“Where Two or Three are Gathered” …in Context
I recently received a question about Jesus’ words in Matthew 18:20, “For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them” which I discussed in my book Sitting at the Feet of Rabbi Jesus, page 72.
Many scholars read this line as meaning that Jesus promises to be present when his followers gather to pray in his name (meaning, by his authority, because they are his servants). In Sitting at the Feet, I assumed this interpretation and discussed the importance of gathering in community.
More than one reader has pointed out articles like this one that note that this verse is just a few lines after Jesus’ teaching about going to someone who has sinned against you (Matt. 18:15-20). In verse 16, the “two or three who are gathered” are witnesses who you have brought before the sinner so that he can repent. So they feel that we should read this line as only about making a decision in a determination of guilt, not about the need for community in study and prayer. This sounds logical because of the law in Deuteronomy 19:15 that at least two witnesses must be brought to make a legal decision. This law is cited many times in the New Testament, which I’ve written about elsewhere.1
Striking Rabbinic Parallels
Despite how logical the legal conclusion seems, I still disagree. This is because there are striking parallels to Jesus’ saying in Matthew 18:20 within wider Jewish thought. [Read More…]
A Couple of Conversations I had with Lecrae, Christian Rapper
A few months ago I saw a surprising comment on Facebook: “Did I just hear Lois Tverberg’s name on Lecrae’s newest album, Reconstruction?”
Being the out-of-touch nerd that I am, I didn’t realize that Lecrae is a famous Christian rap artist who has had several best-selling albums and won multiple Grammy awards, and he’s even had some hits in the Top 40!
On his new album he tells about how he went through a crisis of faith, but now he was going through a reconstruction of his Christian faith. He shares some of the details in a song called “My Story”: [Read More…]