Where Two or Three are Gathered...---Sunday, October 12th, 2014

Our Scripture passage for this Sunday in which the sermon is based off of is Matthew 18: 15-20.

Most of us can finish the statement beginning "where two or three are gathered" with "I am there." Jesus is saying here that he is with us when we gather together. This statement has been generalized and has lost some of its original meaning. We say it to mean that Jesus is present with us when we gather in his name, and this is very true, but I'm afraid that isn't quite what Jesus was getting at in this particular case.

Jesus was concerned about disputes among the disciples, and this is easy to imagine. It has already been noted in the beginning of chapter 18 that they wondered who would be the greatest in the kingdom of God, and they had just been told that they must become like children. The disciples undoubtedly had disputes among themselves and probably got angry with each other as well, possibly quarreling over who was the greatest among them. This is what Jesus is responding to. He tells them how to solve a dispute, and reminds them that he is with them as they attempt to resolve conflict. In the culture of their day, which is informed by Hebrew Scriptures, disputes in the court of law were handled with care. "Where two or three" are gathered actually refers to Deuteronomy 19:15 where a testimony from a single witness is not enough to convict someone of a crime. Evidence from two or three other witnesses is needed.

So, God is with us as we gather together in worship, study, or in God's name in anyway (and God is with us always), but this passage says that we are helped in our disputes by a God who desires for us to deal with conflict with love, understanding, and grace. This is also helps to clear up that what we do alone can be done in God's name; God is with us when we are alone as well, but desires us to solve disputes with the help, witness, and evidence that others bring.

We can learn a lot here, folks. We are not perfect, but God has our backs, even when we are quarreling. It's not wrong to argue or disagree, there is just a proper way to deal with it!

See you Sunday!