NOTES for Mat 18:15

It’s so simple and obvious: if a problem arose between you two – you should first of all solve it together. But why do we have the opposite: we are ready to discuss our damaged relations with anyone, but only not with the person with whom we should have? We are maybe afraid of a direct conversation, that it may reveal instability of our own position, and finally – the justice of our “opponent”? And maybe we do not like the situation that if it turns out that we are right we will have to forgive – and no one will know about our generosity, do we? One way or other, with the “help” of all these rumors and gossips we try to improve our “rating”, our popularity in the others’ eyes through humiliation and condemnation of our brothers – and thus we lose them. The risk of losing frightens in direct conversation, but after all, we should not forget that the possible “win” is great: we can get our brother back.