Matthew 18:17-20

C. ENLIST THE STRENGTH OF THE CONGREGATION (18:17-20)

Matthew 18:17 And if he refuse to hear them, he has already failed a test that determines just how sincerely determined he is to remain with Christ and His people. He has not shown that humility and concern for his brethren that is absolutely essential to remain in the Kingdom. (Matthew 18:3-5) Regardless of how valid he considered his self-justifications, the appeals of his brethren should have outweighed them all, and now he needs to repent more than ever! Jesus assumes now that the offended brother (Matthew 18:15) and the witnesses (Matthew 18:16) are dealing with what any objective Christian observer would unquestionably call sin. Even if, earlier, the quarrel between the two had been a question of over-sensitiveness and trifles, the fact that one of them refused to bend to the loving efforts at reconciliation of his fellow Christians is evidence of deadly sin. (James 3:17; He is not open to reason; Titus 1:7: he is self-willed, arrogant = 2 Peter 2:10) The root cause of the previous irritation has now been uncovered and what might have appeared on the surface to be a harmless fault has turned out to have roots deep in self-complacency and pride that cares more about itself than fellowship, reconciliation, the Church and Christ. From this standpoint, the procedure Jesus prescribes does deal with a problem of first importance, since the life of the individual sinner and the strength of the Church is at stake. If that brotherly love that holds one's Christian brethren dearer than one's own self is missing, there is an open wound that no amount of brotherly patience and forbearance can heal! Can this be left to fester untreated?

Tell it to the church. Here, for the second time in his book (cf. Matthew 16:18), Matthew uses the word church, which, because the Gospel containing this reference appeared after the establishment of Christ's new fellowship, must refer to that and no other. Plummer's objection (Matthew, 253) is plainly mistaken when he insists:

Evidently the Church here cannot mean the Christian Church which Christ intends to build (Matthew 16:18). It means the Jewish assembly, and probably the local assembly, the elders and a congregation of the synagogue in the place where the parties live. The directions here given are applicable to the Christian community, but, at the time, they must have been spoken of a community of Jews.

This forgets that the establishment of the Church of Christ was but a short half-year away. (See on Matthew 16:13; Matthew 16:18.) This fact, in the context of the hurried, busy ministry of the following six months, would have left little leisure for the settled kind of life in a Jewish community such an interpretation of these steps would require. Then, after the founding of the Church, there could be little or no application of this procedure to a community of Jews. If the Lord meant synagogue, why did He avoid using the word instead of church (ekklesip)? No, He speaks proleptically, by anticipation, i.e. representing the future fellowship as if it were even then a present reality. However, it would be mistaken to believe that Jesus-' words could have no immediate meaning for the Twelve or for other disciples, since they were thus given concrete practical direction for solving their quarrels even then as they grew in the immediate fellowship of Christian discipleship. Further, these words anticipatory to the establishment of Christ's Church presumed its imminent realization, hence offered valid grounds for beginning to think and act in the manner prescribed.

1.

Tell it to the church, then, means that the fellowship of believers must hear the accusation, the evidence for it and the progressive attempts to rectify it. To enlarge the circle of those who know about the problem, even to the peripheral limits of the believing community, is not done with the intention of making an exposé, but has the purpose of involving the full, persuasive power of the whole family of God. For the person who can be recovered, the fact that an increasing number of decent, godly friends are finding out about his sins, people whose good opinion he cherishes, now leaves him at the most critical moment of his entire spiritual life: can he fight the dearest, best friends he has, people who care enough about him to plead with him to abandon his self-justifications, and who obviously love him even though they all know all about his problem? This, admittedly, is powerful, public pressure, but absolutely essential, given the present state of the case. Shame is an appropriate motivation. (2 Thessalonians 3:14 f) But the fear of loss of fellowship can only be real and meaningful where he has felt the power and reality of good fellowship! If you have not been having fellowship with a brother, you cannot make him feel the loss of it through disfellowshipping!

2.

