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Matthew 18:15-20
 | Reading the Text:
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 | Historical References, Commentary and
Comparative Texts:
 | The
Five Gospels Parallels, John W. Marshall, University of Toronto. |
 | Comparative World Scriptures from United
Communities of Spirit:
|
 | Comparative Primary Texts at Mahlon H. Smith's Into His Own: Perspective on the World of
Jesus, Rutgers University.
|
 |
Chapter V,
The Epistle of Ignatius to the Ephesians,
Ignatius of Antioch (c. 110). |
 |
Chapter
VI, On Baptism,
Tertullian
(c. 198) |
 |
III.10, Stromata,
Clement of Alexandria (c 200) |
 |
Chapter XVI,
The Prescription of Heretics,
Tertullian (c.
200) |
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II.8,
To His Wife, Tertullian (c. 206) |
 |
IV.43, Against
Marcion,
Tertullian
(c. 210) |
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Chapter
XXI, On Modesty,
Tertullian
(c. 217) |
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II.IX, Against
Celsus,
Origen.
(c.246) |
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Epistle VII
--
Cyprian of Carthage (c.
250) |
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On the
Unity of the Church,
Cyprian
of Carthage (c. 250) |
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Epistle LXXV
--
Cyprian of Carthage (c.
255) |
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Sermon
XXXII (LXXXII Ben.) - Augustine. |
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Homily LX
- Matthew 18:15, Homilies on the Gospel of St. Matthew, St. Chrysostom (c.
380) |
 | From the Geneva Notes.
 | "We must strive for agreement, and not to revenge
injuries." |
|
 | From the
Catena
Aurea, Patristic Commentary by St Thomas Aquinas. |
 | From
Matthew
Henry's Commentary.
 | "Wherever and whenever we meet in the name of Christ, we should consider
him as present in the midst of us." |
|
 | From
Wesley's
Notes.
 | "If we proceed from the private carriage of man to man, to proceedings of a
more public nature, in what Christian nation are Church censures conformed to this
rule?" |
|
 | The Cure of Evil
Speaking (Matt 18:15-17): Sermon by John Wesley.
 | "'Speak evil of no man,' says the great Apostle: -- As plain a command as,
'Thou shalt do no murder.' But who, even among Christians, regards this
command?" |
|
 | From the
Commentary on the Whole Bible
(Jamieson, Fausset and Brown, 1871).
 | "Probably our Lord had reference still to the late dispute, Who should be
the greatest?" |
|
 | From The People's
New Testament, B.W. Johnson, 1891.
 | "The apostles were, under the direction of the Holy Spirit, to establish
the rules of the church discipline, as well as to announce the conditions of salvation by
the gospel." |
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|
 | Contemporary Commentary, Studies, and Exegesis:
 |
Commentary,
Matthew 18:15-20, Clayton Schmit, Preaching This Week, WorkingPreacher.org,
2008. |
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Comments
(commentary) and
Clippings
(technical notes for in-depth study), Chris Haslam, Anglican
Diocese of Montreal. |
 |
"First
Thoughts on Year A Gospel Passages in the Lectionary," Pentecost 17,
William Loader, Murdoch University, Uniting Church in Australia.
 | "Honesty in confronting issues
often makes such restoration possible, whereas half dishonest failure to name things
leaves untended wounds which fester and, even in apparent reconciliation, the pain will be
disruptive and is frequently destructive for all. Unfortunately Christians have been
particularly good at replacing honest open love with being nice." |
|
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"How to Get Along," Rev. Todd Weir, bloomingcactus.
 | "Conflict saps the life out of the
church. Pastors that want to survive learn to tell people to talk to
the person they are angry with first, then come back if they can’t work
it out. I’m sure Jesus had to do this all the time with an unruly group
of fishermen, a tax collector, a zealot and two brothers known as the
Sons of Thunder." |
|
 |
"The
Church," Gospel Analysis, Sermons from
Seattle,
Pastor Edward F. Markquart, Grace Lutheran Church, Seattle,
Washington. Detailed background and exegesis.
