Two or Three
(Scriptures quoted from ESV)
“Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.” ~ Matthew 18:19-20______
The two verses quoted here are at the end of Jesus’ prescription for how to handle a situation when one believer has wronged another. Aside from the issue of church discipline, verse 20 has assured Christians for almost 2000 years that Jesus is there when as few as two or three meet to pray. But I became curious as to why He made mention of the small number, and He did it twice. Why “two or three”?
In this passage, Jesus was giving instructions for the church. In the early church, local congregations were patterned after the synagogues in their organization and their activities. After all, Jesus and the first Christians were Jews who grew up attending their local synagogue. And synagogues had a vital role in the spread of Jesus’ church in the First Century.
What was the synagogue?
Synagogue is the Greek translation of the Aramaic word for an assembly. It means gathering together. Most Jews did not live within walking distance of the Temple, where sacrifices were offered and the great festivals were observed. They were forbidden to work on the Sabbath, so they went to the local synagogue to study the Scriptures (our Old Testament), discuss what was read, and pray. Often, a rabbi would expound on the Scriptures, applying them to daily life. They also sang the Psalms.In the Second Century, Justin Martyr described what Christians did in their meetings. What he wrote was a close match to synagogue meetings: reading Scriptures and letters from the Apostles, praying, singing songs, hearing an exhortation.
What other roles did the Synagogue play?
The synagogue was the center of a Jewish community, whether in Judea or Galilee, or in other lands. It was what kept the community together and preserved their religion and their values. Mothers first taught their children the letters (how to read Hebrew and Aramaic). Then they (at least the boys) learned the Scriptures in the synagogue school, taught by a rabbi. By the time a boy turned 12, he had memorized large parts of the Old Testament, especially the Torah (Books of Moses), including all of Deuteronomy.As a Jewish boy, Jesus was raised in the synagogue in Nazareth. There He learned the Scriptures. Luke tells us, “And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man” (Luke 2:52). He learned so well that the scribes and teachers in the Temple who examined Him (for His bar mitzvah?) were surprised by his knowledge (Luke 2:47).
Jesus conducted part of His ministry in the synagogues of Galilee: “And he went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people” (Matt. 4:23). This included in his hometown: “And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. And as was his custom, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and he stood up to read” (Luke 4:16).
Synagogues also served as the post offices and news centers for Jewish communities (government postal services were only for government business). Jews who were traveling took letters from persons in one town to those in synagogues along their route. They also brought news with them.
As the center of the Jewish community, the synagogue was where community discipline was exercised. More than a place, the synagogue was its members. They enforced the Old Testament Law. Here is where disputes were settled, contracts confirmed. The synagogue was also the center for welfare, helping their needy. Tithes and offerings were collected for the temple in Jerusalem.
How did the Synagogue help the church to spread?
First, in Judea and Galilee, Jesus’ followers (called The Way) told about Jesus death and resurrection in the synagogues, at least until they were driven out (they also met in the outer court of the Temple). When they were scattered after the stoning of Stephen (Acts 7), they first witnessed in the synagogues wherever they went.On his missionary journeys, Paul went to the synagogue in each city on the first Sabbath he was in town. It was there he proclaimed Jesus as the Messiah. The first believers were Jews and “God-fearing” Gentiles from the synagogues. When they had to meet apart from the synagogue, they still followed the pattern for meetings. The one exception to starting at the synagogue was Philippi, where there was no synagogue.
Why “two or three”?
A synagogue could be established only if there were at least ten heads of households living within a Sabbath Day’s journey, less than a mile from the city limits. When Jesus said He would be there (in spirit) if there were as few as two or three, it meant that ten were not needed to function as a church. Effectiveness in prayer and fellowship did not depend on numbers, but on their relationship to Him (“in My name”).He also predicted that His followers would be persecuted. At times they would not be able to have more than two or three in one place. If and when we face persecution in this land, we will not always have the privilege of gathering by thousands, or hundreds, or even tens. We may at some time count it a blessing to meet with just one or two other believers. There, in the midst of persecution, will be Jesus. There will be His church.
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His House of Prayer
Where the Lord’s people are,There is His Temple found;
And to be among God’s people
Is to stand on holy ground;
Where two or three or more of them
Meet in His name, then there
Is where the Lord is found,
Within His House of Prayer.
Wesley G. Vaughn
© 2008