Tell it to the church implies that our personal problems are not to be dragged before the courts of the unbelievers. Legalistic, Christless argument cannot really solve the issues at stake, because pagans have nothing on their law books or in their procedures that can give the kind of sentence or settle the problems the way Jesus intends. (Study Paul's arguments in 1 Corinthians 6:1-8!) It is only when we examine our problems in the light of Christian love, earnest prayer and heart-gripping appeal in the name of Christ, that there is any real hope of Christian solutions.

3.

The Church must act as a united group. (1 Corinthians 5:4)

a.

The congregation must agree that the specific transgression in question is really wrong. There can be no division among the members if the leaders have taught God's standards. No congregational agreement can ever be expected over matters of opinion. Unanimity is only possible among Christians where God has spoken and they know what He says and respect Him for it. (1 Corinthians 5:11; 1 Corinthians 5:13; Romans 16:17-20; 2 Thessalonians 3:6-15; Titus 3:8-11; Cf. 1 Timothy 6:3-5; 1 Timothy 5:19 f)

b.

Should objections arise to this disciplinary action because of the existence of other undisciplined folk in the congregation, then unity must be achieved by dealing honestly and Scripturally with those problems as well. They must never be left as protective cover for any sinners. (1 Timothy 5:19-22)

c.

Hear the church means that the Church must speak, giving him directions for correcting himself and removing the scandal. This means that the Church will speak through its recognized leaders who act as spokesmen for the entire group, but the sinner must feel the entire weight of the congregation, for only the punishment by the majority is enough (2 Corinthians 2:6; cf. 1 Corinthians 5:4; When you are assembled.)

4.

The Church can continue to labor for his restoration even after excommunication.

a.

An excluded member is not to be considered an enemy but admonished as a brother, (2 Thessalonians 3:14 f) Total abandonment is out of the question for the Church that accepts the challenge to break his heart with a love that refuses to give up. At least, face the facts and hope for the best.

b.

There remains the corporate responsibility to reaffirm the Church's love which the believers have never withdrawn even though their fellowship is denied him as punishment. (Cf. 2 Corinthians 2:6-8; 2 Corinthians 2:11) We are never ordered to hate pagans and outcasts among which he has taken up active membership by his attitude.

5.

The final court of appeal for the Christian is the congregation, the Church, whose immediate, personal contact with the erring member is felt most keenly, not because of its authority to enforce boycotts, but because of the immediacy and power of its persuasive personal love. Lenski (Matthew, 703) argues:

Those who would place above (the congregation) a still higher authority: the pope, a bishop, some church board, a house of bishops, or a synod composed of clerics, or those combined with lay delegates, go beyond the word of Christ and the teachings of the apostles. False greatness and authority have often been arrogated to themselves by high officials in the church who have robbed the congregations of their divine authority; and congregations have been remiss in exercising the Lord's will; but that will stands as it is.

And if he refuse to hear the church also, let him be unto thee as the Gentile and the publican. If he willfully and perversely refuses to comply with what every one of his brethren considers right and reasonable, how can he be considered as belonging to this congregation? His obstinate attitude is divisive, separatist, dismembering, because he resists every try at dealing with the mini-schism separating him from one brother! Why should this virtual-' pagan contaminate the rest by his obstinate impenitence? (1 Corinthians 5:6; Galatians 5:8-9) How can he be embraced further, when his whole demeanor is that of a heathen (Gentile) and an excommunicate (the publican)? From this standpoint, any action taken by the Church is but the formal recognition of the stand that he has taken by his blatantly willful refusals. This separation of the sinner from the congregation is the last resort of hearts broken over their failure to restore him. After all, doctors do not make their rounds of house calls planning amputations! They, and so must we, desire to heal the whole body.

Let him be unto thee as the Gentile and the publican. This sad sentence is the Lord's verdict whereby the Church must exercise her authority to maintain herself divinely pure and demonstrate to everyone that she does not tolerate sin. (1 Timothy 5:20 ff) He must be thought of and treated as having the identical relation of fellowship to the Church that those renegades and pagans had to the Jewish community, i.e. none! If Gentiles were not considered the people of God, and if publicans are not the sort of people one hobnobbed with, let him be so to you.

