Ezekiel 33.7-11

7 So you, mortal, I have made a sentinel for the house of Israel; whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you shall give them warning from me. 8 If I say to the wicked, ‘O wicked ones, you shall surely die’, and you do not speak to warn the wicked to turn from their ways, the wicked shall die in their iniquity, but their blood I will require at your hand. 9 But if you warn the wicked to turn from their ways, and they do not turn from their ways, the wicked shall die in their iniquity, but you will have saved your life. 10 Now you, mortal, say to the house of Israel, Thus you have said: ‘Our transgressions and our sins weigh upon us, and we waste away because of them; how then can we live?’ 11 Say to them, As I live, says the Lord God , I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from their ways and live; turn back, turn back from your evil ways; for why will you die, O house of Israel?

 

REFLECTION 

Depending on how we read this passage we could find it challenging. On the one hand we see God's call on Ezekiel's life. What a burden to be told that he was a sentinel and the responsibility to warn those who were living a wicked life, knowing that if he did not he would be responsible for their lives, and soul. In another way we could read this as a responsibility of all believers. That we hold responsibility of each other and to care for the souls of each other.

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Psalm 119.33-40

33 Teach me, O Lord, the way of your statutes:

and I will honour it to the end.

34 Give me understanding, that I may keep your law:

that I may keep it with my whole heart.

35 Guide me in the path of your commandments:

for therein is my delight.

36 Incline my heart to your commands:

and not to selfish gain.

37 Turn away my eyes from looking on vanities:

as I walk in your way give me life.

38 Make good your promise to your servant:

the promise that endures for all who fear you.

39 Turn aside the taunts that I dread:

for your judgements are very good.

40 Lord, I long for your precepts:

in your righteousness give me life.

 

​Romans 13.1-10

1 Let every person be subject to the governing authorities; for there is no authority except from God, and those authorities that exist have been instituted by God. 2 Therefore whoever resists authority resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgement. 3 For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Do you wish to have no fear of the authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive its approval; 4 for it is God’s servant for your good. But if you do what is wrong, you should be afraid, for the authority does not bear the sword in vain! It is the servant of God to execute wrath on the wrongdoer. 5 Therefore one must be subject, not only because of wrath but also because of conscience. 6 For the same reason you also pay taxes, for the authorities are God’s servants, busy with this very thing. 7 Pay to all what is due to them—taxes to whom taxes are due, revenue to whom revenue is due, respect to whom respect is due, honour to whom honour is due. 8 Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. 9 The commandments, ‘You shall not commit adultery; You shall not murder; You shall not steal; You shall not covet’; and any other commandment, are summed up in this word, ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’ 10 Love does no wrong to a neighbour; therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law.

 

REFLECTION  

There are many who would probably have issues with Paul's view of the authority of a community. Paul seems to be oblivious to corruption and abuse of power. I don't think Paul was oblivious to the weakness of humanity. Paul though saw that laws had a purpose for good, even if those using them used them badly. It was not the nature of the people enforcing the law, but that law was generally for the benefit of the society. For me, Paul was looking at the responsibility of the believer to live in accordance with the law and to demonstrate their faith in actions. The living of the social law was about loving our neighbors. We see again that as Christians the care for the other extends to those around us.. 

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Matthew 18.10-20

10 (Jesus Said) ‘Take care that you do not despise one of these little ones; for, I tell you, in heaven their angels continually see the face of my Father in heaven. 12 What do you think? If a shepherd has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray? 13 And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray. 14 So it is not the will of your Father in heaven that one of these little ones should be lost. 15 ‘If another member of the church sins against you, go and point out the fault when the two of you are alone. If the member listens to you, you have regained that one. 16 But if you are not listened to, take one or two others along with you, so that every word may be confirmed by the evidence of two or three witnesses. 17 If the member refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if the offender refuses to listen even to the church, let such a one be to you as a Gentile and a tax-collector. 18 Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. 19 Again, truly I tell you, if two of you agree on earth about anything you ask, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. 20 For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them.’

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REFLECTION 

​In this reading we see Jesus respond to who is the greatest in heaven. He calls a child and points to the way they view the little ones. I would like to think that Jesus was not just talking about children, but about the innocent. He goes on to talk about the value of the one and the extent to which we should seek them. It seems strange then that Jesus talks about how to deal with a person who has gone astray. I do not see the search for the lost and the correction of those who have gone astray as the same, and yet it appears that Jesus does, and if Jesus does so does the Father. We may see the lost as the innocent and a gentle person, but the lost are those who have sort after the world and acting in ways that are not right with our faith. Jesus' guidance is one of love and consideration giving the lost every opportunity to see and turn back. In the end Jesus accepts there is a point where there is nothing we can do. He goes on to repeat that statement we heard two weeks ago when Peter acknowledged Jesus as Messiah. (Matthew 16:19) In this I see Jesus warning them of being careful not to allow the things of this world to be loosed in heaven. We are called to place a point on two things. One is to seek to save everyone. to value their redemption. The other is to ensure we do not let go of God's call to us in how we live our faith. We hold a great responsibility to each other and the kingdom of God.

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