 | "We as Christians are to pray that
God’s will be done in the midst of this conflict. We bring this conflict
to the Lord in prayer and ask for God’s guidance in this delicate
situation." |
|
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Matthew in the Margins, by
Brian McGowan, Anglican priest in Western Australia. |
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"The Tension of Discipleship," Mary Hinkle, Pilgrim Preaching.
 | "Our hope for
the sharing of the good news of Jesus Christ is not that Peter or the
rest of us who are fishing for people will get better, clearer, louder,
quieter, more trusting, or less cowardly but that God will keep
revealing himself and his merciful and just rule through his Son to
human beings quite apart from their goodness, clarity, trust and
courage." |
|
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"Exegetical Considerations,"
16th Sunday after Pentecost, Richard Carlson, Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg, Using Greek
for Sunday Text Preparations.
 | "How does this passage recall
Jesus’ instructions on not seeking retributive justice in 5:43-38-45?" |
|
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"A
Careful Read," Deanna Langle, The Christian Century, 2005.
 | "The Bible invites us to enter into an ongoing
conversation of Christians who struggle with what it means to live
faithfully in relationship and to look beyond ourselves." |
|
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Dylan's Lectionary Blog,
Proper 18. Biblical Scholar
Sarah Dylan Breuer looks at readings for the coming Sunday in the lectionary
of the Episcopal Church.
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"The Good News that you heard included an
invitation: right now, as you are, you can be a part of
something -- specifically, a member of the Body of
Christ...The tricky part is that the Body of Christ includes
an awful lot of people who are every bit as difficult as we
are."
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Exegetical Notes
by Brian Stoffregen at CrossMarks Christian Resources.
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"In the larger context, there
certainly is a relationship between our text and the verses just before
about the shepherd searching for the one straying sheep (vv. 12-14).
Restoration to the fold is the purpose in both texts." |
|
 |
"Obedience in Context," Luke Timothy Johnson, The Christian
Century, 1991.
 | "Most of us suffer quietly the
built-in conflict of loyalties endemic to life in social
structures." |
|
 |
"Power and Forgiveness in Matthew 18,"
Elaine Ramshaw, Word & World: Theology for Christian Ministry,
Volume XVIII, Number 4, Luther Northwestern Theological School, 1998.
 | "A piecemeal and acontextual use of the texts on
forgiveness and reconciliation in Matthew 18 can lead to the exclusion
of some and the abuse of others. The chapter as a whole envisions a
better way." |
|
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"Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost: Matthew 18:15-20," Transformed for
Disciple Community: Matthew in Pentecost, James L. Boyce,
Word & World: Theology for
Christian Ministry, Luther Northwestern Theological School, 1993. |
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Wellspring of
the Gospel, Ordinary 23A, Catherine McElhinney and Kathryn
Turner, Weekly Wellsprings. |
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"Reconciling with Other Christians," Larry Broding's
Word-Sunday.Com: A
Catholic Resource for This Sunday's Gospel. Adult Study, Children's
Story, Family Activity, Support Materials.
 | "When others hurt you, do you
confront them, reconcile with them, or just ignore them? Which way is the
most effective? Which way is the most moral?" |
|
 |
"It
Shall Be Done..."
Jerry Goebel, One
Family Outreach. "Focus on scripture from a justice perspective." Exegesis, study, and teen study
and activities.
 | "The influence of Jesus will reach the world but
it transforms us from the personal to the communal, from the myopic
needs of the self to the telescopic ends of the earth. We are
transformed by Christ’s power when we become humble servants and we
are given Christ’s authority when we use that power to heal and
restore others." |
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"Costly Confrontation," Beverly R. Gaventa, Christian Century,
1993.
 | "The church of Jesus Christ is not a
therapeutic community, although healing can and does happen within it.