If this decree sounds merciless, let the impenitent brother's mercilessness be seen for the injustice IT is. He tenaciously clutches his yellowed reasons for not giving in, justifying himself to the bitter end. Why should the Lord's Church show him an unjust pity, when the Lord Himself has here condemned him? Further, He will condemn him even more severely for his mercilessness. (Matthew 18:23-35) Lastly, when he flagrantly disobeys Jesus-' order to go and be reconciled with (his) brother who has something against him, how can he escape the punishment of paying the last penny? (Matthew 5:23-26) When people continue sinning by repeated ingratitude, constant deceit and flagrant dishonesty, they make the kind of fellowship and affection that Jesus has in mind not only impossible, but unjustifiable. Could Jesus maintain arm-in-arm fellowship with the scribes and Pharisees who blocked the Kingdom of God to others and refused to enter themselves? Could He be the affectionate companion to the wily Herod or the greedy Caiaphas? Even so, this severe sentence has as its goal the salvation of the person excommunicated. (1 Corinthians 5:5; 1 Timothy 1:20; 1 Peter 4:6) In fact, the moment he is outside the shadow and shelter of the Church fellowship, he becomes a person to bring to the Lord with whom alone he can find unbelievable grace and total forgiveness. The hope is slight (Hebrews 6:4-6), but it is there. Consider these classic words by Bruce (Training, 204f):

The words. also plainly show that Christ desired His church on earth, as nearly as possible, to resemble the church in heaven: to be holy in her membership, and not an indiscriminate congregation of righteous men and unrighteous men, of believers and infidels, of Christians and reprobates. Such rigour, pitiless in appearance, is really merciful to all parties. It is merciful to the faithful members of the church, because it removes from their midst a mortifying limb, whose presence imperils the life of the whole body. Scandalous open sin cannot be tolerated in any society without general demoralization ensuing; least of all in the church, which is a society whose very raison d-'être (justification for existence) is the culture of Christian virtue. But the apparently pitiless rigour is mercy even towards the unfaithful who are the subjects thereof. For to keep scandalous offenders inside the communion of the church is to do your best to damn their souls, and to exclude them ultimately from heaven. On the other hand, to deliver them to Satan may be, and it is to be hoped will be, but giving them a foretaste of hell that they may be saved from hell-fire for ever. It is this hope which comforts those on whom the disagreeable task of enforcing church censures falls in the discharge of their painful duty. They can cast forth evildoers from the communion of the saints with less hesitation, when they know that as publicans and sinners the excommunicated are nearer the kingdom of God than they were as church members, and when they consider that they are still permitted to seek the good of the ungodly, as Christ sought the good of all the outcasts of His day; that it is still in their power to pray for them, and to preach to them. though they may not put into their unholy hands the symbols of the Saviour's body and blood.

Since Christ's intention behind every part of this discourse is to anticipate and guarantee Himself a fellowship of believers that would be worthy of His name because of their holiness, love and unity, He rightly demands that we never tolerate any circumstance in which a break-down in personal relationships exists in the Christian community. This is why the aforementioned procedure is the only way to deal with our fellow disciples. Can there be any other right way to treat them, when the Prince of Peace Himself reveals this one as perfectly suited to encourage peace and unity in His body?

1. THE SPECIAL WEIGHT OF THE COMMON JUDGMENT OF COMMON BELIEVERS (18:18)

Matthew 18:18 What things soever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and what things soever ye shall loose on earth shall be lossed in heaven. (See fuller notes at Matthew 16:19.) This majestic declaration affirms simply that God Himself will recognize Church decisions rightly taken! Why this should be true for the lowly congregation becomes apparent when its action to expel the impenitent member is seen as an act of faith. Since God has indicated His will in His Word, faith is discerning what God plans to do about a particular situation on the basis of what He said, and then playing one's own part in conformity with it. This avoids presumption, because the Church on earth lets God tell her what He intends to do in a given situation. Thus, Jesus gives the Church the go-ahead to act with confidence, aware that God will be faithful to the commitment expressed in His Word. We may be sure that this is the proper meaning for the following reasons:

1.

