Again I say to you, that if two of you agree on earth about anything that they may ask, it shall be done for them by My Father who is in heaven. For where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst. (Matt 18:19-20)Verse 19 is not a method of coercing God to do what want. It is an instruction on how to deal with the difficulty of carrying out Matthew 18:15-17. It's hard to regard people you care about as Gentiles and tax gatherers -- as outsiders. But don't worry. God has already done it, so your task is merely to carry it out (Matt 18:18). He begins verse 19 with "again" meaning "I'm on the same topic," so in verse 19 the "ask anything" in view is "in regards to this discipline process." That's the context. Who asks anything? "Two of you." Any two? Not in context. Jesus already referenced two in verse 16, so I'd guess it is those who brought the case to the church. Those folks are praying for God's will regarding this sinning brother. God will answer that prayer.
The next verse -- Matthew 18:20 -- is another seriously misunderstood text from the lips of our Savior. I have been in multiple prayer meetings where they prayed, "Jesus, we gather here knowing you are here with us because You said, 'Where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst.'" It always left me wondering, "So, what if I'm praying with four other people? Or is He not there when I pray alone?" You know, like He commanded (Matt 6:6). So we have refused to examine this text for what it really means because we think that God requires a quorum to show up? The verse is at the end of a section of Scripture where Jesus is explaining how to handle sinning believers. Matthew 18:15-17 gives Jesus's four-step process of attempting to restore a sinning brother. The final step is a bit egregious, so in Matthew 18:18, Jesus explains that when we do that, we are doing what God has already done. Verse 19 tells us to do it with prayer. Verse 20 is a reminder that serves a dual purpose at the end of this difficult procedure. First, remember; Jesus is there. You didn't go through this alone. You did what He told you and He's there. Second, remember, Jesus is there. This was a serious and difficult thing to do, so don't make light of it. Remember it's about Him and not you. It is not lightweight or frivolous. It's important, and it's not about you.
Christ commands church discipline. He requires that we seek to bear one another's burdens even when that burden is their sin. We don't ignore it; we confront it in love and gentleness. As quietly as possible. If one is enough, great! If not, two or three. If that doesn't get there, make it a part of the whole group, always with prayer and self-reflection seeking restoration, not punitive action. If the group doesn't bring about repentance, the actions of the brother in question and their refusal to repent suggests they may not be a brother. Treat them as an unbeliever. Remember, it's God's call. Remember, God will do His will. Remember, Jesus is there. God approves of repentance and restoration as well as those who, with prayer and caution and love, seek to bring it about in those around them. Not quite the original thought of Jesus showing up when two are there, is it?
4 comments:
Matthew 18:20 Me too Stan! lol "So, what if I'm praying with four other people? Or is He not there when I pray alone?"
Matthew 18:19 has been misused and misunderstood, glad to read this helpful post.
From E.M.Bounds The Essentials of Prayer (Great read, highly recommend) Chapter title Concerted Prayer
This represents the Church in prayer to enforce discipline in order that its members who have been overtaken by faults, may yield readily to the disciplinary process. In addition, it is the Church called together in a concert of prayer in order to repair the waste and friction ensuing upon the cutting off of a Church offender. This last direction as to a concert of prayer is that the whole matter may be referred to Almighty God for His approval and ratification.
I've gone back and forth over the value of denominations aver the past 15 years, but as I've followed the recent spate of problems with high profile, non denominational, mega churches, I'm beginning to think that having some denominational structure in place for church discipline is a good thing. As I watched the PCUSA dwindle to irrelevance, I thought about how much of that could have been avoided had they simply followed scripture and the BOO and engaged in discipline where appropriate.
True. (In case it was unclear as to whom I addressed that "true," the answer is "Both.")
Thanks for this. I've never really thought about the expression we've heard so much. Indeed, I sang Noel Stookey's ("Paul" of Peter, Paul and Mary fame) "The Wedding Song" at the wedding of the bass player of our band (and now a pastor himself out in Colorado), wherein a verse says:
The union of your spirits here has caused Him to remain.
For whenever two or more of you are gathered in His Name, there is love.
That's what always comes to mind when I hear that bit of Scripture, but again, I never gave it much thought. I appreciate your presenting the context. It seems I not connected it to what comes before it, as the passage always seems to have been cut off right before it gets to that specific verse. Thanks again.
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