Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary Luke 17:1-4

"And he said unto his disciples, It is impossible but that occasions of stumbling should come; but woe unto him, through whom they come! It were well for him if a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he were thrown into the sea, rather than that he should cause one of these little ones to stumble. 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 17:1-4 (ASV)

(1–3a) Jesus has been addressing the Pharisees since 16:14. Now he resumes his conversation with the disciples, warning them about “things that cause people to sin.” “Woe” recalls 6:24–26. A “millstone” was a stone of sufficient weight to crush grain as it was being rotated in a mill. The “little ones” would seem to be either young or new believers (cf. Matthew 18:1–6) or people whom the world takes little notice of. Since there is no antecedent for “these,” it seems best to take it as referring to people who were actually standing there with Jesus.

(3b-4) Both units of v.3b must be given equal weight. Rebuke of the sinner and forgiveness of the penitent are equally Christian duties. Verse 4 does not, of course, establish a specific number of times for forgiveness but rather shows the principle of being generous in forgiving others (cf. Matthew 6:12). This is the only right response for those who have themselves been forgiven (cf. Matthew 18:21–35).