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...the Bible tells me so:
“Where Two or Three Have Gathered”
For a small group of Christians, the words of Jesus in Matthew 18:20 offer great comfort. There Jesus said, “For where two or three have gathered together in My name, there I am in their midst” (NASV).
While I know how valuable this popular interpretation is, what do we learn about Jesus’ words when we consider the context in which they were spoken?
Please consider three brief examples. First, the commands, “Do not handle, do not taste, do not touch!” (Colossians 2:23) used to be applied by the American Temperance Movement to forbid drinking alcohol. While their purpose was noble, that passage had nothing to do with alcohol per se, but with those who wrongly imposed self-serving worship values onto other Christians. It was the false teachers who said, “Do not handle, do not taste, do not touch!”
The words of the Lord’s brother, James, “But everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger” (James 1:19), offer very practical advice for young and old alike. However, James was stressing the importance of the word of God. God “brought us forth by the word of truth” (verse 18). The implanted word saves souls (verse 21). Therefore, be doers of the word (verses 22-25).
Thus, James’ command is “Everyone must be quick to hear [the word of God], slow to speak [against it], and slow to [have] anger [against it].” That command becomes difficult to obey, especially when one disagrees with what the Bible says.
The words of Isaiah 14:12-14 are most intriguing: “How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.” (KJV)
Our identification of Lucifer as Satan come (1) from our imagination, that is, those words in Isaiah sound like the devil speaking, and (2) from John Milton’s poem “Paradise Lost.”
Isaiah
tells us whose arrogant words are quoted in verses 12 to 14. They do not belong
Satan but to the king of
Now back to Matthew 18:20. The immediate context begins in verse 15. There Jesus gives instructions on how to deal with a Christian who sins. Specifically your goal is to bring them back into fellowship with Christ and their fellow Christians.
First, you rebuke the erring Christian in private. It is not your place to talk about a Christian who sins, either with the preacher, or with another congregational leader, or with anyone else. Such talking becomes nothing more than gossip. Hopefully they will listen to you. Then, “you have won your brother” (Matthew 18:15; see Luke 17:3; Galatians 6:1-2; James 5:19-20).
Second, if the private rebuke fails, then take one or two witnesses to the sinful behavior for the purpose of adding their voices to the rebuke (Matthew 18:16).
Third, if the semi-private rebuke fails, then take the matter to the congregation. They are then responsible to reach out to the erring child of God to bring them back (verse 17).
Fourth, if after they have refused to listen to you, to other witnesses, and to the congregation, then and only then are they to be cast out of the congregation (verse 17; see 1 Corinthians 5:5, 7, 9, 11-13; 2 Thessalonians 3:6, 14-15).
The binding and loosing (Matthew 18:18) and the agreeing “about anything that they may ask” (verse 19) specifically refer to the attempts to bring an erring Christian back into fellowship and to the withdrawing of such fellowship, if those attempts fail.
Christians who agree about those disciplinary matters are said to be “gathered together in My name.” As a result, Jesus is “in their midst” (verse 20).
The words of Jesus are difficult to practice today, especially since people normally do not want to confront someone else and since our society is so lawsuit-happy.
I hope that I always rely upon the comfort given by Jesus. As I, and those like me, attempt to bring others back into Jesus’ presence, He supports our actions by being in our presence.
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