Matthew 18:17 (GNV)

Passage

And if he refuse to heare them, tell it vnto the Church: and if he refuse to heare the Church also, let him be vnto thee as an heathen man, and a Publicane.

Nearby Context

Matthew 18:15 Moreouer, if thy brother trespasse against thee, goe and tell him his fault betweene thee and him alone: if he heare thee, thou hast wonne thy brother.

Matthew 18:16 But if he heare thee not, take yet with thee one or two, that by the mouth of two or three witnesses euery worde may be confirmed.

Matthew 18:17 And if he refuse to heare them, tell it vnto the Church: and if he refuse to heare the Church also, let him be vnto thee as an heathen man, and a Publicane.

Matthew 18:18 Verely I say vnto you, Whatsoeuer ye bind on earth, shall be bound in heauen: and whatsoeuer ye loose on earth, shalbe loosed in heauen.

Matthew 18:19 Againe, verely I say vnto you, that if two of you shall agree in earth vpon any thing, whatsoeuer they shall desire, it shall be giuen them of my Father which is in heauen.

Study Lenses

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

The nearby context moves from verse 16's "But if he heare thee not take..." into verse 18's "Verely I say vnto you Whatsoeuer ye...", so "refuse" and "heare" 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 "heare" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.