Matthew 18:15–17
Bible verses · Also called: Matthew 18:15-17, Procedure of church discipline, Between thee and him alone, Let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican, Matthew 18 process
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15 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.
16 But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.
17 And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican.
The text is the New Korean Revised Version (1998), shown under a licence from the Korean Bible Society. Wording may differ slightly from the Korean Revised Version and the Revised New Korean Standard Version. Read in the Korean Revised Version
A step-by-step procedure: if a brother sins, one should first admonish him privately, then with one or two witnesses, and, if he still refuses to listen, tell it to the church. It is the foundational text for church discipline, and its scope of application is debated when it comes to conflicts and crimes within the church.
Context
Matthew 18 contains teaching on life within the church community. Jesus speaks of childlike humility, warns against causing little ones to stumble, and tells the parable of the shepherd who seeks the one lost sheep (18:1–14) before giving this procedure. Immediately afterward, Peter asks how many times he must forgive his brother; Jesus answers, "Until seventy times seven," and tells the parable of the unforgiving servant (18:21–35). The principle of two or three witnesses derives from Deuteronomy 19:15.
Interpretation
- As a procedure for restoration: Because the passage stands between the parable of the lost sheep and the teaching on forgiveness, this reading holds that its purpose is not punishment but to gain one's brother ("thou hast gained thy brother," v. 15).
- The meaning of "as an heathen man and a publican": The traditional reading takes the phrase to mean exclusion from the fellowship of the community. Another interpretation, noting that Jesus ate with tax collectors and sinners, holds that the phrase also implies treating such a person as someone to be evangelized and welcomed again.
Debates and Issues
Denominations have institutionalized this passage in different ways. The Belgic Confession of the Reformed tradition lists church discipline among the marks of the true church. In Presbyterian churches, governing bodies such as the session and the presbytery administer discipline, whereas Congregational and Baptist churches tend to give final judgment to the congregational meeting. The Anabaptist tradition regarded the ban as an important means of preserving the purity of the community. The Catholic Church maintains the practice of excommunication.
Today some ask whether this procedure should be applied unchanged to every problem. Those who address sexual violence in the church in particular argue that requiring the victims of crimes such as sexual violence or embezzlement to go alone to the offender first and admonish him is not what the passage intends. In such cases, they maintain, the civil legal system and church discipline must address the matter together. Concerns have also been raised that discipline is used to exclude members who criticize church leadership.
Related Passages
- Deuteronomy 19:15
- 1 Corinthians 5:1–13
- Galatians 6:1
- Titus 3:10
See also 6
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