APR 14

Matthew 18:15-20
Memorise Matthew 4:4
“…man shall not live by bread alone…”

Matthew 18:20 is one of the most misquoted verses from the Bible. This verse, read in isolation, seems to say that Jesus is always in the midst of Christians whenever they gather or pray together. However, looking at verses 15-19, we realise that this verse is actually referring to church discipline. Here, two or three people gathering in Christ’s name means that church discipline and the affairs of the church cannot be undertaken by any person if it is not done under the authority of the local church under which the body of believers who belong to that particular church operates. Of course these all are subsumed under Jesus, the head of the Church. Christ will not approve or honour anything done outside of this authority.

Matthew 18:18 is also another verse which has been misquoted by many churches to justify their practice of “demon-binding” or “Satanbinding”. One may have seen or experienced scenes of pastors intensely engaged in a ‘wrestling match’ against Satan and his minions in order to bind them. However, it is the pastor and the congregation that end up getting bound by this spiritual delusion instead while the devil remains free, delighted with their folly. What Jesus really meant by this verse is simply that the actions of those to whom He has given authority to act on His behalf shall be confirmed to be in accordance to His will in heaven one day. Thus when two or three are gathered in the name of Christ to administer church discipline, if all things are done according to His will, in His name, Jesus Christ would be there in their midst to validate and affirm their actions.

Here we see how quoting verses out of context can result in inappropriate application which may not only cause confusion but may even shipwreck the faith of sincere believers. After all, looking again at the example of Matthew 18:18 above, how can we believe God’s Word is all-powerful if Satan and his demons keep breaking free to do mischief in this world in spite of getting repeatedly “bound” in Jesus’ name? Reading the preceding and following verses helps us to see passages in the right context. Indeed, we can expand this and apply it to reading preceding and following chapters to put an entire chapter in the right context. Which other verses can you think of which are often wrongly or incompletely quoted?

Thought: A text has no meaning outside of its context.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, may You give me the necessary discipline never to handle Your Word loosely.