Congregation Shema Yisrael
Articles
Download this article as a PDF
"If you believe that it's possible to ruin a life, then believe that it's possible to rectify a life".
-Rebbe Nachman of Breslev (1772-1810)
If a Brother Sins Against You: Lessons in Leadership and Servanthood
by James Pyles
I'm sure you all recognize that famous phrase from Matthew 18:15. The complete set of verses are Matthew 18:15-17:
Moreover, if a brother commits a sin against you, go and show him his fault...but privately, just between the two of you. If he doesn't listen, take one or two others with you so that every accusation can be supported by the testimony of two or three witnesses (from Deuteronomy 19:15). If he refuses to hear them, tell the congregation; and if he refuses to listen even to the congregation, treat him as you would a pagan or a tax-collector.
Of course, this process isn't to be used lightly or to justify the "petty slights of the hyper-sensitive". The sin that you believe your brother has committed against you should be a sin as defined by the Bible. If however, your brother (or sister) in the faith does commit a sin against you, you are still to treat them with respect and not embarrass them. Go to them in private and discuss the matter with them so that they have the opportunity to repent. 2 Timothy 2:25-26 re-enforces this principle well:
Also, he (a servant of the Almighty) should be gentle as he corrects his opponents. For G-d may perhaps grant them the opportunity to turn from their sins, acquire full knowledge of the truth, come to their senses and escape the trap of the Adversary, after having been captured alive by him to do his will.
Some believers (specifically congregational leaders) state that congregational leaders are exempt from being approached by anyone in the faith community in this manner. They typically cite the consequences that befell Korach in Numbers 16 and Paul's statement in Romans 13:1-2:
Everyone is to obey the governing authorities. For there is no authority that is not from G-d, and the existing authorities have been placed where they are by G-d. Therefore, whoever resists the authorities is resisting what G-d has instituted; and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves.
However, I don't think Paul was contradicting himself when he wrote in 1 Timothy 5:19-22:
Never listen to any accusation against a leader unless it is supported by two or three witnesses. Rebuke before the whole assembly those leaders who continue sinning, as a warning to the others. Before G-d, Messiah Yeshua, and the governing angels, I solemnly charge you to observe these instructions, not pre-judging and not doing anything out of favoritism. Do not be hasty in granting s'mikhah (ordination or "laying on of hands") to anyone, and do not share in other people's sins...keep yourself pure.
Why am I bothering to write this? As with many of my articles, I'm writing this one because of concerns I have regarding some of the more notable leaders in the Messianic community. These concerns stem from statements they've made indicating that they are (or should be) free from any criticism because of their anointment as leaders, regardless of whatever statements or behaviors they should choose to make.
That seems kind of silly for a number of reasons, not the least of which is the passage from 1 Timothy 5 quoted above. Also, we clearly have a history illustrated by noteworthy members of the Christian authority structure that leaders can commit sins and even crimes. Consider Jim Bakker's conviction and prison sentence or Jimmy Swiggart's refusal to step down from his ministry, even after he was discovered to be having relations with prostitutes and even after he was directed to step down by his own board of directors.
I'm not engaging in "Christian bashing" by citing these events; I'm just trying to establish the foundation of my position that not only can believing leaders sin but that they can and should be held accountable for their actions. This sort of behavior is hardly limited to the Church or the rabbinical Synagogue...it can be readily found in our own communities. I'm not naming names but if I did, unfortunately, you'd recognize them. Let me outline a few situations.
A well-known Messianic leader publically states that he believes one of the books in the Bible is completely invalid and should never have been canonized. Further, he states that this book of the Bible was added much later than the others and was deliberately inserted by anti-semitic church leaders to discount the Hebraic nature of Biblical writings and to re-enforce the concept that the Church has replaced the Jews in the covenant promises of G-d.
In response, another well-known leader of a Messianic ministry enters into a dialog via email with the first individual, gently (I've seen a transcript of the transactions) attempting to correct the party in question and expressing concerns about how this position could lead many of the faithful astray. As you might expect, the person taking this controversial stand refused to even consider the possibility that he may have been in error and rebuked the brother for critisizing a fellow believer; accusing him of engaging in lashon hara or "the evil tongue".
The second situation involves an internationally well-known Messianic ministry. I won't go into even as much detail as I did in the first example, since there is an ongoing law suit which this "leader" initiated subsequent to his board of directors properly applying both Matthew 18 and 1 Timothy 5 to confront him. However, it's safe to say that in response, this man refused and continues to refuse to repent and become accountable for his erroneous actions.
As we see in Luke 4:1-13 for example, even the Adversary can quote scripture for his own ends and so can misguided believers. Both of the individuals cited above are examples of this and this is terribly sad. How many charismatic (as in "charisma", not as in "Charismatic Churches") people in authority have mislead their believing communities down the path to error and away from the Almighty. One of Yeshua's missions during his Earthly ministry was to bring "the lost sheep of Israel" back to true understanding of the Torah and true faith in G-d. The People had suffered greatly under the influence of corrupt leadership and horrible burdens piled on top of them and the Torah like heaps of garbage. It would appear that these Messianic "leaders" are following in that tradition and for the same reasons; to elevate themselves above the Word of G-d in what can be seen as a desperate need for public recognition and significance.
There are two passages from 2 Timothy (it seems that Paul had a lot to say to Timothy on this subject) that are significant to leaders such as these:
2 Timothy 3:1-5: Moreover, understand this: in the acharit-hayamim (end times) will come trying times. People will be self-loving, money-loving, proud, arrogant, insulting, disobediant to parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, uncontrolled, brutal, hateful of good, traitorous, headstrong, swollen with conceit, loving pleasure rather than G-d, as they retain the outer form of religion but deny its power. Stay away from these people!
