Church Fathers Commentary Luke 17:3-4

"Take heed to yourselves: if thy brother sin, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him. And if he sin against thee seven times in the day, and seven times turn again to thee, saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him." — Luke 17:3-4 (ASV)

St. Ambrose of Milan: After the parable of the rich man who is tormented in punishment, Christ added a commandment to grant forgiveness to those who turn from their trespasses. This was so that no one, out of despair, would fail to be reclaimed from their fault; for this reason, it is said, Take heed to yourselves.

Theophylact of Ohrid: It is as if He says: Offenses will inevitably come, but it does not follow that you must perish, if only you are on your guard. This is just as the sheep do not have to perish when the wolf comes, if the shepherd is watching. And since there are great varieties of offenders (for some are incurable and some are curable), He therefore adds, If your brother trespass against you, rebuke him.

St. Ambrose of Milan: So that there would be neither a hard-wrung pardon nor an overly easy forgiveness—neither a harsh rebuke that disheartens, nor an overlooking of faults that invites sin—it is therefore said in another place, Tell him his fault between him and you alone.

For a friendly correction is better than a quarrelsome accusation. The first instills shame in a person, while the second stirs up their indignation. The one who is admonished is more likely to be saved, because he fears being destroyed. It is good that the one who is corrected should believe you to be their friend rather than their enemy, for we more readily listen to counsel than yield to injury.

Fear is a weak preserver of consistency, but shame is an excellent master of duty, for the one who fears is only restrained, not amended. But Christ has rightly said, If he trespass against you, because it is not the same thing to sin against God as it is to sin against man.

The Venerable Bede: But we must note that He does not command us to forgive everyone who sins, but only the one who repents of their sins. For by taking this course, we can avoid offenses, hurting no one, correcting the sinner with a righteous zeal, and extending the depths of mercy to the penitent.

Theophylact of Ohrid: But someone may well ask: If I have forgiven my brother several times and he trespasses against me again, what must I do with him? In answer to this question, He therefore adds, And if he trespass against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turn again to you, saying, I repent; forgive him.

The Venerable Bede: By using the number seven, He sets no limit on granting pardon, but commands us either to forgive all sins or to always forgive the penitent. For the number seven frequently represents the whole of something or the entirety of time.

St. Ambrose of Milan: Alternatively, this number is used because God rested on the seventh day from His works. After the seventh day of the world, everlasting rest is promised to us, so that just as the evil works of that world will then cease, so also may the severity of punishment be lessened.