Luke 17:4 - Printer Friendly

ESV: and if he sins against you seven times in the day, and turns to you seven times, saying, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him.”

NIV: Even if they sin against you seven times in a day and seven times come back to you saying 'I repent,' you must forgive them.'

NASB: And if he sins against you seven times a day, and returns to you seven times, saying, ‘I repent,’ you shall forgive him.'

CSB: And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and comes back to you seven times, saying, 'I repent,' you must forgive him."

NLT: Even if that person wrongs you seven times a day and each time turns again and asks forgiveness, you must forgive.'

KJV: And if he trespass against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turn again to thee, saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him.

NKJV: And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day returns to you, saying, ‘I repent,’ you shall forgive him.”

Luke finishes his collection of Jesus' teachings on sin with the difficult command to forgive. Jesus is talking about a "brother"—a fellow Christian—who sins against another Christian. The victim of the sin is obliged to "rebuke" the offender—to strongly show disapproval. Even while dealing with the wounds of sin, the victim needs to show kindness, love, humility, patience, and beneficence (Ephesians 4:15, 32; Galatians 6:1; 1 Thessalonians 5:14–15).

But there is a requirement: the offender must repent. To repent is to turn away from wrong action or wrong belief, including remorse and agreement that the sin was wrong and undesirable. The wording doesn't indicate if Jesus is referring to the same sin committed seven times a day—like lying—or several different sins. It's probably the latter, but the same lesson applies.

On another occasion, Jesus tells Peter to forgive someone "seventy-seven times," or possibly "seventy times seven times." Either is nonliteral: the point is that we are to forgive every time (Matthew 18:21–22). In that passage, Jesus goes on to give the parable of the unforgiving servant. That lesson teaches that our offenses against God are monumental compared to anything another person might do to us. If God can forgive us, we need to forgive others. If we don't, we create a relational break between ourselves and God (Matthew 18:23–35).

Of course, constant sin—even with repentance—comes with consequences. Someone may struggle with foul language; even though they are sincerely trying to do better, discernment and common sense say such a person is not a good candidate to teach preschoolers. Nor do we let a spiritually immature man—sincere and improving or not—be an elder (1 Timothy 3:1–7; Titus 1:6–9). Repentance doesn't eliminate the requirement for church discipline or restricted responsibilities.

Luke 17:1–10 appears to be a series of unrelated, non-chronological lessons that Jesus taught throughout His earthly ministry. That doesn't mean the Holy Spirit, through Luke, didn't have a plan. Some Bible scholars believe it's not a coincidence that this difficult call to forgiveness is followed by the disciples asking Jesus to increase their faith (Luke 17:5–6).

Luke 17:1–4 records Jesus' comments about sin from three different angles. First is our responsibility not to teach something leading others astray. Second is our responsibility to confront others with their sin. Third is our responsibility to forgive those who repent of their sin. These topics are also covered in Matthew 18:7, 15–22 and Mark 9:42. Luke completes this section of teachings on kingdom living with Jesus' words about the power of faith and our humble position before God (Luke 17:5–10).

In his gospel, Luke has often arranged events by theme rather than by strict time order. That seems likely here with a series of teachings about living as Christ followers and ambassadors of God. Christians ought to be careful not to poison the faith of others. Faith is powerful. God's servants should not demand extravagant treatment in return. After healing ten lepers—only one of whom offers thanks—Jesus discusses the state of the world at His future second coming.

Luke 17 continues Jesus' teaching about how to live as citizens and ambassadors of the kingdom of God. Luke 15 describes God's love for the lost. Chapter 16 teaches earthly blessings are far inferior to heavenly rewards. Here, He exhorts His followers to lead well, serve humbly, give thanks, and watch for His second coming. In Luke 18, Jesus gives a series of comparisons to show how we are to approach God—as He approaches Jerusalem and the cross.

Luke was a traveling companion of Paul (Acts 16:10) and a physician (Colossians 4:14). Unlike Matthew, Mark, and John, Luke writes his gospel as an historian, rather than as a first-hand eyewitness. His extensive writings also include the book of Acts (Acts 1:1–3). These are deliberately organized, carefully researched accounts of those events. The gospel of Luke focuses on the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ. Luke's Gentile perspective presents Christ as a Savior for all people, offering both forgiveness and direction to those who follow Him.