So watch yourselves. “If your brother or sister sins against you, rebuke them; and if they repent, forgive them.” Luke 17:3
“If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother.” Matthew 18:15
“Luke’s ‘if he should repent’ gives way to ‘if he should listen to you’. Matthew often stresses hearing the word as a true learner. ‘Forgive him’ becomes the happy declaration ‘you have gained your brother’.”
Robert Horton Gundry in Matthew: A Commentary on His Handbook for a Mixed Church Under Persecution (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1994) 367.
Here again the word ‘gain’ appears as a verb in the biblical narrative. This time it’s associated with a benefit of extending forgiveness. We gain a brother or sister.
The greatest act of generosity extended to all people is the gift of forgiveness of sins from Jesus Christ. Here, true learners discover that forgiveness is a gift we get to give others.
How does this relate to generosity? In the family of God, we need to forgive one another generously like Christ forgave us. When we do we ‘gain’ relationship rather than lose it. But is this optional?
Jesus tells us that if we don’t forgive others, our own forgiveness may be in jeopardy (Matthew 6:15), so we must watch ourselves and be quick to extend the generous gift of forgiveness that we have received.
True learners, don’t miss this: when we extend forgiveness we reveal the evidence that we ourselves have received forgiveness. Forgiven people forgive, and they gain as a result!
Speaking of brothers and sisters, today’s my sister’s birthday. Happy Birthday Heather! Thanks for the times you forgave me over the years when I was a difficult baby brother! I love you.