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…]