What is the context?
Jesus now speaks to His disciples. He warns that stumbling blocks will come, but that causing another person to stumble carries grave responsibility. The image of a millstone and the sea makes the warning especially forceful: His little ones must not be treated as expendable.
He then tells the disciples to watch themselves, confront a brother’s sin and forgive when he repents. Correction and forgiveness belong together. Jesus does not tell them to pretend that no wrong occurred, and repeated wrongdoing does not give them permission to refuse repeated repentance.
The Greek word behind rebuke is ἐπιτιμάω, epitimaō (eh-pee-tee-MAH-oh), meaning to rebuke or speak a firm correction. The word does not itself mean removing someone from a teaching office; the instruction concerns a brother who sins. (Thayer, Greek 2008)
How is this passage commonly understood?
Christian readings commonly see these sayings as a call to take the harm of sin seriously, correct a fellow believer and extend forgiveness rather than keep a limit on mercy. Wesley applies the warning to weaker believers and reads the repeated forgiveness as a response to genuine repentance, while also calling for goodwill toward those who have not repented. (Wesley on Luke 17:1–4)
Where does this fit in God's plan?
Ephesians describes a people whose shared life reflects the forgiveness they have received in Christ. Truthful speech, kindness and care for one another replace bitterness and destructive words. That wider picture helps explain why Jesus joins responsibility for others with a readiness to forgive: the people God is bringing together are to make His mercy visible in their relationships. (Ephesians 4:25–32)
What is our position?
We don't have a position on this passage yet. When our study reaches a conclusion the text supports, it will appear here.