In Matthew 18 the Lord Jesus teaches important lessons about interpersonal relationships. In the opening sections of the chapter He uses the pictures of a child and a sheep to emphasise the vulnerability and the value of, and the consequent seriousness of offending, "little ones" who believe in Him. As the chapter progresses, the focus shifts from our responsibility not to offend others to our response when others sin against us, a response marked by care to preserve unity and restore fellowship, and a willingness to forgive "up to seventy times seven" (v.22). First the erring brother is to be approached individually. If that does not bear fruit, the offended brother, with one or two reliable witnesses, remonstrates further with the offender. If he remains obdurate, a final approach and an ultimate sanction remain: "And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican" (v.17).
Likely, the disciples would have been rather puzzled by this use of the word "church". They knew what it meant: that the word was a compound of two Greek words – ek, or "out of" and kaleo, meaning "called" or "summoned". They knew of its use to describe political assemblies. They would have known too that the term was used in the Greek translation of the Old Testament to describes the assemblies of the Jewish nation. And they would have remembered the Lord using the word on another occasion when He promised, "I will build my church" (16.18). The difficulty for the disciples was not to understand the word, but to comprehend what sort of an ekklesia – or assembly – the Lord had in mind.
Their questions were answered as the Lord outlined the characteristics of the Christian ekklesia: "For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them" (18.20).
Before looking at the detail of this verse, we should note the setting of the Saviour's words. In 17.22-23 and 20.17-19, the Lord Jesus foretells His sufferings and death. The material between these two passages is structured as chiasmus:
A. 18.8–9
B. 18.10–14
C. 18.15–17
18.18–20
C. 18.21–35
B. 19.1–9
A. 19.10–12.
Matthew 18.18-20 is central to this section. The description of the New Testament assembly is placed like a priceless jewel in a carefully crafted setting, emphasising the central importance of the assembly to the teaching of the passage. The context outlines the new relationships and responsibilities that have been brought into being by the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And central to this transformation is the assembly – where these relationships will be manifest.
The lesson is as clear as it is crucial. The assembly is neither an afterthought nor an extra. Rather, it is an essential part of God's purpose for His people in the dispensation of grace. Scripture does not envisage the prospect of maverick believers living in isolation from others. The "assembling of ourselves together" (Heb 10.25) is a vital part of God"s plan. And as we grasp this fact, we do well to ask whether the assembly is central in our lives, or merely something peripheral. If it does not form the focal point of our lives we do not value it as God does, nor do we understand the unique glory imparted by the presence of Christ. We should also notice the dispensational context of the church. In this passage, as in Matthew 16, the Lord provides a preview of, and a promise for, the dispensation of grace. The conditions He describes are unique to the present dispensation. In the dispensation of Law, the Tabernacle and then the Temple were "the place where [His] honour dwelleth" (Ps 26.8), the gathering centre for God"s people. In the Millennium, too, the "nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, and to the house of the God of Jacob" (Micah 4.2). Even during Christ"s earthly ministry the conditions outlined in this verse did not exist – the disciples often gathered in His presence, but not in His name. The promise of this verse belongs uniquely to the day of grace.
The unprecedented status that this promise gives to the assembly makes the opening words of Matthew 18.20 most remarkable. As the Lord outlines the composition of the assembly, He makes it clear that fewness of numbers does not equate to the loss of His presence. Even the smallest gathering possible is not too insignificant for His presence. Declining numbers and decreasing strength give us no room for complacency, but they do not prevent us from enjoying the precious promise of the Saviour's presence.
Then the Saviour outlines the consistency of the assembly. It is interesting to look at the different ways in which Bible translators have rendered the phrase "are gathered". Some use the past tense, others the present. This variety is accounted for by the tense of the verb. It is the perfect participle, and is difficult to render literally in English. "Having been and being gathered" is close to the sense. The gathering of the assembly was not something temporary, ad hoc, or occasional. It was a consistent, constant gathering. In this respect, the assembly that the Lord Jesus speaks of here differs markedly from the civil gatherings that the disciples would have been familiar with. The civil ekklesia commenced as people were summoned together, and ceased to exist as they made their way to their homes. By contrast, the New Testament assembly described here has an on-going existence. So, Paul could write to the "church of God, which is at Corinth" (1 Cor 1.2), about the occasions when they came "together…into one place" (1 Cor 11.20) – the assembly existed even when the saints were not gathered together. This verb also makes it clear that this verse is not dealing exclusively with a meeting for assembly discipline, as outlined in v.17. That was clearly an isolated – and exceptional – event, not the enduring gathering that this verse describes.
Then the Lord outlines the charter of the assembly – "in my name". Central to the meaning of "in my name" is the idea of authority. In the Old Testament, prophets spoke in the name of the Lord, claiming His authority for the message they proclaimed (Deut 18.19-20; Jer 14.14-15; 23.25; 27.15). In the opening days of the dispensation of grace demons would be cast out in the authority of His name (Mk 16.17). Believers pray in His name (Jn 14.13-14;16.23-26). And the assembly gathered in His name draws its authority from Him. Every ekklesia had to have an authority for gathering – the unfortunate town clerk in Ephesus objected to the ekklesia that gathered to oppose the apostles because it was not "a lawful assembly" (Acts 19.32,39,41). By "a lawful assembly" he meant a gathering vested with the authority of Rome, but the Saviour outlines for His disciples an infinitely greater authority. "His name" was the mandate, as well as the magnet. It drew them out, and it provided the authority for their gathering.
A charter outlines authority and imparts privilege, it also details responsibility. To gather in Christ's name means to gather in keeping with His character and in obedience to Divine revelation. We can appreciate the truth of this when we think of prayer. We ask in His name – with His authority. But it would be a strangely insensitive believer who would ask in His name for something that was contrary to His will. So it is with our gathering. We cannot claim to gather in His name, if we are not in submission to His will. The very clause that bestows tremendous privilege imposes a solemn responsibility, a responsibility that should cause us all exercise of heart to ensure that our claim to gather in His name is not an empty assertion but an evident reality.
Finally, the Saviour makes a commitment – "there am I in the midst of them". Notice His use of the present tense and the personal pronoun. Whenever His people gathered in His name, His presence would be an immediate and intimate reality. It is Matthew alone of the Gospel writers who uses the lovely title Emmanuel, "God with us" (1.23). His Gospel closes with the Saviour's promise, "lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world". And here, in this great foundational verse of assembly gathering, He promises His presence in the midst of His gathered people.
It would be difficult to imagine a company with a greater status than that described in this passage. The assembly is the company on earth in which divine administration is manifest, and divine presence known. May God grant us the insight and appreciation that Jacob received in the chill of a desert night: "How dreadful is this place! this is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven" (Gen 28.17).
To be continued.
