A familiar Bible saying, checked in context
Where two or three are gathered
Real verse, wider context
The phrase is in Matthew 18:20, where Jesus is speaking within a discussion of resolving a brother's offense.
By @The..Mustard..Seed · Updated
Read the relevant KJV passage
Matthew 18:20For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.
Compare the evidence
The passage begins with a process for addressing a brother who has trespassed, before mentioning gathered people.
Matthew 18:15Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother.
The preceding verse speaks of two agreeing in prayer, part of the immediate setting for verse 20.
Matthew 18:19Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven.
What the context adds
Matthew 18:20 is exact KJV wording and can encourage a small gathering. Its paragraph, however, begins with a process for confronting wrongdoing, listening, and involving others. Verse 19 speaks of agreement in prayer before verse 20 gives the assurance of Jesus’ presence. The popular use as a general attendance motto often leaves that setting invisible. Reading the full paragraph does not take the assurance away; it clarifies what kind of communal situation Matthew has been describing. The wider reading can deepen, rather than dismiss, the comfort people have found in the line.
A question to carry forward
What communal problem has Matthew described before the two or three gather?
Keep reading
Read Matthew 18:15–20 and follow the steps before the promise about gathering.
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