Luke 17:1

Warnings from Jesus

1 He said to His disciples, "Offenses ^[a] will certainly come, ^[b] but woe to the one they come through!

Luke 17:1 Meaning and Commentary

Luke 17:1

Then said he unto 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)

Luke 17:1 In-Context

1 He said to His disciples, "Offenses will certainly come, but woe to the one they come through!

2 It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea than for him to cause one of these little ones to stumble.

3 Be on your guard. If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him.

4 And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and comes back to you seven times, saying, 'I repent,' you must forgive him."

5 The apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith."

Footnotes

• [a]. Or Traps, or Bait-sticks, or Causes of stumbling, or Causes of sin
• [b]. Lit It is impossible for offenses not to come