Matthew 18:19 (ASV)

Passage

Again I say unto you, that if two of you shall agree on earth as touching anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father who is in heaven.

Nearby Context

Matthew 18:17 And if he refuse to hear them, tell it unto the church: and if he refuse to hear the church also, let him be unto thee as the Gentile and the publican.

Matthew 18:18 Verily I say unto you, what things soever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and what things soever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

Matthew 18:19 Again I say unto you, that if two of you shall agree on earth as touching anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father who is in heaven.

Matthew 18:20 For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.

Matthew 18:21 Then came Peter and said to him, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? until seven times?

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "again", "shall", "agree", "earth", "touching", and "anything". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "again" and "shall", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 18's "Verily I say unto you what things..." into verse 20's "For where two or three are gathered...", so "again" and "shall" belong inside that flow. In Matthew context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "again" and "shall" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.