In Matthew 18:20, Jesus stresses that the exercise of church discipline must be accompanied by earnest prayer—prayer that has unlimited power, but with one condition attached to it—unity. When this condition is met, the promise is immense: Ask whatever you wish, and the Father will give it
(see John 14:13–14; John 15:7, John 15:16) . The word translated as agree
(symphōnēsōsin) is derived from sun, meaning together,
and phōnē, which means sound,
and literally means to sound together, to be in harmony. Matthew 18:19–20 no longer discusses church discipline directly, but concerns the interactions among brothers themselves—possibly within the context of the ekklesia, where this harmony (or agreement) is seen. With the words [a]gain, I say to you,
Jesus clearly refers back to Matthew 18:16. To show how great the power of admonition by two or three truly is, Jesus reveals the power of the agreement of only a few believers. This also links to Matthew 18:18, in the theme of agreement between heaven and earth. Jesus here teaches that the certainty of prayers being heard does not depend on a congregation’s size, nor on believers’ virtue or capability, but on his presence.
In Matthew 18:20, Jesus is highlighting that the exercise of church discipline ought to be accompanied by earnest prayer. The church’s true power does not lie in external things, but rather, it is prayer that possesses unlimited power, albeit with one condition attached to it—unity. When this condition is met, the promise is immense: Ask whatever you wish, and the Father will give it
(see John 14:13–14; John 15:7, John 15:16). The word translated as agree
(sumphōneō) is morphologically composed of sun, meaning together,
and phōnē, which means sound,
and literally means to sound together, to be in harmony.1
Matthew 18:19–20 no longer addresses the issue of church discipline directly, but rather applies this in the interactions among brothers themselves—and possibly within the context of the ekklesia—where this harmony (or agreement) is present. With the words [a]gain, I say to you,
Jesus is clearly referring back to Matthew 18:16. To show how great the power of combined admonition by two or three truly is, Jesus explains what the agreement of only a few believers means. There is also a connection with Matthew 18:18 inasmuch as the theme concerns the agreement between heaven and earth.2
Jesus here teaches that the certainty that prayers will be heard does not depend on the size of the congregation, nor on the virtue or capability of the believers, but on his presence.3
19 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.