{"id":1317,"date":"2025-08-08T03:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-08-08T09:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/reflectivebiblestudy.com\/gospeladventure\/?p=1317&2025"},"modified":"2025-08-05T18:00:02","modified_gmt":"2025-08-06T00:00:02","slug":"praying-together-with-jesus-matthew-18-15-35","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/reflectivebiblestudy.com\/gospeladventure\/praying-together-with-jesus-matthew-18-15-35\/","title":{"rendered":"Praying Together with Jesus: Matthew 18:15-35"},"content":{"rendered":"
Focus Passage: Matthew 18:15-35 (NCV)<\/div>
\r\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a015<\/sup> \u201cIf your fellow believer sins against you, go and tell him in private what he did wrong. If he listens to you, you have helped that person to be your brother or sister again. 16<\/sup> But if he refuses to listen, go to him again and take one or two other people with you. \u2018Every case may be proved by two or three witnesses.\u2019 17<\/sup> If he refuses to listen to them, tell the church. If he refuses to listen to the church, then treat him like a person who does not believe in God or like a tax collector.<\/p>

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 18<\/sup> \u201cI tell you the truth, the things you don\u2019t allow on earth will be the things God does not allow. And the things you allow on earth will be the things that God allows.<\/p>

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 19<\/sup> \u201cAlso, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about something and pray for it, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. 20<\/sup> This is true because if two or three people come together in my name, I am there with them.\u201d<\/p>

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a021<\/sup> Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, \u201cLord, when my fellow believer sins against me, how many times must I forgive him? Should I forgive him as many as seven times?\u201d<\/p>

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a022<\/sup> Jesus answered, \u201cI tell you, you must forgive him more than seven times. You must forgive him even if he wrongs you seventy times seven.<\/p>

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 23<\/sup> \u201cThe kingdom of heaven is like a king who decided to collect the money his servants owed him. 24<\/sup> When the king began to collect his money, a servant who owed him several million dollars was brought to him. 25<\/sup> But the servant did not have enough money to pay his master, the king. So the master ordered that everything the servant owned should be sold, even the servant\u2019s wife and children. Then the money would be used to pay the king what the servant owed.<\/p>

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 26<\/sup> \u201cBut the servant fell on his knees and begged, \u2018Be patient with me, and I will pay you everything I owe.\u2019 27<\/sup> The master felt sorry for his servant and told him he did not have to pay it back. Then he let the servant go free.<\/p>

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 28<\/sup> \u201cLater, that same servant found another servant who owed him a few dollars. The servant grabbed him around the neck and said, \u2018Pay me the money you owe\u00a0me!\u2019<\/p>

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 29<\/sup> \u201cThe other servant fell on his knees and begged him, \u2018Be patient with me, and I will pay you everything I\u00a0owe.\u2019<\/p>

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 30<\/sup> \u201cBut the first servant refused to be patient. He threw the other servant into prison until he could pay everything he owed. 31<\/sup> When the other servants saw what had happened, they were very sorry. So they went and told their master all that had happened.<\/p>

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 32<\/sup> \u201cThen the master called his servant in and said, \u2018You evil servant! Because you begged me to forget what you owed, I told you that you did not have to pay anything. 33<\/sup> You should have showed mercy to that other servant, just as I showed mercy to you.\u2019 34<\/sup> The master was very angry and put the servant in prison to be punished until he could pay everything he owed.<\/p>

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 35<\/sup> \u201cThis king did what my heavenly Father will do to you if you do not forgive your brother or sister from your heart.\u201d<\/p>\r\n

Read Matthew 18:15-35<\/a> in context and\/or in other translations on BibleGateway.com!<\/p><\/div><\/div>\r\n

While Jesus was teaching the disciples about prayer, forgiveness, and conflict resolution, He shares a powerful promise that relates directly to prayer. However, I believe this promise has been pulled out of context in many situations, and because of this, it might appear as though God does not answer us as quickly. But when we claim the promise Jesus shares with the disciples in our prayer experience, there is no telling how many answers we will discover.<\/p>\r\n

Matthew\u2019s gospel shares Jesus\u2019 promise to His followers: \u201cAlso, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about something and pray for it, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. This is true because if two or three people come together in my name, I am there with them.<\/strong>\u201d (v. 19-20)<\/p>\r\n

These two verses contain what might appear like a blank check from God. Jesus\u2019 promise sounds like all we must do is find one other person who agrees with us that something must happen, and then pray with them for God to step into the situation in a specific way. But in many cases I can think of, it seems as though all the steps have been followed and an answer does not come \u2013 and it may be because we are missing the context and details of this promise.<\/p>\r\n

    \r\n

  1. First, verse 19 begins with the word \u201cAlso\u201d. This means that the message\/promise Jesus is about to share hinges on what He had just finished saying. Jesus\u2019 earlier statement focuses on God letting His followers determine where they will stand in what we could call \u201cthe gray areas of faith\u201d.<\/p>\r\n

    This detail is important because it is unlikely that a prayer going to God that contradicts His character or plan will be answered according to our wishes. But this does mean that in the gray areas of His plan and history, our prayers will make a huge difference in directing God and inviting Him into the situations we have on our hearts.<\/strong><\/p><\/li>\r\n

  2. Next, within these two verses is the secondary promise that if two or three (or more) people come together in Jesus\u2019 name<\/em>, Jesus will be there with them. The second big detail to remember is that the purpose of the group we form to pray must be unified under Jesus\u2019 name, and we should invite Jesus to pray with us<\/strong> (however odd this might sound). If Jesus says He is with us when we gather together in His name, perhaps we should invite Him to pray with us.<\/em><\/strong><\/p><\/li>\r\n

  3. The third detail for us to pay attention to is the focus and context of the verses that immediately follow this. While it might appear like this is a transition in Matthew\u2019s narrative where he finishes one event and then begins another, what follows next is Peter asking Jesus about forgiveness, and even if this is a completely separate event, Matthew intentionally places it right next to Jesus\u2019 promise to be with us when we gather in His name.<\/p>\r\n

    This third detail is important because if we are holding pain in our hearts with an unforgiving spirit, then our hearts are closed off to God and it may keep our prayers from being heard or answered. God wants our hearts above everything else, and forgiveness is the key to freeing our hearts in preparation for our gift to Him.<\/strong><\/p><\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n

    Together, these details form the best context we can for claiming Jesus\u2019 promise. We must be asking for things within God\u2019s will and plan \u2013 and\/or within that gray area of faith; we must be united with Jesus while praying together; and we must have a forgiving heart and a humble spirit when we pray together. When we have done all these things, we can pray together in confidence that God will answer our prayers \u2013 even if His answer is \u201cwait and see\u201d or \u201cno, but here is something better for you.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\r\n

    This thought was inspired by studying the Walking With Jesus<\/strong> \u201cReflective Bible Study\u201d package. To discover insights like this in your own study time, click here<\/a> and give Reflective Bible Study a try today!<\/em><\/p>

    Subscribe<\/a> to this blog and never miss an insight.<\/em><\/p><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"While Jesus was teaching the disciples about prayer, forgiveness, and conflict resolution, He shares a powerful promise that relates directly to prayer. However, I believe this promise has been pulled out of context in many situations, and because of this, it might appear as though God does not answer us as quickly. 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