Why Jesus Forgiving Sin Proves He Is God

He Didn’t Just Forgive Her… He Proved Who He Is

She walked into the room uninvited, unclean, and unwanted. And yet, she walked straight to Jesus anyway.

Luke 7:36-8:3 drops us into a moment that exposes the heart of man and reveals the authority of Christ in a way you cannot ignore. A Pharisee named Simon invites Jesus to eat, but his hospitality is cold, calculated, and empty. Then comes a woman known in the city as a sinner. No name given, just a reputation. And she brings something Simon never did. Brokenness.

The Scripture says, “And, behold, a woman in the city, which was a sinner… brought an alabaster box of ointment, And stood at his feet behind him weeping, and began to wash his feet with tears” ~Luke 7:37-38. She is not performing. She is undone. Her tears are her confession. Her actions are her repentance.

Simon watches and judges. Not her, but Jesus. “This man, if he were a prophet, would have known who and what manner of woman this is” ~Luke 7:39. He thinks Jesus lacks discernment. In reality, Simon lacks truth.

Jesus answers with a parable about two debtors. One owed much, the other little. Both were forgiven. Then He asks the question that cuts through religious pride. “Which of them will love him most?” ~Luke 7:42. Simon answers correctly, but he does not see himself in it.

Then Jesus turns the whole room upside down. He contrasts Simon’s empty religion with her genuine repentance. No water for His feet. No kiss. No oil. But this woman has not stopped weeping, kissing, and anointing. And then comes the statement that reveals exactly who Jesus is.

“Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven” ~Luke 7:47.

That is not the language of a mere teacher. That is divine authority. The scribes were right in another place when they asked, “Who can forgive sins but God only?” ~Mark 2:7. And here Jesus does exactly that. He does not point her somewhere else. He does not tell her to go perform something. He declares forgiveness Himself.

Then He says it plainly to her, “Thy sins are forgiven” ~Luke 7:48. And again, “Thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace” ~Luke 7:50.

This is God in the flesh. No prophet speaks like this. No man has that authority. Jesus is not just revealing God’s will. He is exercising God’s power.

And notice the order. Forgiveness comes first. Love follows. Jesus says, “to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little” ~Luke 7:47. The issue is not how bad her sin was compared to others. The issue is how clearly she saw it. She knew her debt. Simon did not.

That is why she clung to Christ, and Simon critiqued Him.

Then Luke moves forward and shows us something just as powerful. Jesus is not alone. “The twelve were with him, And certain women… Mary called Magdalene… and Joanna… and Susanna, and many others, which ministered unto him of their substance” ~Luke 8:1-3.

These are people who had been changed. Delivered. Healed. Freed. And now they follow Him, serve Him, and support the ministry. That is the fruit of real salvation. Not empty words. A changed life that orbits around Christ.

This passage forces a question. Which one are you?

Are you standing at a distance, analyzing Jesus, keeping your reputation intact, but your heart untouched? Or are you like this woman, fully aware of your sin, fully dependent on His mercy, and willing to lay everything down at His feet?

Scripture makes it plain. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins” ~1 John 1:9. But that confession is not casual. It is broken, honest, and real. God is not impressed with religious form. He responds to a humbled heart. “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart… thou wilt not despise” ~Psalm 51:17.

This is where many miss it. They want forgiveness without repentance. Peace without surrender. Jesus does not separate those. This woman came low, and she left forgiven.

And here is the weight of it. If Jesus has the authority to forgive sin, then He has the authority over your life. You do not get to receive Him as Savior and ignore Him as Lord. The same voice that said “thy sins are forgiven” is the voice that calls you to follow Him.

Tomorrow’s passage will keep pressing that line. But for now, let this sit on you.

If you truly know what you’ve been forgiven from… does your life show it?

See Jesus is God – Click Here

Read / Listen
Deuteronomy 7:1-8:20
Luke 7:36-8:3
Psalm 69:1-18
Proverbs 12:1

Know therefore that the LORD your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations, and repays to their face those who hate him, by destroying them. He will not be slack with one who hates him. He will repay him to his face. ~ Deuteronomy 7:9-10

Do you love God? Are you trying to obey God? If so, know and read the bible yourself to know what and how to obey Him.  Know what the truth is, don’t take someone else’s word for it. 

New Testament

Luke 7:36-8:3
  

Summary
A Sinful Woman Forgiven
Women Accompanying Jesus

Overview: Luke 1-9  Video

 
The Transformed Sinner

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Dr. J. Vernon McGee – Thru the Bible

 

08-11 – J Vernon Mcgee – Thru the Bible

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