Where 2/3 are gathered together......

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“Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.” – Matthew 18:19-20.

We all have heard this verse being quoted mostly in intercessory prayer groups or small fellowships. Is it wrong to quote this verse in prayer meetings? Yes and No. The doctrine of immanence or the nearness of God is one of the comforting truths to Christians as we could rejoice and enjoy the presence of God in an intimate way. But these verses have a different meaning from how it is usually being quoted from the Scripture. So it would be better to understand the context and meaning of these verses before we recite them next time.

First of all let us try to understand the background of this verse. For that, I will quote the verses that come before 19 & 20. Matthew 18:15-17 says:

“If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over. But if they will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses. ’If they still refuse to listen, tell it to the church; and if they refuse to listen even to the church, treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector.”

The portion is about how to deal with sin in the context of a church setting and not about gathering for a worship service. Here Jesus gives clear instructions on how to handle issues with other church members. Let me state the order in which Christ mentions the process of reconciliation:

1. Have a conversation with the brother/sister confidentially behind closed doors. If the issue is resolved, well and good and the conflict resolution happens there itself. This is the easiest way to restoration.

2. If they are adamant and decline to accept their mistake, the next step is to have two or three people (church members) whom you can trust well. In their presence, talk to the respected brother/sister (Deuteronomy 19:15). Christ was quoting Torah so that the matter would be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.

3. If they are still not ready to confess, then the whole assembly/church needs to know about the conflict. When I say that the assembly needs to be made aware of, I am not encouraging you to embarrass them in front of others through your words but rather a nicer way is to let the assembly know through the Elders/Board/Council about the issue and give the respected brother/sister one more chance so he may be able to repent in a public setting.

4. The final action is to ex-communicate them from church. This is done so that the respected person would not become an adverse influence to others. The hope is that through this action, they will understand the seriousness of the error and repent.

After Christ talks about the restoration process, he then mentions about a privilege given to Apostles in v18. The verse says, “Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." Again this verse should be read along with Matthew 16:19 where Christ tells Peter, “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” In Matthew 16:19, Jesus was talking directly to Peter about the authority given to him from a Kingdom perspective to open the doors of the Kingdom to all who believe in Christ and shut it down for those who reject Christ. We see the application in Acts 2 where Peter opens the doors to Kingdom by preaching the gospel and people accepted Christ.

The expressions “bind” and “loose” were phrases common to Jewish culture which meant to proclaim something was banned or to declare that it was permitted respectively. In the context of Matthew 18, those two words are used in reference to church discipline where the Apostles were given authority to discipline and if necessary excommunicate members of an assembly (ekklēsia). The authority given to the Apostles meant to be simply carrying out the will of God and not exercise any act out of grudge or selfishness. When we apply this now, remember Church leaders should be in an attitude of prayer, full of Spirit and wise while making disciplinary actions or decisions.

Now let us come back to verses, 19 & 20. In the context of church discipline, Jesus then mentions that if two or three (witnesses mentioned in the process of reconciliation) bind or loosen a person (excommunicate or permit) from the Assembly, God the Father in heaven would be in complete agreement with them. Christ then seals the deal by assuring his presence with those witnesses along with the Father. We can see that both the Father and Son have officially authorized and sanctioned to carry out church discipline here. Right now we live in a post-modern world where there are no absolute truths but rather subjective ones. Sin to me would not be necessarily sin to another person based on a post-modern standards. But remember the standard of sin is clearly mentioned in Scripture and there is no change to that even as centuries have passed away. Christ assures the presence and approval of God while calling out sin in church and while making decisions regarding Church discipline.

So now we have learnt that in Matthew 18:19-20, two or three who gather in the name of Jesus are not coming together in a prayer meeting or a worship service but in a matter of church discipline. When these verses are taken out of context like majority generally do in worship services, it infers that when two pray the same prayer, what they pray for will be answered. But we need to remember the fact that it doesn’t matter to God whether we are alone or if we are with multiple people from the perspective of answering prayers. God hears our prayers whether we are alone or if we are in groups and the Spirits presence is always with us. We are Gods temple and Gods Spirit dwells in us (1 Cor 3:16). The Spirit helps us in our weakness and intercedes for us through wordless groans (Rom 8:26). Being in groups doesn’t enhance the prospects of prayer being answered fast. If we gather together in the name of the Lord and are united in prayer of faith according to the will of God, he will answer our prayers. So let me reinstate the fact that quoting this verse during prayer is not a crime but the original context of v19 -20 does not refer to a blanket promise that will be fulfilled when two or three of us are in agreement and submit our requests but rather it authorizes and promises the presence of God while a disciplinary action is being taken in a church setting by two or three in accordance with the will of God.