The Peace of the Forgiver; Luke 7:48-50

Delivered during the Sunday morning worship service, 8/28/2022. As Luke brings this epic story of the woman who washed Jesus' feet with her tears to a close, the focus turns once again to Jesus as Messiah. When He tells this woman of ill-repute directly that her sins are forgiven, the table full of Pharisees reacts indignantly, questioning His authority to claim a power that is God's alone. Then, in a masterful shift, Luke introduces for the first time in his Gospel the idea of saving faith, as Jesus tells the woman that her faith has saved her. We will analyze Luke's discussion of faith to this point in his Gospel and try to understand what kind of faith the woman had and where it came from. And finally, we will turn our attention to Jesus' glorious parting statement as He bids the woman to "go in peace". After completing the exposition of the text we will incorporate Jesus' well-known teaching of the "narrow gate" to help illustrate the life change this woman faces, and the nature of the perfect peace that Jesus the Forgiver offers His forgiven.