In 1990, I met the late Ron Clarke in Gander. The writings of Canon Frank Cluett, the Rev. Everett Hobbs and Ron Clarke had inspired me to follow their footsteps. On May 19, 2024, I celebrated my golden ordination anniversary to the priesthood. Now is the time to say good-bye to all Anglican Life readers. I thank God for the opportunity of writing 221 articles since September 1990. All interested persons are welcome to contact me ([email protected]), if they would like to receive my “Personal Reflections” by email.
Confession is good for the soul. I do not have answers to many questions including the following: What is the origin of life? What is the relationship between divine sovereignty and quantum indeterminism? Why does God allow evil? Why are there so many different Christian interpretations? Why is loving others often so difficult? Do we have any dating advice for hermaphrodites? What is the cosmos expanding into?, etc.
In this article, I would like to answer just one question: “What does Matthew 18:20 mean?”
The Bible is a gift to us from God. Understanding the cultural, historical, and grammatical issues that go into biblical interpretation can be challenging at times. “Ignoring the Context” is perhaps the most common mistake when it comes to misused or misinterpreted Bible passages.
Matthew 18: 15-20 perscribes confrontational process for dealing with conflict within the church. Most of us do not want to deal with any church conflicts. Matthew 18:19-20 seem to say that God will do anything that two or more believers agree should be done. But that is not true. In Matthew 18:20, Jesus said: “For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them.” Matthew 18:20 seems to tell us that Jesus will be wherever two or three believers gather in his name.
I wish we could understand Matthew 18:20 at face value—that Jesus will be there when two or more believers get together. Many people have used this Bible verse out of context. For a long time, I myself have taken Matthew 18:20 out of context by saying that, “Jesus will be spiritually present wherever two or three believers gather in his name.” We often hear Matthew 18:20 used in churches in this way: “God, we thank you that when two or more are gathered in your name you are with us. Our congregation is small, but we can thank you for your presence”.
It sounds very nice. But consider this: If God is only with us when two or more believers are gathered, what about when I pray alone? We know that whenever the church worships God, Jesus is there. We also know that anytime a believer prays privately Jesus is there too. So that brings the question: is this Bible verse even about prayer?
In order to understand exactly what Jesus means in Matthew 18:20 we have to look at the context. The surrounding verses are about sin and discipline in the church (Matthew 18:15-17). Matthew 18:18 gives assurance that, when the process of church discipline is followed, God is working in it. And then, Matthew 18:19-20 gives a final assurance.
The context of “where two or three come together in my name” has to do with church discipline and the confrontation of the sinning Christian brother. According to Matthew 18:16, we need “two or three witnesses” to make an accusation. It seems that the mention of “two or three” in Matthew 18:20 echoes that principle; the “two or three” are confronting sin in the church. In other words, the two or three who gather in Jesus’ name are not coming together in a prayer meeting or a worship service but in a matter of church discipline. Jesus is with us in the whole process of church discipline.
In conclusion, we must not use Matthew 18:20 to comfort ourselves when our church attendance is low. Also, we must not forget that Jesus is present with us always.
