Pay attention to yourselves! If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him,
English Standard Version (ESV)
Jesus’ instruction to "rebuke him" isn't just about pointing out sin, but about aiming for restoration. The goal is to "gain your brother," meaning to win him back to himself and to God, not to shame him into isolation.
Pay attention to yourselves! If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him,
English Standard Version (ESV)
Jesus is teaching his disciples about how to live within God's kingdom, emphasizing practical ethics over abstract theology, especially concerning how they treat each other. He had just warned them against causing others to stumble and against worldly greed, and now he addresses how to handle sin within the community itself, setting a standard for reconciliation and forgiveness. This teaching is crucial for maintaining unity and reflecting God's character within the community of believers.
Before Jesus tells us how to deal with a sinning brother, He issues a strong personal warning: 'Take heed to yourselves!' What does this self-examination involve in the context of confronting sin?
Jesus begins with a crucial internal command: 'Take heed to yourselves!' This isn't just about avoiding outward sins, but about guarding our own hearts and motives. Before we address a brother's fault, we must first examine ourselves. Are we acting out of love and a desire for restoration, or out of pride, anger, or a judgmental spirit? The commentary highlights that this self-awareness is key to preventing our own spiritual downfall and ensuring our approach to a sinning brother is constructive, not destructive.
Jesus lays out a clear two-step process for dealing with a sinning brother: rebuke, then forgive. But what's the spirit behind each action?
Jesus provides a pathway for relational restoration that involves both confrontation and compassion.
Rebuke for Restoration
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Forgiveness as Freedom
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 outlines the same process for addressing a brother's sin: first, confront him privately, then with witnesses, and finally, bring it to the church if he remains unrepentant. It emphasizes reconciliation and restoration.
Ephesians 4:32This verse directly links forgiveness with kindness, compassion, and mercy, highlighting that we are to forgive others as God has forgiven us, echoing the conditional forgiveness in Luke 17:3." If he repents, forgive him."
Colossians 3:13This passage provides the motivation for forgiveness, stating 'bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other.' It underscores the importance of mutual forbearance and forgiveness in Christian community.
1 Peter 4:8This verse states, 'Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.' It shows how a strong foundation of love can help in overlooking and forgiving offenses within the community.
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.
Jesus’ instruction to "rebuke him" isn't just about pointing out sin, but about aiming for restoration. The goal is to "gain your brother," meaning to win him back to himself and to God, not to shame him into isolation.
Jesus is teaching his disciples about how to live within God's kingdom, emphasizing practical ethics over abstract theology, especially concerning how they treat each other. He had just warned them against causing others to stumble and against worldly greed, and now he addresses how to handle sin within the community itself, setting a standard for reconciliation and forgiveness. This teaching is crucial for maintaining unity and reflecting God's character within the community of believers.
Jesus is teaching his disciples about how to live within God's kingdom, emphasizing practical ethics over abstract theology, especially concerning how they treat each other. He had just warned them against causing others to stumble and against worldly greed, and now he addresses how to handle sin within the community itself, setting a standard for reconciliation and forgiveness. This teaching is crucial for maintaining unity and reflecting God's character within the community of believers.
"Pay attention to yourselves! If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him," — Jesus’ instruction to "rebuke him" isn't just about pointing out sin, but about aiming for restoration. The goal is to "gain your brother," meaning to win him back to himself and to God, not to shame…
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Last reviewed October 2026