“Robbing” an Already Difficult Passage

Recently, I have been doing some thinking about Matthew 18:15-20. Now, before you start asking, no…I have not felt like someone has “sinned against me” (verse 15) and I’m planning on going forward with this process. I have been looking at it for other reasons.

However, as I have been thinking about this passage, one of the extremely obvious things that keeps coming to mind is how difficult this is. It is far easier to just return barbs, instead of going to the offending brother and trying to work things out. Then, for those with a personality like mine, it is easier to just hold things in, instead of taking “two or three others” (verse 16) to study, pray, and discuss. And, surely, it is easier to just let the situation go instead of taking it before the Church!

If this is so difficult, then why do we rob this passage–which is already difficult enough to follow–of the statement of comfort that is found in it?

Here is what I mean. Verse 20 is one of the most abused passages in the entire Bible. This well-known verse states, “For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them” (ESV). We know that passage, and many of us hold it dear.

However, we nearly always hear it used to talk about gathering in little groups to worship. Maybe the verse is used to “justify” a family having a worship service in their hotel room on vacation. Maybe some college students in a very anti-God location use it to help them as they come together to study. Sometimes, I’ve even heard preachers use it to encourage a smaller-than-expected crowd for some special service, or a meeting where the attendance is harmed by terrible weather.

Let me put this as clearly as I can: that is not the point of Matthew 18:20! While Christ is certainly with us when we meet to worship, the context of this verse is dealing with something far more difficult for most of us than meeting with fellow believers to worship.

For most of us, dealing with conflict–especially when we are the offended party–is far more difficult than coming together to worship. So why, then, do we take this verse and speak of what is easier, instead of using it to comfort and encourage us to do what is harder?

Could it be that we are avoiding doing what is harder?

Please don’t rob this passage of the comfort provided by our Lord. When you are faced with a “Matthew 18 situation,” you need all the encouragement and comfort you can get!