Spirit on Tap

We turn our attention now to Matthew 18:18. We look at a single statement that is found between two parables. It is a statement that is often overlooked, although it is found within a body of words often cited in religious services. To be fair, I have seen it addressed, but not thoroughly. In fact, it is touched upon so lightly that I wonder why they bring it up at all. I believe it to be an important statement, and I believe that important statements, that is to say, the understanding of important statements, should always begin with an attempt at definition.

Before I approach that definition, we should take note of the context in which the statement is found. First, it is found between two parables. The former parable addresses the lost sheep, the shepherd who rejoices at finding it, and the ninety-nine sheep that stayed put. The latter parable addresses the servant whose debt was forgiven, but who in turn would not forgive a fellow servant. Between these two, Christ spoke to his disciples about those the disciples would need to forgive. More precisely, he relays the order in which a personal trespass should be approached. It is in the body of this particular discourse that Matthew 18:18 comes up.

Here, what we want is a firm grasp on the concept of 'trespass'. We turn to Wikipedia. The concept has calcified into actionable law, where in a civil court one person may lay claims of wrongdoing against another. Trespass breaks down into three variants: assault, battery, and false imprisonment. Pretty basic stuff, really. To view the full article go to this link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trespass_in_English_law.

There is also trespass of goods, and trespass of land. In most of the actionable cases, intent must be proved, although the law recognizes trespass due to negligence. So then, we are speaking of real, not imagined, slights. Peter referred to trespasses as sins in the question he posed Jesus in Matthew 18:21. However, I must reassert that the sins be real, and not imagined. For example, in the exercise of our freedom of speech, we daily run the risk of hurting someone's feeling, of offending their sensibilities, but for the most part these are not actionable under the law. Therefore, there is no real cause for distress, and no real offense that must either be addressed or forgiven.

This is the context in which we find Christ making this statement in Matthew 18:18 – “Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” It is, to begin with, a concluding statement to the argument he just presented. That argument was an organized treatment of the forgiveness of trespass. Binding on earth is representative of the servant who threw his fellow servant into prison over a small debt. That act of imprisonment is equally reflected in heaven – that is to say, the personal connection of the spirit to the individual. Loosing on earth, or the act of forgiveness, is also equally reflected in heaven. By that I mean that the individual who forgave, finds within his personal connection to the spirit an equal degree of forgiving.

Christ went on to fit one final piece into the puzzle of this discourse, a finishing touch, as it were, to present the full image. He dropped this clue about spirit and connection into Matthew 18:19-20, “Again I say unto you” (or, I must reassert),  “That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.”

What final meaning, or definition, may we draw from this section of scripture? The theme of this discourse seems clear. It is the theme of spiritual connection. It is the theme of spiritual reflection. It is the action and reaction that is equal between the individual of this plane, and his spirit that resides in heaven.

Finally, when I think about the words, 'bind' and 'loose', I am reminded of a water tap. If you twist the handle one way, you close off the flow – that is, you restrict or bind the passage between the source and destination. If you twist it the other way, you open the connection. You loose the flow of water from its source. In this manner, the water will reach the one in need, and the refreshing may proceed.