

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Paul, writing to the church in Rome, is coaching a community that's just come back together after being torn apart. Years earlier, Emperor Claudius had expelled the Jews — Jewish Christians included — from the city. When he died, they were free to return. But the church hadn't stood still while they were gone: Gentile believers had kept worshiping, developing their own rhythms around food and holy days, without the Jewish believers who used to shape those practices. Now the two groups are back in the same churches/places, and their instincts about what faithfulness even looks like don’t match anymore.

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Paul's response is, quite frankly: don't argue over your differences. Some think worship is about how you eat; others don't. Don't argue — respect one another. Some think it's about which day of the week you keep; others don't. Don't argue over it. You're worshiping the same God — the God who made heaven and earth and all that is, was, and will be.

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Sometimes I think we get too caught up trying to police one another, even in fellow Christian churches. Paul is reminding us that isn't our job. It's Jesus's job. Not ours. We are to know that we all love Jesus, that we are serving to the best of our abilities, and it looks different sometimes — but it does not mean less.

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So what does that mean for us, in this room? We've all had our own "years away" from each other, our own reasons to draw lines about what real faith looks like. Your homework this week: How can we love each other without judgment on the differences — and lean into what we hold in common instead of what divides us?

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