i. Jesus bids His di.sciples rebuke a brother who sins (17'). The following verse shows that the sin to be rebuked is a personal wrong. This resent- ment of wrong seems opposed to His blessing on the meek (Mt 5^) and His exhortation to turn the other cheek to the smiter (w.^*-*^). The context, however, shows that this rebuke is regarded only as the first step to forgiveness and reconciliation (Lk 17''). Repentance is necessary before forgive- ness and reconciliation can be perfected ; and the rebuke is to be the act of brotherly love, showing the wrongdoer his fault to win him to that repent- ance. Richard Glaister.
474
RECEIPT OF CUSTOM
RECONCILIATION
RECEIPT OF CUSTOM (AV ; 'place of toll,' RV ; 'tolbothe,' Wyclif) occurs in the parallel accounts of the call of the publican Matthew or Levi to discipleship (Mt 9^, Mk 2", Lk 5'-*") , which took place as Jesus passed forth from His own city, i.e. Capernaum. The custom or toll referred to consisted of export dues on merchandise, and at Capernaum would pass hito the treasury of Herod Antipas, the ruler of Galilee in the time of our Lord. Capernaum was close to the junction of the great north road to Damascus with the road that led eastwards round the northern end of the Lake of .Galilee, and the important revenue station situ- ated at this point is wliat we are to understand by the 'place of toll' in the Gospel story. See also Publican. James Patrick.
**RECONCILIATION.— The gospel, in the Pauline acceptation, is peculiarly a message of reconcilia- tion {KaToXKayri). The ministry of the gospel is a 'ministry of reconciliation.' Its preaching is a ' word of reconciliation.' Its design is that those who receive the message should ' be reconciled to God' (2 Co 518-21). The word 'reconcile' is not found in this connexion in either the Gospels or the other writings of the NT. It is a distinctively Pauline term. The fact is one worth remember- ing by those who insist so much on the absence of certain other aspects of St. Paul's doctrine from the Gospels, yet see in 'reconciliation,' at least as relates to man, the truest expression for the end of Christ's mission. If, however, the word is absent from the Gospels, assuredly the reality is there. It is implied, on its Godward side, in Christ's doctrine of forgiveness of sins as a primary bless- ing of His Kingdom (Mt 6i-'-"- 15)_ n jg the pre- supposition of Christ's whole ministry as directed to the salvation of the lost (Mt IS'"-", Lk Ifii") ; is exhibited in His own gracious and merciful atti- tude to the sinful and burdened (Mt ll-'s-so^ Lk 417-21) . in jjjg niercy, especially to those whom society regarded as outcasts (Lk l^^'^'' ' friend of publicans and sinners' ; Mt ll^s, Lk 15'-2) ; is in- volved in His whole revelation of the Father. On the man ward side, as nece.ssity, duty, and privilege, it is not less clearly implied in the invitation to come to Him (Mt ll^^) ; in the demand for ' repent- ance ' — a changed mind and life (Mt 4^'', Mk lis etc.) ; in the call to sonship in His Kingdom (Mt 59-^8, Lk 635-36 etc.), and to complete surrender of self, and trust in the Father (Mt G^^ff ) ; in the requirement of a habitual doing of the will of the Father (Mt o^s 72ife. etc.). The parable of the Prodigal Son is a typical parable of reconciliation (Lk Ljiiff). If, in St. Paul's gospel, reconciliation is made dependent on Christ's Person and redeem- ing death, it is certain that in the Gospels also Jesus views the whole Messianic salvation as de- pending on Himself, and on repeated occasions connects it with His death (Jn Si^- 1^ Mt 20'^^ 26^8, Lk 24«-47 ; see Redemption). This circle of con- ceptions involved in ' reconciliation ' is now to be more closely investigated.
In the OT the word ' reconcile ' occurs several times in the A V in Leviticus and Ezekiel as the tr. of the verb ">.??, usually rendered ' to make atonement ' (Lv 630 815 1620^ Ez]^ 4515. 17. 20 [^v tr., as elsewhere, ' to make atonement,' ' atoning ']). The idea here conveyed is that of forgiveness and restoration to Divine fellowship on the ground of a propitiation. Similarly, in the NT, AV reads in He 2i" 'to make reconciliation for the sins of the people,' where the word is IXdaKeaOai, and RV renders, ' to make propitiation.' In Da O^*, while the same Heb. word C") occurs (with direct object), RV retains the rendering ' to make reconciliation,' and puts in the margin, 'purge away.' In 2 Ch 29-24, again, where AV has ' made reconciliation,' RV
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renders more accurately 'made a sin-offering.' These OT examples have only an indirect bearing on the NT word, the idea of which is not propitia- tion but change from variance into a state of friendship. Propitiation, in the OT, no doubt, effected a reconciliation, and, in the NT, recon- ciliation is made by atonement ; but the ideas ex- pressed by the words are nevertheless distinct. The NT term for ' reconciliation,' as already indi- cated, is KaraWayri (Ro S" [not 'atonement,' as AV] 1115, 2 Co 51819). With this are connected the verbs KaraWaffau (Ro 51", 1 Co 5^3 ; of. of a wife, 1 Co 711), and dwoKaTaWdaffix} (Eph 2^^, Col 120 21 j _ A related form, SiaWdaaw, is used in Mt 5^* (pass. ) of reconciliation with a brother. But besides these terms, there is in St. Paul, as in other NT writers, a considerable range of words and phrases which express the same idea, e.g. 'made peace' (Col 12'; cf. 'preached peace,' Ac lO^e, Eph 21^; 'have peace,' Ro 5i) ; 'made nigh' (Eph 2^3); 'turned unto God' (1 Th P-W), etc. The general meaning of the Pauline expressions is well brought out in such a passage as Ro d^> ' If, when we were enemies (ex^poi), we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son,' etc.; or in such a declara- tion (addressed to Gentiles) as that in Col 121 'You, being in time past alienated, and enemies in your mind in your evil works, yet now hath he reconciled in the body of his flesh through death.'