By Earl D. Radmacher

Meaning is singular not plural. e.g There is a popular response often heard,'there are many different interpretations to that,'which is clearly false. There may be ten suggested interpretations,but at least nine of them are false. Although interpretation is single,application maybe multiple,but for application to be valid it must be true to the author's intended interpretation. However it is the work of the Holy Spirit to illumine hearts to see a variety of applications to life.

A Four Step Process

If then there is only one valid interpretation of a biblical passage,how then is it to be understood? Nonetheless,Paul's challenge to...'rightly divide the work of truth'(2Tim. 2vs15)may be fulfilled by using the following four-step process:

First step: Word Focus
Second step: Word Relation
Third Step: Context
Fourth step: Culture


Lets put the process to work on an often- quoted verse of the Scripture(Matt.18vs20) where Jesus is speaking to His disciple:
'For where two or three are gathered together in My name,I am there in the midst of them'

Word Focus

A key word is 'gathered.' A complete concordance lists various form of gather in the New Testament about 75 times. These occurrences translate some ten different Greek words, but over half of them translate just one Greek verb (the one used in our passage) made up of two parts meaning 'with, together with,' and to 'lead, bring'; thus the expression means 'to lead or bring together.' This discovery of the etymology of word is a good starting point for study.
The use of 'gathered' in this verse may be puzzling to the reader because of the group is so small. Just 'two or three.' Yet it is a very important gathering because Jesus Christ is 'In the midst of them' when the condition is fulfilled that the gathering be in His name.
Word Relations

Words do not stand alone. Rather, they are related to the words around them. These relationship are called grammar or syntax (to place together') and studying them is crucial to learning the meaning of Matthew 18:20.
The very first word ('for') expresses a relationship. It is small and usually ignored, but it is an important conjunction. It establishes the reason or cause for the preceding instructions.
Two other words that show grammatical relations are the adverb 'where'(dependent clause) and 'there'(independent clause) contains the main idea of the sentence ('I am') which identify the action.

Context

There are basically three areas of context to study.
1. The immediate context.
2. The book context.
3. The Bible context.

1. Taking your cue from the casual conjunction ('for') of verse 20, begin moving back in the immediately preceding context. Notice the reference to the 'two' in verse 19 and the 'again' which precedes it. Keep moving back and find the original reference to 'two or three' in verse 16. At this point, the words of Jesus take you back to the Old Testament context (Deut. 19:15) for a principle of settling disputes. Now you are gaining awareness of what the 'gathered' is referring to in verse 20. But note the contrastive conjunction ('But') that begins verse 16. This sends you back to 15 and the topic sentence which begins the paragraph and starts the immediately preceding context of 20. Now you have the subject matter of the whole section,namely a breach of relationship between brothers in Christ: '...if your brother sins against you.' Thus this passage is telling how members of Christ's family settle disputes.

Peter question in response to Jesus shows that he understood exactly what Jesus was talking about and he applied it to himself:
'Lord,how often shall my brother sin against me,and I forgive him? Up to seven times?'(Matt.18:21).

Jesus is presenting the process for dealing with sin and maintaining unity in the church(vv 15-20).

2. The context of the whole book of Matthew, Christ spoke of the future church (Matt. 18:17) only one other time in the Gospels,(Matt. 16:18) He spoke of it nature:
'...I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.'

The church was to be a future ('Will'), personal ('MY'), permanent ('Hades... not prevail') project of Jesus Christ Himself ('I'). Which will be establish at Pentecost!

3.The whole Bible, study by comparing the parrallel passages: Luke 17:3,4 (1 Cor. 5:1-6:20; 1 Tim.5:19-22; Titus 3:1-11; Heb.13b:17 ).
Culture
1. Social- the custom of the times.
2. Temporal- the period in history.
3. Geographical- the place on earth.

Many helpful books are available for this area of study, e.g, Bible dictionaries and encyclopedias.

Two words in the immediate context that have social and cultural implication are 'heathen' and 'tax collectors.' Why are these words choosen as picturing the status of the brother who refuses the discipline of the church?
With respect to timing in history, this passage of Jesus teaching occurred early in His fourth year of public ministry.
Concerning geographical setting, Jesus was teaching at Capernaum on the northwestern shore of the Sea of Galilee. He had recently been at Caeserea Philippi (today known as Banias) at the foot of Mount Hermon, one of the sources of the Jordan River.

Remain bless as you applies it in Understanding the Holy Scriptures.

For further studies try:
www.blueletterbible.org
www.studylight.org
www.biblegateway.com
CC: OAM4J, lalasticlala

Insightful... So many modern churches simply misinterprete d bible and chose d meaning dat best suits dem

Your Word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path! (Psalms 119:105)

God is faithful!