{"id":423,"date":"2025-05-21T03:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-05-21T09:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/reflectivebiblestudy.com\/gospeladventure\/?p=423&2025"},"modified":"2025-05-19T18:00:23","modified_gmt":"2025-05-20T00:00:23","slug":"forgiving-families-luke-17-1-10","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/reflectivebiblestudy.com\/gospeladventure\/forgiving-families-luke-17-1-10\/","title":{"rendered":"Forgiving Families: Luke 17:1-10"},"content":{"rendered":"
Focus Passage: Luke 17:1-10 (NIV)<\/div>
\r\n

1\u00a0<\/sup>Jesus said to his disciples: \u201cThings that cause people to stumble are bound to come, but woe to anyone through whom they come. 2\u00a0<\/sup>It would be better for them to be thrown into the sea with a millstone tied around their neck than to cause one of these little ones to stumble. 3\u00a0<\/sup>So watch yourselves.<\/p>

\u201cIf your brother or sister sins against you, rebuke them; and if they repent, forgive them. 4\u00a0<\/sup>Even if they sin against you seven times in a day and seven times come back to you saying \u2018I repent,\u2019 you must forgive them.\u201d<\/p>

5\u00a0<\/sup>The apostles said to the Lord, \u201cIncrease our faith!\u201d<\/p>

6\u00a0<\/sup>He replied, \u201cIf you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, \u2018Be uprooted and planted in the sea,\u2019 and it will obey you.<\/p>

7\u00a0<\/sup>\u201cSuppose one of you has a servant plowing or looking after the sheep. Will he say to the servant when he comes in from the field, \u2018Come along now and sit down to eat\u2019? 8\u00a0<\/sup>Won\u2019t he rather say, \u2018Prepare my supper, get yourself ready and wait on me while I eat and drink; after that you may eat and drink\u2019? 9\u00a0<\/sup>Will he thank the servant because he did what he was told to do? 10\u00a0<\/sup>So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, \u2018We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\r\n

Read Luke 17:1-10<\/a> in context and\/or in other translations on BibleGateway.com!<\/p><\/div><\/div>\r\n

This journal\u2019s passage contains one of Jesus\u2019 famous statements on forgiveness. However, too often, we are quick to generalize and broaden Jesus\u2019 words when we should instead keep them as specific as He spoke them.<\/p>\r\n

In verses 3-4, Jesus says, \u201cIf your brother or sister sins against you, rebuke them; and if they repent, forgive them. Even if they sin against you seven times in a day and seven times come back to you saying \u2018I repent,\u2019 you must forgive them.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\r\n

The difference I see in what this passage says when compared with how we see it is important. Jesus says \u201cbrother\u201d (some translations, like the NIV, include sister); and we immediately generalize His use of this word to mean spiritual \u201cbrothers\u201d (fellow Christians), neighbor \u201cbrothers\u201d (those living near us), or teammate \u201cbrothers\u201d (those we work\/play with). However, Jesus says \u201cbrothers\u201d, and while all the previous descriptions could work, the most often ignored is the biological family \u201cbrothers or sisters\u201d.<\/p>\r\n

The reason I think this passage refers first to the biological family is this: If someone sins against you and you then rebuke them, afterwards, if they repent and the relationship persists, then all is well; but if they repeatedly sin against you, you still must rebuke them, but they will be less likely to repent, and the relationship will likely end. But biological family members (\u201cbrothers and sisters\u201d) often have arguments, fights, disagreements, but ending the relationship technically isn\u2019t possible because of the biological connection. One could disown a family member, cutting all communication with them, but ignoring the other person does not break the connection that is still there.<\/p>\r\n

It also is possible that Jesus said \u201cbrother\u201d because He knew families are prone to having the most fights, disagreements, and arguments of any of the relationships. As the saying goes, \u201cYou can pick your friends, but not your family.\u201d This means that while forgiveness is important in friendships, it is significantly more important in families.<\/p>\r\n

Jesus came and died for you and your brothers and sisters. If God loves them that much, we should be willing to work out our differences.<\/p>\r\n

Also with how this passage is worded, it implies that forgiveness isn\u2019t necessary if the other person doesn\u2019t repent. I see forgiveness being an internal decision, whereas working on the relationship is an external decision. If there is no way the person who sinned can repay their debt, then we should forgive, regardless of whether they asked or not because this frees us from the trap of bitterness. Only if they come to us and repent should we then be open to working on the relationship.<\/p>\r\n

Forgiveness and repentance is important in friendships, and it is really, really important in families.<\/strong><\/p>\r\n

This thought was inspired by studying the Walking With Jesus<\/strong> \u201cReflective Bible Study\u201d package. To discover insights like this in your own study time, click here<\/a> and give Reflective Bible Study a try today!<\/em><\/p>

Subscribe<\/a> to this blog and never miss an insight.<\/em><\/p><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"This journal\u2019s passage contains one of Jesus\u2019 famous statements on forgiveness. However, too often, we are quick to generalize and broaden Jesus\u2019 words when we should instead keep them as specific as He spoke them. 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