Proper 18 (Wednesday 2023)

Galatians 2:11–16 (EHV)

But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he was clearly wrong. For before some people came from James, he ate with the Gentiles. But when those people came, he drew back and separated himself, because he feared those from the circumcision group. And the rest of the Jews joined him in his hypocrisy, with the result that even Barnabas was carried away by their hypocrisy.

But when I saw that they were not acting according to the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas in front of all of them, “If you, a Jew, live like the Gentiles and not like the Jews, why do you compel the Gentiles to live like the Jews?” “We are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners. We know that a person is not justified by the works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ. So we also believed in Christ Jesus that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law, because no one will be justified by the works of the law.

Your Brother’s Keeper

Have you ever worked on a jigsaw puzzle only to have one piece missing? A puzzle of a beautiful landscape or seascape is ruined, or incomplete, because of the missing piece. Likewise in the Church — the Body of Christ. When someone sins and is unrepentant they drift away from the flock and become that missing piece of what could be a beautiful work of art.

Being our brother's keeper will at times lead to uncomfortable situations or even confrontations. In this evening’s epistle reading Paul tells how he had to oppose Peter to his face. Paul did not do this out of jealousy; nothing is gained by pitting the apostle to the Jews against the apostle to the Gentiles. This had to do with the eternal salvation of every one involved. Trusting in anything other than Christ is like losing a vital piece of a jigsaw puzzle. Or, to be even more graphic, it is like sleeping in a burning house. Paul took his job of being a watchman seriously. If righteousness could be gained through the Judaizers demands, then Christ died for nothing! So, Paul woke this sleeping neighbor with the harsh reality of his hypocrisy. He searched for the missing puzzle piece until he found it. But the Word of Christ did its work: Paul didn't merely keep his brother; he won his brother over.

We are our Brother’s Keeper, and Christ Jesus bids us to love our fellow Christian so much that we will speak to them when they fall into sin; and He encourages us to ignore the fear within of what they might say to us; recognizing that Jesus paid for all our sin on the cross and He has given us the ministry of reconciliation

2 Corinthians 5:20 EHV

Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, inasmuch as God is making an appeal through us. We urge you, on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.

There was a problem in Antioch that was causing others to fall away from the faith that we are save through Christ alone. St. Paul stepped in to address it head on.

Love for Your Brother By Speaking

Antioch was the site of the first Christian congregation known for its gentile members. It was the launching pad for further missionary work among the non-Jews. It was here where Paul and Barnabas were commissioned for their work (Acts 13:1-3). Into this congregation’s mix came Cephas—Peter. He was a leading figure among the Jerusalem (Jewish) Christians. In this Antioch congregation many members still observed the Mosaic food laws as well as the rite of circumcision. The Church leaders allowed this so that Jewish Christians might not be driven away “for the sake of food” (Romans 14:20). Acts 15:20-21 demonstrates how they counseled the gentile Christians in Antioch to be sensitive to the Jewish Christians among them. But the church leaders in Jerusalem also knew that such laws are not saving. Rather “it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we [Jews] are saved, just as they [Gentiles] are” (Ac 15:11). So far, so good. But now Peter pays a visit up north, but by his actions he conveys an altogether different message of salvation in a moment of weakness. It was a public offense which spoke loudly like a erring herald for all to see. Therefore, St. Paul rebuked Peter publicly.

1 Timothy 5:20 NKJV

Those who are sinning rebuke in the presence of all, that the rest also may fear.

The action of St. Paul was done out of love for Peter. Peter was wrong and he actions in refusing to eat with the Gentiles, thereby keeping the Jewish law, were leading astray many Christian Jews, including Barnabas. They followed Peter’s lead and did the same. Peter’s action was preaching a different gospel than the Gospel of Jesus Christ. His action were sending the message that we are saved through something other than the cross of Christ. Out of love for his brother, Paul admonished Peter to repent. Peter’s actions were so deadly that it was like he had fallen asleep in a burning house, and Paul came pounding on the front door until he woke him. Just as the prophet Nathan rebuked King David for his sin of breaking the 1st, 2nd, 5th, and 6th Commandments, so Paul serves Peter with his loving rebuke. Likewise you and me. We are our brothers keeper. Sin, death, and the devil are constantly trying to pull us away from the one true faith. The devil causes us to justify our actions, and if he succeeds, we become the sheep who wander off (Matthew 18:12). Jesus said:

Matthew 18:15 EHV

“If your brother sins against you, go and show him his sin just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have regained your brother.

