What is the meaning of Luke 7:48?

Then

• The word signals a decisive moment following the woman’s humble act of washing Jesus’ feet with her tears (Luke 7:38–47).

• God often waits for the right “then” to declare His grace, as seen when Christ healed the leper “And immediately he was cleansed” (Matthew 8:3).

• This timing shows that genuine repentance and faith precede Christ’s verbal assurance of pardon, echoing Acts 3:19, “Repent, then, and turn back, so that your sins may be wiped away.”

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Jesus

• The authority rests entirely in His person—fully God and fully man—who alone can forgive sins (Mark 2:7-10).

• His willingness to address an outcast woman highlights His heart for the broken, paralleling His encounter with Zacchaeus (Luke 19:10).

• Hebrews 7:25 affirms that “He is able to save completely those who draw near to God through Him,” underscoring His ongoing role as Savior.

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Said to her

• Jesus speaks directly, not through a proxy, demonstrating personal relationship (John 10:3, “He calls His own sheep by name”).

• The public declaration counters the social shame she faced, similar to how He restored the bleeding woman in Luke 8:48.

• Romans 10:17 reminds us that “faith comes by hearing,” and her assurance arrives through Christ’s spoken word.

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Your sins

• The plural “sins” shows comprehensive forgiveness, not a selective pardon (Psalm 103:3, “who forgives all your iniquity”).

• It affirms Romans 3:23-24—the universal problem of sin and the universal offer of grace.

• By naming the issue, Jesus removes any doubt about what is being addressed, as in John 1:29, “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.”

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Are forgiven

• A completed action with ongoing results; the woman’s past no longer defines her future (2 Corinthians 5:17).

• The passive voice points to divine initiative—God acting on her behalf (Ephesians 2:8-9).

• Colossians 2:13-14 parallels this, stating that God “forgave us all our trespasses, having canceled the record of debt.”

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summary

In a single sentence, Jesus publicly seals the woman’s pardon: the timing (“Then”), the Person (“Jesus”), the personal address (“said to her”), the scope (“your sins”), and the final verdict (“are forgiven”). Together these elements reveal a Savior who meets repentant sinners with complete, authoritative, and immediate grace—assurance that remains true for every believer who comes to Him today.