I am there in their midst
Matthew 18:19-20 The Lord provides incentives to be in agreement in prayer and to be in His presence
“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.”
Matthew 18:19-20 NASB1995
We are so fortunate to have the synoptic Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, as they give us an insider’s view of what it was like to live and work with Jesus. Matthew 18 is filled with instruction for the disciples, often in the form of parables, but sometimes in plain language.
Jesus has just finished teaching the disciples a lesson about how to handle an unrepentant sinner in the church. In the two verses we’re studying today, our Lord provides incentives to be in agreement in prayer and to be in His presence — incentives that are not given to the unrepentant.
The ancient Greek word for agree is συμφωνέω (symphōneō), the word from which the English word “symphony” comes. It means “to agree together”, and here Jesus is telling the disciples that they should complement each other like musicians and sections of an orchestra.
19th Century Bible commentator Adam Clarke explained it this way:
“It is a metaphor taken from a number of musical instruments set to the same key, and playing the same tune: here, it means a perfect agreement of the hearts, desires, wishes, and voices, of two or more persons praying to God.”1
What does Jesus say will happen if two agree in prayer? “It shall be done for them by My Father who is in heaven.” As an example of the real power of the prayer of agreement, look at Leviticus 26:8, where God promises His people “five of you will chase a hundred, and a hundred of you will chase ten thousand, and your enemies will fall before you by the sword.”
Some readers may disagree. Perhaps you’ve prayed with friends for some specific blessing or healing, and it hasn’t happened. My go-to theologian, Charles H. Spurgeon, said this:
“Perhaps the exact petition which they offer may not apparently be answered. Remember that God often hears the prayer of our prayers, and answers that rather than our prayers themselves.”2
If Matthew 18:20 (“For where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst”) sounds very familiar, it’s because the words of Jesus were divine inspiration to singer/songwriter Paul Stookey (of Peter, Paul and Mary fame) when he wrote “The Wedding Song (There Is Love)”.
There is a certain freedom for believers contained in the words of Jesus. He’s not telling us we need to gather in the hundreds or thousands in an elaborate cathedral or modern megachurch. In the words of 20th Century Scottish theologian William Barclay:
“Jesus is just as much present in the little congregation as in the great mass meeting…He is not the slave of numbers.”3
What is important is that we are gathered in His name. Doing so means that we gather around Jesus; that we gather in a manner that He would approve of; that we are known by Him and by His name; and that we don’t gather in a way that would not reflect His character and nature.
The final words of this verse — “I am there in their midst” — speak to the omnipresence of the Lord. He is not (as I thought when I was a child) up at the altar with a priest or pastor, but absent to the congregation. No, He is with everyone who gathers in His name.
Jesus is not nearby to check up on us, to count up our sins for the day or give us demerits for singing a hymn out of tune. Instead, Jesus wants to be at our sides to shed light upon His love for us, to make our faith in Him stronger, to comfort us in our despair, and reassure us of our salvation through Him.
Heaven On Wheels Daily Prayer:
Heavenly Father, I thank You with all of my heart, soul, and mind that Jesus is always with me to show me His way in my prayers, conversations, and interactions with others. When I gather together with other believers to pray, praise, and worship You, it is comforting to know that Jesus is with us in our midst. May my life honor You in everything I do and say. In Jesus’ name I pray, AMEN.
Clarke, Adam "Clarke's Commentary: The Holy Bible Containing the Old and New Testaments with a Commentary and Critical Notes" Volume 5 (Matthew-Acts) (New York: Eaton and Mains, 1832)
Spurgeon, Charles Haddon "Commentary on Matthew: The Gospel of the Kingdom" (London: Passmore and Alabaster, Paternoster Buildings, 1893)
Barclay, William "The Gospel of Matthew, Volume 2" (The New Daily Study Bible, Matthew 11-28) (Philadelphia: The Westminster Press, 1975)