Brotherly admonition will be necessary in the Church as long as Christians are in the flesh. So,

Don’t Fear What Others Might Say

Oftentimes fear causes us NOT to go to our brother because we don’t want more drama in our lives, nor conflict. We know that we are sinners to, so who am I to judge. And if we fail to act this is the message we are conveying. And we know that our erring brother / sister will say or think this very thing. The difference is, we recognize our sin and we confess our sin. An erring brother in Christ has yet to confess his sin to be restored. Sin that happens within a congregation that remains un-rebuked by the leadership — even the congregation as a whole — festers and infects the entire body. Galatians 5:9 reminds us that a “little leaven leavens the who lump.” It’s not just one piece of the puzzle that wonders off, many others follow suit. Look what happened to Barnabas: even he was led astray.

It is like our neighbors house is on fire at 3:00 AM and we do nothing, because we don’t want them to become angry with us for waking them in the middle of the night. Do we really believe that it better that they burn up in the flames? If we fail to warn them this is exactly what our inaction is doing.

Hebrews 10:26 EHV

For if we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the full knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains any sacrifice for sins.

What this means for us is we are our brothers keeper. I hope and pray that if I do something stupid, sinful even, that a brother in Christ will lovingly come to me and point out my error, my sin, so that I can repent. This evening’s OT reading speaks directly to this issue:

Ezekiel 33:8 EHV

When I say to a wicked man, “Wicked man, you shall surely die,” if you do not speak to warn the wicked man against his way, that wicked man will die because of his guilt, but I will also hold you responsible for his blood.

Ezekiel 33:9 EHV

But if you do warn the wicked man to turn from his way, and he does not turn from his way, he will die because of his guilt, but you will have saved your life.

As a watchman, we are to do our job in warning because:

Jesus Suffered all for Our Salvation

Through the His Word of Law and Gospel, Jesus is the one who seeks after us. And He uses you and I as the means by which His message is delivered.

Romans 10:13-17

Romans 10:13–17 EHV

Yes, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” So then, how can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one about whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without a preacher? And how can they preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news of peace, who preach the gospel of good things!” But not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who believed our message?” So then, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message comes through the word of Christ.

God uses Christians to bring erring Christians back into the fold. You and I are the Watchman on the wall. The body of Christ is the flock of sheep wondering in the pasture. And when one wanders away because of sin, God calls upon us to search for them in an attempt to bring them back into the fold.

God, in Christ Jesus, works through us to care for one another. To bear one another’s burdens. Think of it this way: if we step on a piece of broken glass with our bare feet, we will automatically come to the rescue to our erring foot for the purpose of restoring it. There is not a person in this Nave who would permit your foot to bleed out, thereby risking it completely. You are the body of Christ — 1 Cor 12:14 “For in fact the body is not one member but many.” And Christ Jesus shed His own blood upon the cross — carrying all your sins past, present, and future — so that you can be saved by His shed blood. He gives us the ministry of reconciliation so that none will be lost for eternity. And He gives you his blood and body to drink and eat this very night for the forgiveness of all your sins. This enables us to turn from our erring ways to service Christ in everlasting righteousness, innocence, and blessedness.

Finally, Luke 15:7 “I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance.”

Conclusion

Therefore, we are our brothers keeper, and Jesus uses his spoken Word of Law and Gospel to bring the erring one to repentance. Not for the purpose of condemning for to restore the one who wandered away from the flock back into the fold. For Christ wants none to be lost, but for all to be saved. You

We are our Brother’s Keeper, and Christ Jesus bids us to love our fellow Christian so much that we will speak to them when they fall into sin; and He encourage us to ignore the fear within of what they might say to us; recognizing that Jesus paid for all our sin on the cross and He has given us the ministry of reconciliation

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.