Matthew 18:17 (DRB)

Passage

And if he will not hear them: tell the church. And if he will not hear the church, let him be to thee as the heathen and publican.

Nearby Context

Matthew 18:15 But if thy brother shall offend against thee, go, and rebuke him between thee and him alone. If he shall hear thee, thou shalt gain thy brother.

Matthew 18:16 And if he will not hear thee, take with thee one or two more: that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may stand.

Matthew 18:17 And if he will not hear them: tell the church. And if he will not hear the church, let him be to thee as the heathen and publican.

Matthew 18:18 Amen I say to you, whatsoever you shall bind upon earth, shall be bound also in heaven: and whatsoever you shall loose upon earth, shall be loosed also in heaven.

Matthew 18:19 Again I say to you, that if two of you shall consent upon earth, concerning anything whatsoever they shall ask, it shall be done to them by my Father who is in heaven.

Study Lenses

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

The nearby context moves from verse 16's "And if he will not hear thee..." into verse 18's "Amen I say to you whatsoever you...", so "hear" and "tell" 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 "hear" and "tell" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.