Thus far in Luke 7, we’ve seen several ways that Jesus validated his claim to be the Messiah. He’s healed the sick, raised the dead, cast out evil spirits and gave sight to the blind. He assured John the Baptist that faith in him was not misplaced.

In this final section of this chapter, Jesus will do something else to prove that faith in him is not misplaced—he’ll demonstrate his authority to forgive sins.

[Before we get into the passage too far, we should be aware that there are two other stories in the Gospels that sound a lot like this one (Mt 26:6-13//Mk 14:3-9; John 12:1-8) but are not the same historical event. The passage we’re considering today is found only in Luke, not in the other Gospels. This account happened at Simon the Pharisee’s house somewhere near Galilee, probably in Capernaum. This is the only record we have of this event.]

This passage is all about a penitent damsel at a dinner party. And the main theme is Jesus’ mercy and grace. When people come to Jesus with humble, repentant faith, he will forgive their sins and grant them salvation and peace. No matter what the extent of your sin, you can find forgiveness with Jesus.

Let’s see how this story plays out and what we can learn from it.