Matthew 18:17, "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."
I've known people in my past who used this scriptures to justify getting rid of people or driving people out of ministry. Is that what the Lord is teaching us here?
How did the Lord treat people such as a publican? The man who wrote this gospel, Matthew, was himself a publican! How did Jesus treat Matthew? Does this change the way you view this instruction "let him be unto thee as...a publican" ?
How does the Lord Jesus teach us to treat those who are our enemies? Matthew 5:39. We need to learn how to overcome evil by doing good. Romans 12:21.
Father God, you teach us that if people are rebellious and stubborn to regard them as a publican or a heathen. When I look at the way you treated publicans it causes me to pause and check my assumptions on what that means. You showed mercy and grace. You chose a publican to be an apostle. How should I then live?
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