Matthew 18:20 (LSB)

Passage

For where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst.”

Nearby Context

Matthew 18:18 Truly I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven.

Matthew 18:19 “Again I say to you, that if two of you agree on earth about anything that they may ask, it shall be done for them by My Father who is in heaven.

Matthew 18:20 For where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst.”

Matthew 18:21 Then Peter came and said to Him, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to seven times?”

Matthew 18:22 Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "where", "three", "gathered", "together", "name", and "midst". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "where" and "three", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 19's "Again I say to you that if..." into verse 21's "Then Peter came and said to Him...", so "where" and "three" 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 "where" and "three" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.