Matthew 18:17 (ASV)

Passage

And if he refuse to hear them, tell it unto the church: and if he refuse to hear the church also, let him be unto thee as the Gentile and the publican.

Nearby Context

Matthew 18:15 And if thy brother sin against thee, go, show him his fault between thee and him alone: if he hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother.

Matthew 18:16 But if he hear [thee] not, take with thee one or two more, that at the mouth of two witnesses or three every word may be established.

Matthew 18:17 And if he refuse to hear them, tell it unto the church: and if he refuse to hear the church also, let him be unto thee as the Gentile and the publican.

Matthew 18:18 Verily I say unto you, what things soever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and what things soever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

Matthew 18:19 Again I say unto you, that if two of you shall agree on earth as touching anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father who is in heaven.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "refuse", "hear", "tell", "church", and "thee". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "refuse" and "hear", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 16's "But if he hear thee not take..." into verse 18's "Verily I say unto you what things...", so "refuse" and "hear" 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 "refuse" and "hear" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.