Ye shall bind: mark that plural, for all the Apostles are in it. (Mark 9:35) Here Jesus repeats, but this time addressing it to all, what He had already affirmed to Peter. (Matthew 16:19) But, let it be said, He takes nothing away from that Apostle to give it here to all, since, as we noticed at that text, what was said to Peter was addressed to him as typical Christian. Consequently, what is here guaranteed for all the Apostles is but the normal, expected outworking of what had been affirmed of that model believer. There (in Matthew 16:19) He was working with the first model Church member; here (in Matthew 18:18) He deals with twelve of them.

2.

Ye, while indisputably referring to the Twelve present, listening to Jesus-' discourse, means all the body of His disciples. (Matthew 18:1 says that his disciples raised the problem which evoked this discourse. Moreover, Matthew's purpose seems to be to underline the typical discipleship of the Apostles by avoiding the word apostle except in Matthew 10:2. So this ye is addressed to disciples.) In fact, the Twelve and a few hundred hardy souls were all the Church He then possessed. Pentecost would begin to correct this, but until that time came He spoke to the only people He had. The point is that He is not conferring on the Apostles powers so exclusive that the whole Church can in no sense participate in them.

3.

Binding and loosing, as noted in the fuller notes at Matthew 16:19, refers to the Church's teaching responsibility to decide authoritatively on what is to be thought or done about a given case. This is true because THE APOSTLES BELONG TO THE CHURCH. Along with other helpers, Christ has given them to her for her complete outfitting. (Ephesians 4:7-16) Through them AS PART OF THE CHURCH He revealed God's will to the rest of the Church, (John 14:26; John 15:26 f; John 16:13-15) So, only whereinsofar as she is guided by the Word of God given through the Apostles, the Church is really authorized to do or say ANYTHING. No one has any authority to speak for God on earth but what Christ has granted through His Holy Spirit. But since these very Apostolic directives are perfectly in accord with God's will, their application by the Church is approved by Him and binding. It cannot be repeated too often or too vigorously: NO CHURCH CAN RIGHTLY CALL ITSELF APOSTOLIC THAT DOES NOT HUMBLY SUBMIT TO THE APOSTLES-' DOCTRINE AS THIS IS DOCUMENTED IN THEIR WRITINGS. BUT TO THE DEGREE THAT IT DOES, IT CAN! (See Notes on Matthew 10:19-20; Matthew 10:40.)

So there is a sense in which only Christ's authorized, inspired spokesmen bind and loose. But these established once for all the guidelines whereby every single congregation of Christ can, without recourse to any other authority, bind and loose by specific application of the inspired doctrine to particular cases, and, Jesus says, God will back it up. It is in this sense that Morgan (Matthew, 234) is right to say:

That is the Church's ethical authority in the world. The Church teaches the standard of morality, and what the Church says is binding, is binding; and what the Church says is not, is not. But that is only true when we link it with what followsthe Church gathering in the name of Christ.

Such authority, thus, is locally and congregationally expressed. (See on Matthew 18:19-20.)

From the foregoing it should be clear that it is not a question of the unanimous vote of the church determining God's actions, but a following of Christ's divine guidance in the midst of His Church that humbly seeks to discover what her Lord desires and then seeks God's help to do what He asks. (Matthew 18:19-20) The actions of the body of believers then conform to God's will only if they follow the pattern He has expressed authoritatively through His Apostles and prophets, and He is glad to recognize their decisions made on this basis. And why should He not? The Church is obeying Him!

