If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.
English Standard Version (ESV)
The phrase "let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector" isn't about abandoning the person in despair, but rather about changing the relationship – ceasing religious fellowship while still maintaining kindness and prayer for their eventual repentance. This final step is the church's ultimate, yet still hopeful, measure for restoring a lost sheep.
If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Jesus is outlining a structured process for addressing sin within the community, moving from private confrontation to involving others if the initial attempt fails. This verse describes the final step: if the individual still refuses to listen after being confronted by witnesses and the entire community, they are to be treated as an outsider. This follows Jesus' teaching on forgiveness and community discipline, aiming for restoration while also protecting the integrity of the group.
When a brother or sister sins against you, Jesus doesn't leave you hanging. He lays out a clear, step-by-step process for restoration.
Jesus provides a clear pathway for addressing conflict within the community, moving from personal resolution to communal involvement:
Private Reproof: The first step is always to go to the individual privately. This preserves dignity and offers the best chance for a quick, personal reconciliation. It’s about restoring the brother, not just addressing the sin.
Witnesses: If the private approach fails, bring one or two others along. This isn't about ganging up, but about confirming the truth of the matter and adding weight to the admonition. Two or three witnesses establish the facts and demonstrate a genuine effort towards resolution.
The Church: If the individual still refuses to listen, the matter is then brought before the wider community, the church. This signifies that the issue has moved beyond a personal dispute to a matter affecting the health and testimony of the whole body of Christ.
This structured approach emphasizes reconciliation and the preservation of the community, using escalating steps only when necessary.
Ask a follow-up
What happens when someone rejects not just an individual, but the entire community's guidance? Jesus gives a stark response.
When an individual continues in sin after being confronted privately and then by witnesses, Jesus instructs the offended party to bring the matter to the church. The ultimate consequence of refusing to hear the church is a profound separation.
Jesus states, 'let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.' In Jesus' day, these groups were largely excluded from Jewish society and religious life. This doesn't mean believers should treat them with hatred or unkindness in a general sense.
Instead, it signifies:
Understand the original words
ekklēsia · Greek Noun
The called-out assembly of believers; the body of Christ or a local congregation of disciples.
ethnikos · Greek Adjective/Noun
Historically, a non-Jewish person; often used in Scripture to denote outsiders to the covenantal community of Israel.
telōnēs · Greek Noun
In the ancient Jewish context, these individuals were often viewed as collaborators with Rome and considered traitors or social outcasts.
This teaching on church discipline was given within the context of the emerging Christian community, drawing on existing Jewish synagogue practices but adapting them for followers of Jesus and the new covenant.
c. 200 BC - AD 70
Development of Jewish Synagogue Discipline
During this period, the Jewish synagogue developed a formal system of discipline for addressing offenses within the community. This included councils (like the Sanhedrin) and procedures for admonishment and excommunication, which likely informed Jesus' teaching.
c. AD 30-33
Jesus Teaches the Sermon on the Mount
Jesus delivers the foundational teachings of his ministry, including principles of reconciliation and community conduct, which later form the basis for Matthew 18.
c. AD 30-33
Jesus Establishes the Church
Jesus begins gathering his disciples, laying the groundwork for the community that would become the Christian Church, the context for the disciplinary procedures described.
c. AD 49-50
Council of Jerusalem (Acts 15)
The apostles and elders convened to address issues within the early church, demonstrating a precedent for authoritative decision-making and communal discernment within the nascent Christian movement.
c. AD 50-60— this verse
Paul Addresses the Corinthian Church
The Apostle Paul writes letters to the Corinthian church, addressing significant disciplinary issues, such as the case of the man in incest (1 Corinthians 5), providing practical examples of the principles Jesus taught.
c. AD 60-65
Composition of Matthew's Gospel
The Gospel of Matthew is written, recording Jesus' teachings, including the specific instructions for church discipline found in chapter 18, likely for a community facing internal challenges.
This passage shows the church exercising a similar disciplinary judgment against a member, emphasizing the need for removal from fellowship to protect the community and hopefully lead the individual to repentance, mirroring the 'heathen and tax collector' status.
2 Thessalonians 3:14-15It instructs believers to keep away from disruptive individuals within the community who refuse to obey teachings, highlighting a consequence similar to being treated as an outsider for the sake of maintaining order and peace.
Titus 3:10This verse advises to warn a divisive person twice and then have nothing more to do with them, which reflects the finality of the church's decision in Matthew 18 and the subsequent distancing from the unrepentant.
Luke 17:3-4While focusing on forgiveness, this passage underscores the initial steps of private confrontation and the expectation of repentance, setting the stage for the escalation described in Matthew 18 if repentance doesn't occur.
calvinMatthew 18:15-20: "Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother."
- But if thy brother hath sinned against thee, go and reprove him between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother. 16. But if he shall not hear thee, take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be confirmed: and if he shall not hear them,…
henryMatthew 18:15-20: "Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother."
18:15-20 If a professed Christian is wronged by another, he ought not to complain of it to others, as is often done merely upon report, but to go to the offender privately, state the matter kindly, and show him his conduct. This would generally have all the desired effect with a true Christian, and the parties would b…
The phrase "let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector" isn't about abandoning the person in despair, but rather about changing the relationship – ceasing religious fellowship while still maintaining kindness and prayer for their eventual repentance. This final step is the church's ultimate, yet still hopeful, measure for restoring a lost sheep.
Jesus is outlining a structured process for addressing sin within the community, moving from private confrontation to involving others if the initial attempt fails. This verse describes the final step: if the individual still refuses to listen after being confronted by witnesses and the entire community, they are to be treated as an outsider. This follows Jesus' teaching on forgiveness and community discipline, aiming for restoration while also protecting the integrity of the group.
Jesus is outlining a structured process for addressing sin within the community, moving from private confrontation to involving others if the initial attempt fails. This verse describes the final step: if the individual still refuses to listen after being confronted by witnesses and the entire community, they are to be treated as an outsider. This follows Jesus' teaching on forgiveness and community discipline, aiming for restoration while also protecting the integrity of the group.
"If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector." — The phrase "let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector" isn't about abandoning the person in despair, but rather about changing the relationship – ceasing religious fellowship while still m…
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Last reviewed October 2026