The Number Two in Matthew - All The LORD is near Daily Devotionals for 2026

By the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.
Matthew 18:16

The Number Two in Matthew
Matthew’s Gospel highlights the number two more than any of the other Gospels. Sometimes the context is uniquely specific. For instance, Mark’s Gospel says James and John accompanied the Lord in Gethsemane (Mk. 14:33), but Matthew calls them “the two sons of Zebedee” (Mt. 26:37). Other examples are more unusual, even a bit unexpected. Mark and Luke write about a demon-possessed man who lived in the tombs, but Matthew says there were two of them (Mt. 8:28). Mark and Luke present the healing of blind Bartimaeus, but Matthew tells us of two blind men (Mt. 20:30). All four Gospels describe Christ’s entrance into Jerusalem on a donkey’s colt; but Matthew says both the donkey and her colt were brought to Him (Mt. 21:1–7). Skeptics use such things to claim the Bible is inaccurate, but we who believe it are not troubled. It is not difficult to accept that Matthew was led by the Holy Spirit to write about two people when other Gospels focused only on one. Perhaps Bartimaeus became more well-known among first-century believers, yet Matthew would not forget his companion. In fact, such distinctions actually strengthen the Bible’s assertions of accuracy and inspiration. If the Scriptures were mere inventions, these obvious differences would surely have been revised.

Most of all, there is a beautiful, divine symmetry in Matthew’s emphasis on the number two. His Gospel is written primarily for a Jewish audience. He presents Jesus as the Son of David and quotes the Hebrew prophets more than any other Gospel. It is Matthew’s Gospel which reviews the Mosaic standard that “by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.” Thus, upholding that standard, the Spirit uses Matthew’s Gospel to ensure that no one’s words would fall to the ground and not even one eyewitness would be forgotten. Finally, Matthew alone reveals Christ as our center of gathering, declaring it possible even if there are only “two” (Mt. 18:20)!

Stephen Campbell