Forming Faith Blog

Limiting Faith to Forgiveness (Luke 7)

Posted on February 11 2025 by Gregory Rawn

We can be hyperfocused on limiting the Christian faith to our sin and God’s forgiveness. Instead, we can emphasize the effects of Jesus’ forgiveness on the woman: reconciliation and healing.

A woman leaning on a pew in a church, perhaps needing the healing touch of forgiveness.
Photo by cottonbro studio on Pexels.com
Jesus Revealed 

The season of/after Epiphany is almost over. Transfiguration Sunday is next week, and Ash Wednesday is a few days later. Since Christmas, we have been getting to know Jesus as a rabbi with disciples, Lord of the Sabbath (and annoyer of the Pharisees), healer and raiser of the dead, and the type of Messiah who serves rather than rebels. Now we move to a miracle-free story set at a dinner party.

The Focus on Forgiveness (and Sin)

Feel free to disagree with me, but in my experience, Western Christianity has a bit of a hyperfocus on sin (and forgiveness). There are some excellent reasons for this, both from Scripture (say hello, Paul) and history. In fact, we often boil down the entire gospel message to “Jesus forgives your sins,” and focus Jesus’ incarnation on him dying to give us this forgiveness. According to these traditions, God’s law (oversimplified) is foremost for pointing out when and where you sin. And life beyond that is trying to avoid sinning. Books upon books can focus on this, but this becomes a very one-dimensional way of life and faith.

Not Jesus’ Ministry Focus

Today’s story is about Jesus, an infamously “sinful” woman, and a judgmental Pharisee. It is a story about forgiveness. But as I was reflecting on this, I realized how little sin and forgiveness have shown up in the Narrative Lectionary Gospel lessons so far this year. I did a very quick and sloppy skim through the Gospel of Luke, and I identified only seven verses or passages about God/Jesus forgiving sins beyond today’s story:

  1. Zechariah’s prophecy about his son John (Luke 1:77)
  2. Jesus forgives the paralyzed man whose friends had lowered him through the roof (Luke 5:17-26)
  3. The petition of the Lord’s Prayer (Luke 11:4)
  4. Jesus says that speaking against the Son of Man can be forgiven but blasphemy against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven (Luke 12:10)
  5. The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector (Luke 18:9-14, though the connection is actually more oblique than I remembered)
  6. The crucified Jesus asks God to forgive his executioners (Luke 23:34)
  7. Part of the resurrected Jesus’ commission of the apostles (Luke 24:47)

In the Gospel of Luke (and I would surmise in the Gospels of Matthew and Mark, too), Jesus didn’t focus much on forgiveness. Don’t get me wrong; it is clear that forgiveness of sin is important, especially in the bookends of Zechariah’s prophecy (Luke 1:77) and Jesus’ commission (Luke 24:47). But sin and forgiveness seem to be only one of many dimensions of Jesus’ ministry and work.

Forgiveness as Reconciliation

Today’s story focuses on sin and forgiveness. The editors’ heading is even “A Sinful Woman Forgiven.” But we are neither told what sin she is guilty of nor what the worst part of this is for her. Many people assume that her sin is sexual in nature (probably not just because people assume that a woman known to be sinful has to be a prostitute or at least an adulteress), but that’s a detail that didn’t matter to Luke.

But we see that, whatever she is infamous for, she feels horrible about it. We can see a hint of one aspect of this in Simon’s reaction:

Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw it, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would have known who and what kind of woman this is who is touching him—that she is a sinner.”

Luke 7:39

In his view, if Jesus was truly supernaturally gifted, he would have known “what kind of woman” she was and stayed away from her. She has been cut off and ostracized from her community. In this case, as with the cases of Jesus calling for people to forgive each other, the forgiveness would have been at least in part intended to reconcile and reconnect her to her community. Jesus affirms that she is not a lesser person, but one loved and forgiven by God. Even if her community doesn’t listen to Jesus, the woman knows she is reconciled to God. 

Forgiveness as Healing

Much of Jesus’ physical (non-teaching) ministry revolves around healing illnesses, injuries, and mental/emotional distress (as caused by unclean spirits, according to the Gospel). You can see forgiveness here as one more aspect of healing. The woman is hurting, in a great deal of emotional pain. In his simple yet authoritative declaration, Jesus removes the cause of her pain. He heals her of whatever guilt or shame she is suffering.

Faith Formation Connection

What does this mean for us? As I reflected last week, I think God’s love (grace, mercy) meets us where we are and addresses our needs. If someone in your care feels guilty or ashamed, declare to them the complete forgiveness of their sins! But if someone doesn’t feel that, I would be very hesitant to make them feel guilty or ashamed to declare God’s forgiveness. They are likely feeling something else that needs the touch of God’s love. Are they lonely? Are they brokenhearted? Are they hurt in some way? Show them God’s love however they need it.

In Christ’s transforming love,

Gregory Rawn (Publisher)

Download a FREE activity for 2/23/2025
Free Resource

During the main Narrative Lectionary year (September 8 to June 8), we provide a free resource download from one of our products to help you in your faith formation ministry. This week, download the activity “Forgiveness Prayer” from our Living the Word: Kids (3rd-6th, NL) curriculum (2024-2025) and (2025-2026). This activity can be adapted for use with older elementary students through adults! 

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