Matthew 18:16 - Printer Friendly

ESV: But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses.

NIV: But if they will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’

NASB: But if he does not listen to you, take one or two more with you, so that ON THE TESTIMONY OF TWO OR THREE WITNESSES EVERY MATTER MAY BE CONFIRMED.

CSB: But if he won’t listen, take one or two others with you, so that by the testimony of two or three witnesses every fact may be established.

NLT: But if you are unsuccessful, take one or two others with you and go back again, so that everything you say may be confirmed by two or three witnesses.

KJV: 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.

NKJV: But if he will not hear, take with you one or two more, that ‘by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.’

This is the second step in a process Jesus taught His disciples for confronting believers who have sinned or are continuing to sin. The beginning of the process involves only the person who is wronged and the one who has sinned. Or, perhaps, it involves the person who has witnessed another person sinning in some specific way. In either case, one person approaches another about the sin. The goal is confession and repentance in order to restore the relationship (Matthew 18:15).

More often than we realize, a simple conversation between two people is all that is needed for someone to admit wrongdoing and to begin to make different choices. Sometimes, though, the sinful person refuses to see their sin. He or she may deny it. They may refuse to stop.

If that is the case, Jesus now describes the next step in the process. The person who initiated the complaint should return, this time with a small group, such as one or two other people. Jesus is confirming here the principle established in the law in Deuteronomy 19:15, "A single witness shall not suffice against a person for any crime or for any wrong in connection with any offense that he has committed. Only on the evidence of two witnesses or of three witnesses shall a charge be established."

There are clear advantages to making this the next step in conflict resolution. The addition of one or two other people still keeps the matter fairly private. The goal remains repentance and restoration, not public shaming. However, adding more witnesses ensures that the issue is not merely about differing opinions or perspectives. Both the accuser and the accused have the opportunity to make their case to a third party. It may even be decided by those new participants that it's the accuser, not the accused, who is in the wrong.

If the additional witnesses agree that the accused is participating in sin, he or she has the opportunity to repent. Otherwise, the witnesses can confirm to the larger body in the next step of the process the refusal to repent (Matthew 18:17).

Matthew 18:15–20 describes the process Jesus gives to the disciples for dealing with sin-related conflict among a group of believers. The first step is for the one who is wronged to go and speak privately with the one who has sinned in hopes of restoring the relationship. If the sinful person refuses to repent, the same wronged person should return with one or two others and then take the issue to the church or assembly. If repentance never happens, that person should be treated as an outsider. This is also the process Christians are expected to follow in cases of disagreements or other arguments: individually, then privately, then publicly.

Jesus uses two questions from the disciples to teach important lessons. The "greatest" in the kingdom is the one who humbles himself like a child. Temptation is unavoidable in earthly life, but it's worth going to extremes to avoid falling for it. Even so, those who fall should not be hated and despised. God the Father values them highly and wants none of them to perish. In fact, Jesus lays out a clear, careful process to confront sin in others before removing them from the community. Christ also replies to Peter's question about forgiveness with a parable. This story represents both God's amazing forgiveness, and the way we ought to respond as Christians.

The Gospel of Matthew clearly shows the influence of its writer's background, and his effort to reach a specific audience. Matthew was one of Jesus' twelve disciples, a Jewish man, and a former tax collector. This profession would have required literacy, and Matthew may have transcribed some of Jesus' words as they were spoken. This book is filled with references to the Old Testament, demonstrating to Israel that Jesus is the Promised One. Matthew also includes many references to coins, likely due to his former profession. Matthew records extensive accounts of Jesus' teaching, more than the other three Gospels.