The church of Jesus Christ is not a social club, although it sustains
profound social relations. The church of Jesus Christ gathers in his
name and with his presence." |
|
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"The
Greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven,"
"The
Lost Brother," Rev. Bryan Findlayson, Lectionary Bible
Studies and Sermons, Pumpkin Cottage Ministry Resources. Includes detailed
textual notes. |
|
 | Articles & Background:
 |
"Matthew 18:15-17: Conflict, Confrontation and Conflict Resolution in a
'Fictive Kin' Association," Dennis C. Duling, Biblical Theology
Bulletin, 1999.
 | "After opening with a brief
hermeneutical statement about writers, texts, and readers, this study
explores the three-step process in Matthew 18:15-18 in relation to similar
processes of analogous groups, especially voluntary associations, in the
ancient Mediterranean." |
|
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"Binding and Loosing: A Paradigm for Ethical Discernment from the Gospel
of Matthew," Mark Allan Powell, Currents in Theology and Mission,
2003.
 | "Matthew closely connects the business of
binding and loosing with the mission of the church that is built by
Jesus (16:18) and sustained by his continuing presence (18:20). It would
not be an overstatement to say that Matthew considers binding and
loosing to be a constitutive aspect of the church's mission on earth." |
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"Divorce, Reproof and Other Sayings in the Synoptic Gospels: Jesus
Traditions in the Context of 'Qumranic' and Other Texts," Menahem Kister,
Orion center for the Study of the Dead Sea Scrolls and
Associated Literature, 2004. |
|
 | Articles in
ATLAS Journals. (Direct link when you are
subscribed and logged in to
ATLASerials online collection of Religion and Theology Journals.):
 | Boyce, James L., "Transformed for
Disciple Community: Matthew in Pentecost," Word & World, 1993.
(Section on this text begins on page 313.)
Image Browse -
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 | Gaventa, Beverly R., "Costly Confrontation," The
Christian Century, 1993.
Image Browse -
PDF |
 | Greenberg, Irving,
"The Maturation of Covenant in Judaism and Christianity," The Living
Pulpit, 2005.
Image Browse -
PDF |
 | Horning, Estella B., "The Rule of
Christ: An Exposition of Matthew 18:15-20," Brethren Life and Thought,
1993.
Image Browse -
PDF |
 | Johnson, Luke T.,
"Obedience in Context," The Christian Century, 1991.
Image Browse -
PDF |
 | Langle, Deanna, "A Careful Read,"
The Christian Century, 2005.
Image Browse -
PDF |
 | Mathew, Parackel K., "Authority and
Discipline, Matthew 16:17-19 and 18:15-18 and the Exercise of Authority
and Discipline in the Matthean Community," Communio Viatorum,
1985.
Image Browse -
PDF |
 | McClister, David, "'Where Two or Three Are Gathered
Together,': Literary Structure as a Key to Meaning in Matt 17:22-20:19,"
Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society, 1996.
Image Browse -
PDF |
 | Powell, Mark Allan, "Binding and
Loosing: Asserting the Moral Authority of Scripture in Light of a
Matthean Paradigm," Ex Auditu, 2003.
Image Browse -
PDF |
 | Powell, Mark Allan,
"Binding and Loosing: A Paradigm for Ethical Discernment from the Gospel of
Matthew," Currents in Theology and Mission, 2003.
Image Browse -
PDF |
 | Ramshaw, Elaine J., "Power and
Forgiveness in Matthew 18," Word & World, 1998.
Image Browse -
PDF |
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 | Reviews: |
 | Sermons:
 |
"The
Church,"
Sermons from Seattle,
Pastor Edward F. Markquart, Grace Lutheran Church, Seattle,
Washington. |
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"Bumping into
God: Finding Grace in Unexpected Places," Fr. Dominic Grassi, 30
Good Minutes, Chicago Sunday Evening Club, 1999. |
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"The Way of
Forgiveness,"
Fr. Patrick Brennan,
30 Good Minutes,
Chicago Sunday Evening Club, 2002. |
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"The Hot Potato of Church Discipline,"
John Jewell, 1999. |
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"Tell It Like It Is!"
the Rev. Dr. Elton Richards, Day 1, 1996. |
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Father
Andrew M. Greeley, "Priest, Author, Sociologist," Commentary and
Homily
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 | With Children:
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 | Drama:
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 | Graphics & Bulletin Materials:
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 | Hymns and Music:
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 | Fine Arts Images Linked at The Text This Week's
Art Index: |
 | Movies scenes with the following themes,
listed at The Text This Week's Movie Concordance: |
 |
Study Links and Resources for the Book of Matthew |
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