How strange we Christians sometimes are. In our heads we know that Christ is all on about love, forgiveness and grace. He lived in a time of immense oppression, so when he demands these values of his followers, it must have seemed almost unreasonable, but they are the values he lived by and the values he invites in us.

We know this – at least in our heads, but then in our hearts, well that can be a different matter. How often have we seen the pattern of reproof offered in Matthew 18 go off the rails? It goes wrong every time we use it to prove a point or to get our own way. There is a lot of power in these words, so much so that Jesus indicates that we have the power to impact on eternal matters. This pattern of reproving only works if two conditions are met. The first one is if it is based on unconditional, gracious love. The second is if we absolutely want to see reconciliation achieved. If there are any other underlying agenda, then it all just goes awry.