2 Timothy 4:3-4: For the time is coming when people will not have patience for sound teaching, but will cater to their passions and gather around themselves teachers who say whatever their ears itch to hear. Yes, they will stop listening to the truth, but will turn aside to follow myths.
A further description made by Paul of such people can be found in 2 Corinthians 11:13-15:
The fact is that such men are pseudo-emissaries (false disciples): they tell lies about their work and masquerade as emissaries of the Messiah. There is nothing surprising in that, for the Adversary himself masquerades as an angel of light; so it's no great thing if his workers masquerade as servants of righteousness. They will meet the end their deeds deserve.
You might imagine that I'm writing this article because I've "got my knickers in a knot" over leaders such as these. I have tried as best I can to be honest and transparent about my motivations in what I'm authoring here; praying and seeking counsel before posting this on the Internet. I'm not out "hunting" people who have met the description Paul pens in 2 Corinthians 11. I am rather, presenting a cautionary tale; a note to congregations and congregatonal leaders alike (and most assuredly to me and the congregation I assist in shepherding).
To quote Lord Acton, the nineteenth century British historian:
Power tends to corrupt; absolute power corrupts absolutely.
While I don't think that any congregational leader holds "absolute power", we do possess the ability to influence others and there is always the temptation to misuse this position of authority and responsibility. I believe the defense against this temptation is vigilance on the part of both the leadership and membership of a congregation. Here are some core points:
- Never allow a leader to be a "one-man show".
- Create a distributed leadership board or committee that co-leads the congregation.
- All leaders should practice humility and servanthood as their primary traits.
I've seen one-man shows and they're ugly. A "one-man show" is a leader who believes that he and only he is the congregational authority and that his position, pronouncements, and actions are unquestionable by the congregational body. A one-man show isn't always immediately apparent. Some have a board of directors or similar group, however this group exists merely to "rubber stamp" all of the leader's decisions and to pay lip service in meeting the requirements for a non-profit organization as outlined by the IRS. If you should encounter a congregation lead by a one-man show, run away as fast as you can. This is how cults get started.
Update! In going over this section of the article, I realized that one of the reasons a congregation might tolerate or even encourage a "one-man show" is because no one else then, has any responsibilities to do any thing. That sounds harsh, but it's human nature (read: "sin nature") for people to take the path of least resistance. If one person in the congregation "volunteers" to lead and perform all the decision-making tasks, it relieves the rest of the membership from having to take on those roles. I've seen at least one congregation take this path and later regret it.
A distributed leadership model as I see it, is one where a "core group" in the congregation takes on decision-making responsibilites for the community. Different members on this board usually have different responsibilities but no one member is any more important or has any more authority than any of the other members. Usually, one or two members of the board have a more "public" role in the congregation such as Chazzan (prayer leader) or Shammash (Overseer) but that public role does not confer a higher authority on those individuals than anyone else on the board. Incidently, this model also has the benefit of preventing any one leader from burning out. There's a price you pay when you are expected to do everything all the time.
Humility and servanthood should be the primary presentation of any congregational leader (and I wish it would be for more than a few political leaders). After all, Numbers 12:3 states Now, the man Moses was exceedingly humble, more than any person on the face of the Earth. John 13:3-17 is Yeshua's message to his talmidim (disciples) on the lessons of leadership and humility (using foot washing as a metaphor). Rabbinical literature is full of examples of humility in leadership and tells of how the sages actually created mechanisms in their lives to keep themselves humble. Both JewishWorldReview.com and JewishMagazine.com describe how this is done far better than I can.
Once a leader "gets a big head" or becomes arrogant and convinced that he is in a position where he can never be questioned, it is extremely difficult for that person to return to a position of humility and servanthood. I'm not saying it is impossible (and after all, with G-d, all things are possible), but before there can be forgiveness, there must be repentance. It is easier for a humble person to repent than an arrogant one:
Luke 18:9-14: Also, to some who were relying on their own righteousness and looking down on everyone else, he (Yeshua) told this parable: Two men went up to the Temple to pray, one a Parush (Pharisee) and the other a tax-collector. The Parush stood and prayed to himself, "O G-d! I thank thee that I am not like the rest of humanity...greedy, dishonest, immoral, or like this tax-collector! I fast twice a week, I pay tithes on my entire income..." But the tax-collector, standing far off, would not even raise his eyes towards heaven, but beat his breast and said, "G-d! Have mercy on me, sinner that I am!" I tell you, this man went down to his home right with G-d rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but everyone who humbles himself will be exalted".
It seems that the Jewish sages understood Yeshua better than we might imagine...or rather that Yeshua understood truly what it is to be a rabbi. But then, we have the statement from Numbers 12 referring to the humility of Moses, so I suppose the idea wasn't new either to Yeshua or the Hebrew sages.
If you have some position of responsibility in your congregation and you find yourself praying like the Parush in Luke 18, take a lesson from the tax-collector, and from Moses and Yeshua. You'll be in good company and you'll go down to your home right with G-d.
Update! You might want to take a look at another article on this site, Who is a Prophet. At least one of the individuals I mention in this write up also claims to be a "prophet of the Almighty". His rate of accuracy is about 0% but he doesn't let that stop him. Unfortunately, his rather large following buy into his "explanations" as to why his repeated predictions have failed to occur. I add this paragraph and the link as a further warning and statement of how hazardous it can be to allow a congregation to be lead by a person who does not meet the Biblical requirements for such a position.
