Luke 17

17:1-10 It is no abatement of their guilt by whom an offence comes, nor will it lessen their punishment that offences will come. Faith in God's pardoning mercy, will enable us to get over the greatest difficulties in the way of forgiving our brethren. As with God nothing is impossible, so all things are possible to him that can believe. Our Lord showed his disciples their need of deep humility. The Lord has such a property in every creature, as no man can have in another; he cannot be in debt to them for their services, nor do they deserve any return from him.

"\nIt were better for him that a millstone,....\n[See comments on Mt 18:6] and\n[See comments on Mr 9:42].\n\n\n "

"\nTake heed to yourselves..... Or to one another, that ye neither give, nor take offence. Take heed to your spirits, to your doctrines, walk, and conversation, that you give no offence to any, that you are not stumbled by what you shall see in, and meet with from others:\n\nif thy brother trespass against thee; [See comments on Mt 18:15]\n\nrebuke him; privately, and proceed according to the rules there directed to; lay his sin before him; endeavour not only to convince him of the fact, but of the evil of it; how contrary to the will of God; how unbecoming the Gospel of Christ, and the profession he makes; how hurtful to himself, as well as injurious to his brother; and how such evils give the enemy occasion to reproach the saints, to speak evil of the ways of God, and blaspheme the name and doctrines of Christ, and harden sinners in their sins, as well as stumble weak Christians, and sadden the hearts of the righteous.\n\nAnd if he repent; if he is made sensible of his evil, and is truly sorry for it, and ingenuously acknowledges it:\n\nforgive him; the injury committed against a man's self; and pray to God for him, for an application of his pardoning grace and mercy to him; and comfort him with the hope of forgiveness with God, by the gracious promises and declarations of pardon made to such persons; drop all resentment and anger, and behave towards him with all sweetness of temper, and affability, and respect: and this is to be done immediately, as soon as a man repents: and so say the Jews {p};\n\n"says R. Chanina bar Papa, whoever commits a thing, and repents of it, they forgive him directly; as it is said, Mal 3:5 "and fear not me": lo, they that fear me, forgive immediately:''\n\nsuch were reckoned good men, men fearing God.\n\n{p} T. Bab. Chagiga, fol. 5. 1.\n\n\n "

"\nAnd if he trespass against thee seven times in a day,.... For good men are frequently apt to fall into sin, and offend both God and man; see Pr 24:16 "and seven times in a day turn again to thee, saying, I repent"; as often as he sins, and appears to be truly sensible of it, and humble for it, and makes acknowledgments of it; and not only barely in words professes his concern for it, but there is reason to believe that he is heartily grieved for it, and to hope that he will behave better for the future:\n\nthou shalt forgive him; this seems to be occasioned by Peter's putting such a question to Christ, how often a brother might sin against him, and he forgive him; see Mt 18:21. The Jews plead for great tenderness and readiness to forgive penitents, when they ask for forgiveness; which they insist upon should be done: they say {q},\n\n"it is forbidden an injured person to be cruel, and not forgive; this is not the way of the seed of Israel: but when he that has done the injury asks of him, and prays him once and again, and he knows that he has returned from his sin, and hath repented of his evil, he ought to forgive him; and whoever makes haste to forgive, is praiseworthy.''\n\nBut then, they say {r},\n\n"if he brings all the rams of Nebaioth that are in the world, he is not to have pardon, unless he asks it of him.''\n\nAnd they seem also to have set times for it, as well as restrain the frequent repetition of it: they observe {s};\n\n"if a man returns by repentance, in the intermediate time, (i.e. as the gloss explains it, between the beginning of the year, or New Year's Day, and the day of atonement,) they pardon him; but if he does not return in the intermediate time, though he brings all the rams of Nebaioth in the world, they do not pardon him.''\n\nA man that was always forgiving, was reckoned by them an extraordinary man: it is said {t} of Mar Zutra bar Nachman, that he was \u05de\u05d5\u05d7\u05dc \u05d1\u05db\u05dc \u05d9\u05d5\u05dd, "forgiving every day"; but yet they do not seem to care to carry it to so great a length, and to repeat it so often as our Lord directs; they allow a man to forgive three times, but not a fourth; [See comments on Mt 18:22].\n\n{q} Maimon. Hilchot Chobel Umezik, c. 5. sect. 10. {r} T. Bab. Bava Kama, fol. 92. 1. {s} T. Bab. Rosh Hashama, fol. 17. 2. {t} Juchasin, fol. 90. 2.\n\n\n "

4. seven times—not a lower measure of the forgiving spirit than the "seventy times seven" enjoined on Peter, which was occasioned by his asking if he was to stop at seven times. "No," is the virtual answer, "though it come to seventy times that number, if only he ask forgiveness in sincerity."

17:4 If he sin against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day return, saying, I repent - That is, if he give sufficient proof that he does really repent, after having sinned ever so often, receive him just as if he had never sinned against thee. But this forgiveness is due only to real penitents. In a lower sense we are to forgive all, penitent or impenitent; (so as to bear them the sincerest good will, and to do them all the good we can;) and that not seven times only, but seventy times seven.

"\nAnd the apostles said unto the Lord,....