Jesus obviously put this declaration here as a serious warning to that defiant sinner who refuses to bow to the Church's exhortations and as comfort to anyone who abandons his sinful conduct. Nobody may have any further doubt that when they are dealing with a local body of Christians, they face final authority. They cannot hope to go over their heads and be tried by some higher or other court. The grave weight of an impartial decision of the local Christians is not something a genuine disciple would nonchalantly ignore or arrogantly disobey. In fact, this promise endows the act of excommunication with special solemnity for the believing fellowship and with ominous rumblings of eternal judgment for the offender. There is eternal consequence in the censure righteously administered by those responsible for the ejection of the impenitent. But, bless God, there is here a solid guarantee of divine mercy to those who bow to exhortations of the smallest congregation of Christ's people.
The extension of such powers to all the Church is the more impressive in this context where Jesus is deliberately discussing greatness and rank in the Kingdom. This fact implies, therefore, that Peter the man had no ecclesiastical supremacy or exclusive right to govern the Church any more than they all.

2. THE SPECIAL POWER OF THE COMMON PRAYER OF COMMON BELIEVERS (18:19)

Matthew 18:19 If two of you shall agree on earth as touching anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father who is in heaven. Why two of you? Because two is the least possible number of people required to create a fellowship of any sort.

What will be the special application of this declaration to the problem of marriage where two people are to agree on earth? (See on Matthew 19:3-12.)

Christians are people in fellowship together, and seek to agree on God's will together. Autonomy, independence and individualism are the ultimate heresies. (Romans 14:17; 2 Corinthians 5:15; 1 Thessalonians 5:11; 1 Corinthians 12:21; 2 Corinthians 3:4-5) The two of you could be those two brethren who earlier (Matthew 18:15) were at odds with each other, but now, restored to fellowship and agreement, unite in prayer to God. They have the assurance of being heard about whatever else they request because they have honestly sought to obey God in what for them might have been the hardest question of their life, i.e. repentance and restitution, forgiveness and restored harmony with a brother. (Matthew 6:12; Matthew 6:14 f; cf. 1 Peter 3:7, that your prayers be not hindered.) And if the smallest possible congregation is sure of God's audience, certainly the united prayers of a larger congregation are certain to be heard. This is critical, because the more authority Christ gives to His community (Matthew 18:18), the more imperative it is that the brethren seek His guidance and depend upon His instructions and act responsibly as in the presence of Christ. (Matthew 18:20; 2 Corinthians 2:17; 2 Corinthians 12:19; 2 Timothy 4:1) This stands in counterpoint to the faithlessness and failure evident earlier due to prayerlessness. (Matthew 17:17; Matthew 17:19-21; Mark 9:29)

If two of you shall agree. Jesus is addressing disciples caught in the tawdry parade of self-importance that disparaged others-' importance and usefulness to God. In this connection, then, He is flailing their jealous disputing: So long as you agree to disagree, you will be powerless. God cannot take your prayers seriously, because to answer your prayers, He must frustrate others, while to give ear to someone else would leave you disappointed. For the prayers of one to succeed, God must necessarily work the downfall of another of His children. No, you must wipe out your own selfish individualism, come to agreement among yourselves before praying. An egotistic focusing on your own personal ambitions and necessities pretends that the world be arranged for you personally. Prayer, to be effective, must be with a sense of belonging to a fellowship, as members of a community and for the Church as a whole. So, if you agree in heart and mind, God's power will be yours! Remember how Jesus-' prayer for the unity of His disciples (John 17) contrasted with the Twelve's feud about precedence (Luke 22:24-27) and called for the lesson on humility (footwashing, John 13:1-17) The agreement intended cannot refer to perfect unanimity on matters of opinion, otherwise we would never pray successfully. Christians, rather, must consent on the goals they pray for and be united in altruistic dedication to reach them. (1 Corinthians 1:10) Two. on earth stands in contrast to Father. in heaven. The omnipotence of the Almighty stands ready to meet the many needs of His people. On earth jogs our memory to recall that we are dependent in this earthly condition and that we need each other for mutual help, as much as we need Him and His heavenly power.

Anything that they shall ask, it shall be done. In this apparently blank-check promise, it is understood that what these agree to pray for together will be what God desires according to His expressions of His will in His Word. (Cf. 1 John 5:14 f; Matthew 26:39; Matthew 26:42) In fact, unless these two permit themselves to be guided by God's Spirit, even close agreement on spiritual matters would be impossible anyway. Naturally, their request must harmonize with other conditions of acceptable prayer. (James 1:5-8; James 4:3; James 5:16-18) Since Christians-' agreement in prayer grows out of their meeting together in His name (Matthew 18:20), it is clear that they pray in His name, consequently depending upon His intercession on their behalf.

