John Gill Commentary Luke 17

Then said he to his disciples
In the Alexandrian copy, and in "three" of Beza's exemplars it is read, "his disciples"; and so read the Vulgate Latin, and all the Oriental versions; that is, Jesus said to his disciples what follows, as the Syriac and Persic versions express, and the latter reads, he said "again". About the time that he delivered the above parable concerning the rich man and Lazarus, he repeated to his disciples what he had before said to them on another occasion, (Matthew 18:7)

it is impossible but that offences will come ;
considering the decree of God, the malice of Satan, the wickedness of men, the corruption both of their principles and practices. The Ethiopic version renders it, "temptation will come"; that which will be trying to the faith of the saints, and a stumblingblock to weak minds, as reproach and persecution, errors, and heresies, and the evil lives of professors:

but woe [unto him] through whom they come ;
(See Gill on Matthew 18:7)

It were better for him that a millstone
(See Gill on Matthew 18:6) and (See Gill on Mark 9:42).

Take heed to yourselves .
&c.] Or to one another, that you neither give, nor take offence. Take heed to your spirits, to your doctrines, walk, and conversation, that you give no offence to any, that you are not stumbled by what you shall see in, and meet with from others:

if your brother trespass against you; (See Gill on Matthew 18:15)

rebuke him ;
privately, and proceed according to the rules there directed to; lay his sin before him; endeavour not only to convince him of the fact, but of the evil of it; how contrary to the will of God; how unbecoming the Gospel of Christ, and the profession he makes; how hurtful to himself, as well as injurious to his brother; and how such evils give the enemy occasion to reproach the saints, to speak evil of the ways of God, and blaspheme the name and doctrines of Christ, and harden sinners in their sins, as well as stumble weak Christians, and sadden the hearts of the righteous.

And if he repent ;
if he is made sensible of his evil, and is truly sorry for it, and ingenuously acknowledges it:

forgive him ;
the injury committed against a man's self; and pray to God for him, for an application of his pardoning grace and mercy to him; and comfort him with the hope of forgiveness with God, by the gracious promises and declarations of pardon made to such persons; drop all resentment and anger, and behave towards him with all sweetness of temper, and affability, and respect: and this is to be done immediately, as soon as a man repents:

And so say the Jews ^F16 ; says R. Chanina bar Papa, whoever commits a thing, and repents of it, they forgive him directly; as it is said, (Malachi 3:5) "and fear not me": lo, they that fear me, forgive immediately:'' such were reckoned good men, men fearing God.

FOOTNOTES:

• F16: T. Bab. Chagiga, fol. 5. 1.

And if he trespass against thee seven times in a day ,
&c.] For good men are frequently apt to fall into sin, and offend both God and man; see (Proverbs 24:16) "and seven times in a day turn again to thee, saying, I repent"; as often as he sins, and appears to be truly sensible of it, and humble for it, and makes acknowledgments of it; and not only barely in words professes his concern for it, but there is reason to believe that he is heartily grieved for it, and to hope that he will behave better for the future:

you shall forgive him ;
this seems to be occasioned by Peter's putting such a question to Christ, how often a brother might sin against him, and he forgive him; see (Matthew 18:21Matthew 18:22) . The Jews plead for great tenderness and readiness to forgive penitents, when they ask for forgiveness; which they insist upon should be done: they say ^F17 ,``it is forbidden an injured person to be cruel, and not forgive; this is not the way of the seed of Israel: but when he that has done the injury asks of him, and prays him once and again, and he knows that he has returned from his sin, and has repented of his evil, he ought to forgive him; and whoever makes haste to forgive, is praiseworthy.'' But then, they say <sup>F18</sup> , ``if he brings all the rams of Nebaioth that are in the world, he is not to have pardon, unless he asks it of him.'' And they seem also to have set times for it, as well as restrain the frequent repetition of it: they observe ^F19 ; ``if a man returns by repentance, in the intermediate time, (i.e. as the gloss explains it, between the beginning of the year, or New Year's Day, and the day of atonement,) they pardon him; but if he does not return in the intermediate time, though he brings all the rams of Nebaioth in the world, they do not pardon him.''

A man that was always forgiving, was reckoned by them an extraordinary man: it is said ^F20 of Mar Zutra bar Nachman, that he was (Mwy lkb lxwm) , "forgiving every day"; but yet they do not seem to care to carry it to so great a length, and to repeat it so often as our Lord directs; they allow a man to forgive three times, but not a fourth; (See Gill on Matthew 18:22).

FOOTNOTES:

• F17: Maimon. Hilchot Chobel Umezik, c. 5. sect. 10.
• F18: T. Bab. Bava Kama, fol. 92. 1.
• F19: T. Bab. Rosh Hashama, fol. 17. 2.
• F20: Juchasin, fol. 90. 2.

And the apostles said unto the Lord Either on account of what was now said by Christ concerning offences, and forgiving injuries; being conscious to themselves of their own weakness to withstand temptations; and fearful lest they should be stumbled and offended with what they should meet with; or that they should give offence to others:

and being also sensible of what spirits they were of, and of the difficulties of conquering them, and mastering the resentment of their minds, when injured and provoked; and also the necessity of divine assistance, of having fresh supplies of grace, and of having their graces, and particularly faith, strengthened, and drawn into a lively exercise; or on account of their not being able to cast out a devil from one that was possessed, (Matthew 17:19Matthew 17:20) when words, to the same purpose, were spoken by Christ, as in the following verse; on occasion of one or other of these, though more likely the former, the apostles addressed Christ in this manner,

increase our faith ; both the faith of working miracles, and the grace of believing in him: by which, as they express their sense of the weakness, and imperfection of their faith; and their great desire to have it increased, which might be for their comfort, and his glory; so they acknowledge his divine power, and that he is the author and finisher of faith; and that as the beginning, so the increase of it is from him:

wherefore faith is not of a man's self, or the produce of man's freewill and power, but is the gift of God; and even where it is, it is not in man to increase it, or add to it, or to draw it forth into exercise; this also is the operation of God. And if the apostles had need to put up such a petition to Christ, much more reason have other men.