If Your Brother Trespass Against You - Luke 17:3

The beloved physician Luke wrote how Jesus said, “unto the disciples, It is impossible but that offenses will come: but woe unto him, through whom they come. It were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he cast into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones”, and in chapter seventeen and verse three of his book Luke wrote how Jesus said, “if your brother trespass against you, rebuke him … and forgive him” where we read:

Take heed to yourselves: If your brother trespass against you, rebuke him;

and if he repent, forgive him.

The verse reads, “Take heed to yourselves: If your brother trespass against you, rebuke him;” Luke began with the words, “take heed to yourselves” or “give attention to and devote thought and effort to the disciples of Jesus' own sake”: “if your brother trespass against you” which means “whether one of Jesus' disciples fellow believers who is united to another by the bond of affection miss the mark, err, sin and wander from the path of uprightness and honor against the disciple”, “rebuke him” or “chide, reprove, censure severely and admonish or charge sharply the one who made the mistake and erred against the disciple”. Luke shared how Jesus warned His disciples that “if” their “fellow believers” made mistakes or “sinned” against them, they were to confront their offender.

The verse continues, “and if he repent, forgive him.” Luke added the words, “and if he repent” or “and whether the offender changes his mind and heartily amends with abhorrence their sin”, “forgive him” which means “let alone, let be, free and relieve the offender”. Luke shared how Jesus instructed His disciples to “free and relieve” the person who “offends” them if they “turn away” from their sinful way.

When we think through Luke's words in this verse, we learn what Jesus told His disciples to do when they are “offended” by their “fellow believers”. First, they are to “confront” the person, and if the offender “turns away” from their wrong, “forgive” them. No one is exempt from sinful behavior, (there is none righteous, no, not one and all have sinned and come short of the glory of God” See Romans 3:10 and 3:23), and many times this behavior is “offensive” to others. Next, when Jesus' disciples are “offended”, they are to engage the person who “offended” them and should they “repent”, Jesus' disciples are to “forgive” them. God loves every person, and every offense they make is against Him. Those who are wise will extend the same “forgiveness” they desire from God to those who “offend” them, and may all who read these words learn and act with the same grace and mercy they receive from God.

Next time Luke shares how Jesus says, “If he trespass against you seven times a day … you shall forgive him” so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore. All references are from "Strongs Concordance".