3. THE SPECIAL HONOR OF THE COMMON MEETING OF COMMON BELIEVERS (18:20)

Matthew 18:20 For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them. For introduces the explanation why harmonious praying is so effective: Jesus Himself will be present and personally interested! It also explains why what the believing fellowship binds or looses on earth shall also be recognized by God: Jesus Himself acts with His people as they obey His directives, seeking the blessing of His presence and help. Gathered together in my name means gathered and thinking of me, i.e. so that I am the reason for their assembling. (Arndt-Gingrich, 575)

Two or threethink of that! Greatness in the Kingdom is not measured by the strength of numbers. The Lord has always taken particular delight in using a mere handful of dedicated, usually insignificant people to accomplish an incredible amount of good. (Jeremiah 9:23 f; Psalms 8:2)

1.

Moses, that herdsman from the backside of the desert, with a shepherd's rod routed the might of Egypt and freed a nation of slaves. (Exodus 1-15)

2.

Israel, with the blowing of rams-' horns made fortified enemy cities collapse. (Joshua 6) Thus, one nation began the conquest of many nations mightier than they. (Deuteronomy 4:37 ff)

3.

Gideon, with but 300 men armed with torches and jars, defeated unbelievable hordes of enemies in one battle. (Judges 7:8)

4.

Samson with an ass's jawbone slew a thousand men. (Judges 15)

5.

The stripling David, with sling and stone, felled the proud Goliath. (1 Samuel 17, esp. 1 Samuel 17:46-47)

6.

The intrepid Jonathan and his armor-bearer pushed to the attack and started a rout that ended in victory for Israel. (Contrast 1 Samuel 14:6 with Matthew 13:7; Matthew 13:16; Matthew 13:22!)

7.

Elijah alone, by prayer, brought on an economic crisis, humbled the king, then challenged 850 prophet-priests that had led God's people into apostacy and won when fire fell from heaven. (1 Kings 17:18)

8.

Hezekiah, despite crippling psychological warfare and certain defeat threatening, defended Jerusalem with prayer! (Isaiah 36, 37)

9.

The 120 praying disciples (Acts 1:12-14) and the 3,000 (Acts 2) were but a handful facing Jewish bigotry and all the powers of paganism, but the events of all later centuries have justified their faith.

However, as in these classic cases in the history of Israel, so in the Church, the greatness is not in the minimal number per se, as if God has some partiality for meagerness. Rather, the minimum is His choice to show that the battle is the Lord'S, and that the transcendent power belongs to God and not to us. (2 Corinthians 4:7) Two or three united with the Lord are already a majority! It may have been to teach them this, that Jesus sent out His disciples two by two. (Luke 10:1; Mark 6:7) What victories they had too!

The two or three gathered together must be in agreement. (Matthew 18:19) The spiritual strength of two or three united in purpose is greater than twelve or many thousands sundered by infighting and jealousies. It is the unity around Christ that assures us of His presence and direction. The actual number of believers met together is of no consequence, since Jesus-' purpose here is to underline in the most emphatic way possible the significance of brotherly love, understanding and unity, for if the two or three, united around Jesus, be mighty, then of what would legions of Christians be capable? Jesus is not interested in small numbers due to lack of love and a breakdown in understanding, but in humble harmony and mutual love living in the highest number possible.

Grandeur in the Kingdom does not depend upon the mass assembly of all of God's people in one place for a show of power. The electrifying psychological effect that can be generated in mass rallies is not essential for Jesus-' disciples to experience the power of Christ at work among them. No more pilgrimages to Jerusalem to be able to savor the presence of God. Here is His grand concept of the new temple of God. As Morgan (Matthew, 233) portrays it.

