Accordance
“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 18:19 (NASB)
And in verse (20) it continues as follows: For where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst.”
How is this to be understood again now?
Does this now mean that you are simply looking for a second person who perhaps has the same interests as you and God the Father is fulfilling your request for both of you? I think the probability that something like this could work is quite small.
So the prerequisite is that two people (in a certain matter) Become one.
Already here the different Bible translations differ from each other. There it says for example:
If two of you are in accordance or,
when two of you agree on earth.
(Become one), stands for fusion. Becoming one happens on the level of the heart. (accordance) could stand for the fact that after a controversial discussion, a compromise was found. (Agreement) means that two or more parties (persons) have reached an agreement.
So we see, what sounds so similar isn't the same. So the question arises, why is this important statement of Jesus translated so differently?
I think the greatest difficulty for the Bible interpreters was the following verse 20. This is specifically about the formulation: ... "are gathered together in my name". Here again everyone agrees that this is something that can only take place within the congregation. From this point of view it becomes understandable that one had searched for formulations that go beyond a normal request to God.
This would then enable a church leadership, for example, to conclude a binding contract with God with reference to Matthew 18:19. I am convinced that something like this has already been tried. I suspect that the chances of success for something like this must not have been very high.
For myself, I prefer the phrase: "To become one (in a certain matter)".
Becoming one is something that does not necessarily have to take place in the church. I rather suspect that this "becoming one" is a state that is only possible between very familiar people. I am thinking here of the wife, perhaps children or a longtime prayer partner. A Christian marriage can only function on this basis. It is the same principle: (husband, wife together with Jesus Christ). But the decisive thing, for this form of asking God, quasi the formula for success, is that the common prayer goal must be an affair of the heart. If, on the other hand, I look at the reality in our prayer groups or house groups, it is usually like this; a certain prayer theme is given, for example: peace in the country. Ten people sit there, one prays in front, the rest nods their heads and says Amen at the end. But at least nine of them would much rather have prayed through their own prayer themes. What do you think, can this work?









