Luke 17:3
Pay attention to yourselves! If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him,
English Standard Version (ESV)
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The verse begins with a crucial command: "Pay attention to yourselves!" This isn't just about how to deal with your brother's sin, but about guarding your own heart and attitude first, ensuring you approach the situation with humility and a desire for restoration, not judgment.
Jesus is teaching his disciples about the practical ethics of living in God's kingdom, especially regarding how they treat one another. He has just warned against causing others to stumble, and now he addresses how to handle sin within the community. This teaching emphasizes restoring a fellow believer who has fallen, rather than simply condemning them or letting the offense fester.
Understand the original words
hamartanō · Greek Verb
To miss the mark of God's standard of holiness. It involves disobedience to God's law or a failure to love God and neighbor as commanded.
epitimaō · Greek Verb
To admonish, warn, or express strong disapproval toward someone who has done wrong. It is intended to bring conviction and lead the offender toward correction and restoration.
metanoeō · Greek Verb
To change one's mind or purpose, involving a turning away from sin and a turning toward God. It is a fundamental shift in the heart that results in a change of life direction.
aphiēmi · Greek Verb
To release from debt or guilt, canceling the penalty owed for an offense. In the Christian context, it mirrors the way God grants grace to those who have offended Him.
This passage provides a parallel teaching from Jesus on how to address a sinning brother, outlining a similar process of private rebuke and escalation if necessary.
Ephesians 4:32This verse directly connects to the theme of forgiveness, emphasizing being kind, compassionate, and forgiving one another, just as God forgave us through Christ.
Colossians 3:13This passage echoes the instruction to forgive, urging believers to bear with each other and forgive grievances, mirroring the conditional forgiveness mentioned in Luke.
1 John 1:9This verse highlights the importance of confession and repentance for forgiveness from God, which is a foundational element to the 'if he repents' clause in Luke's teaching.
Luke 6:37This verse immediately precedes Luke 17:3 and shares the core principle of not judging others, setting the stage for the 'take heed to yourselves' warning before addressing how to handle a sinning brother.
expositorsLuke 17:3: "Take heed to yourselves: If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him."
8-27 Chapter 22THE ETHICS OF THE GOSPEL. WHATEVER of truth there may be in the charge of "other-worldliness," as brought against the modern exponents of Christianity, such a charge could not even be whispered against its Divine Founder. It is just possible that the Church had been gazing too steadfastly up into heaven, and that she had not been studying the science of the "Huma…
barnesLuke 17:3: "Take heed to yourselves: If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him."
See the notes at Matthew 18:15 , Matthew 18:21-22 . "Trespass against thee." Sin against thee, or does anything that gives you an offence or does you an injury. Rebuke - Reprove. Go and tell him his fault, and seek an explanation. Acquaint him with what has been the effect of his conduct, and the state of your feelings, that he may acknowledge his error and repent.
The verse begins with a crucial command: "Pay attention to yourselves!" This isn't just about how to deal with your brother's sin, but about guarding your own heart and attitude first, ensuring you approach the situation with humility and a desire for restoration, not judgment.
Jesus is teaching his disciples about the practical ethics of living in God's kingdom, especially regarding how they treat one another. He has just warned against causing others to stumble, and now he addresses how to handle sin within the community. This teaching emphasizes restoring a fellow believer who has fallen, rather than simply condemning them or letting the offense fester.
Jesus is teaching his disciples about the practical ethics of living in God's kingdom, especially regarding how they treat one another. He has just warned against causing others to stumble, and now he addresses how to handle sin within the community. This teaching emphasizes restoring a fellow believer who has fallen, rather than simply condemning them or letting the offense fester.
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"Pay attention to yourselves! If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him," — The verse begins with a crucial command: "Pay attention to yourselves!" This isn't just about how to deal with your brother's sin, but about guarding your own heart and attitude first, ensuring you…