How spacious and gracious and wonderful it is! First of all it breaks down all idea of localized meeting place with God. We have gained a temple everywhere by the loss of the temple in a locality. Mark the significance of it. It is not the temple that makes the place of worship, but the gathering in my name.

Gone are the yearly feasts when obligatory worship gathered halfhearted millions at an earthly worship-center. Without being opposed to mass assemblies, Jesus upgrades even the smallest of them. Unlike those who put forth their finest only on certain grand occasions, Jesus esteems even the minimum number of followers met in His honor to be a festal assembly, and He pours all the fulness and grandeur of Himself into it!

Nor is importance and usefulness to God based on being among the chosen few in the upper echelons or the elite at the top of the pile, because where just a handful of disciples, however humble and unknown, meet in Jesus-' name, the Lord Himself considers them important enough to concern Himself personally with THEM! The insignificance of the tiniest group is no objection to Him. Here is the little ones theme again. (Matthew 18:3-6; Matthew 18:10; Matthew 18:14) So far from despising or ignoring them, He honors every assembly, enriching it with His gracious power to bestow authority and effectiveness upon all they undertake for His sake. (Revelation 1:13; Ephesians 1:23) He is still serving the least and the weakest to make them mighty! In fact, concentrated in them is now something more than their collective human strength. There is all the concentrated might of God in Christ who dwells in their hearts by faith. (Ephesians 1:19; Ephesians 3:16-21; Ephesians 6:10 ff) But notice that the incisive influence and invincible authority of Christ invested in His Church is not entrusted to a hierarchy, nor to a tightly organized and neatly structured body. Rather, all the power of the living Christ is in every single cluster of believers wherever in the world they are met together to worship and serve Him.

Notice how positively Jesus ends this section on corrective discipline: the goal to be sought is every member united with each other and with Christ in the midst. But the unity with Christ is the supreme issue, not the formation of a mutual admiration society without Him. Any ecumenicity satisfied with a false emphasis on great numbers of partially converted people is here rebuked by the Lord who can be found in the smallest assembly of two or three genuinely dedicated to Him!
The disciples who originally heard this statement must have been puzzled over the physical contradiction this promise entails: How can Jesus be physically present in so many scattered groups, however small, united for prayer in His name? If logically followed through, such a presence would imply physical absence in all but one of the places on earth where He would be physically present with His disciples. Otherwise, His presence, if really taken seriously, must be spiritual. Their minds would be jarred to learn of His physical absence before they understood the meaning, purpose and wisdom of the ascension. However, during the Last Supper discourses, He would explain how He intended to be in the midst of them for that period in which He would be physically absent from the world. (Study John 14-17.) After the coming of the Holy Spirit, therefore, the Apostles must have drawn great comfort from these words which, in retrospect, sounded so much like the great Scriptural assurances of Javéh in the midst of His people to bless, console, direct and protect them. (See Genesis 28:15; Deuteronomy 31:6; Joshua 1:5; Judges 6:15 f; Judges 7:7; Psalms 20:7; Psalms 46:5; Isaiah 1:9; Isaiah 7:14; Isaiah 8:10; Isaiah 12:6; Jeremiah 14:9; Hosea 11:9; Zephaniah 3:5; Zephaniah 3:12; Zephaniah 3:15; Zephaniah 3:17; Zechariah 2:10) Despite the smallness or weakness of God's people, despite their being despised as insignificant by the world, God had promised to be really, however spiritually, present in their midst. (See also Matthew 18:10; Luke 12:32.) The disciples would therefore experience what it means to believe Jesus to be EmmanuelGod with us! (Matthew 1:23; Isaiah 7:14) Barnes (Matthew-Mark, 188) senses the global implications of this:

Nothing could more clearly prove that Jesus must be omnipresent, and, of course, be God. Every day, perhaps every hour, two or three, or many more, may be assembled in every city or village. in almost every part of the worldand in the midst of them all is Jesus the Saviour. Millions thus at the same time, in every quarter of the globe, worship in His name, and experience the truth of the promise that He is present with them. It is impossible that He should be in all these places and not be God.

See Matthew 18:22-35 for Fact Questions.