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Luke 9:51
“Now it came to pass, when the time had come for Him to be received up, that He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem.”

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(NIV)
“… If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him.”

Luke 17:3, when read by itself could be understood to say that we need only forgive someone that has trespassed against is if they are repentant (Sorry) for their transgression against us. This assumption however, is not correct.

To understand Luke 17:3, it’s best, as is often the case to read verses before & after the topical verse to gather in the full context of the scripture. If you read Luke 17:1-10, new light is shed on the “spirit” of Luke 17:3. My understanding then of Luke 17:3 is that the act of forgiving an offender serves two functions:

• the offender is shown mercy through forgiveness
• the offended party practices grace through the act of forgiveness

Additionally the offender can be edified through a forgiveness by the offended party. The offended party in turn, acts as a faithful servant to the Lord as summed up in Luke 17:10 (Jesus speaking)“So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, “We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.’” The thought here is that the lesson of Luke 17:1-10 is that we keep our hearts humble when grace & forgiveness is practiced.

What does it mean to “rebuke”?
When someone has offended you or otherwise trespassed, scripturally we are supposed to rebuke that person. The word “rebuke” means to reprimand sharply. The words “rebuke” & “reprimand” conjure up the mental picture of really laying into someone, dishing out a verbal butt chewing. This is however, not the idea behind the Greek word for “rebuke” which is EPITIMAO. in the context of Luke 17:3 EPITIMAO means to:

• speak frankly
• speak honestly
• speak politely

..as you tell a person how you feel that he has wronged you. So unlike the English translation, the Greek meaning of the word “rebuke” implies censoring a transgressor with love and respect.

To rebuke an offender is not an option, it is what believers are supposed to do. A problem though, is that often people do not want to get into a confrontational situation with others (my hand is raised to this one). Rick Renner, author of Sparkling Gems, offers us 3 steps on how to address the situation , when it’s time to rebuke a person that has offended.

Renner’s 3 Steps to Confronting an Offender

1. Don’t confront anyone until you’ve first made it a matter of prayer.
   1. It allows you to be in a position where God can speak to your heart
   2. You have the benefit of receiving instruction from the Holy Spirit on how to address the situation/offense
   3. Provides a time to pray for your offender
   4. Provides a time of reflection and meditation about the events surrounding the perceived offense

2. Don’t confront anyone with a judgmental attitude.
   1. Everyone makes mistakes
   2. Opens the door to have civil conversation with the offender about the perceived offense
   3. Mitigates the perception of he offender as being an adversary

The true adversary being the devil; who pulls our strings to get us lunging at each other’s throats, & off of God’s agenda!

1. Remember that you too, have been offensive in the past.
   1. Offers another perspective to the situation
   2. Serves as a reminder to practice grace and humility

So what does it mean to forgive?
The word “forgive” comes from the Greek word APHIEMI which means:

• to set free
• to let go
• to release
• to discharge
• to liberate completely

During New Testament times, the word APIEMI (forgive) was used in secular circles in reference to:

• canceling a debt
• releasing someone from a contractual obligation
• releasing someone from a commitment
• releasing someone from a promise

APHIEMI was the idea of totally (unconditionally), freeing & releasing someone. This is the same idea behind how, once we are forgiven of our sins by God, he does not recall them against us, he “forgets” them completely. This is expressed in Psalm 103:12 “as far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgression from us.” This is God’s compassion for his people as sinners!

I got a chuckle from today’s devotional & study due to the irony in the timing of this devotional & an event that took place less than a week earlier. What can I say? I find humor in the oddest of things at times.

Things have been going along fairly well for the past few months. No major confrontations or drama other than the ruptured Achilles tendon in early October. That was until last Thursday evening …

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