And he said to her, Your sins are forgiven.
Thy.
Matthew 9:2 And, behold, they brought to him a man sick of the palsy, lying on a bed: and Jesus seeing their faith said unto the sick of the palsy; Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee.
Mark 2:5 When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee.
“Your sins are forgiven.”
This declaration by Jesus is profound and central to His ministry. The forgiveness of sins is a key theme throughout the New Testament and is foundational to the Christian faith. In Jewish culture, only God could forgive sins, so Jesus' statement is a direct assertion of His divine authority. This act of forgiveness is not based on the woman's actions but on her faith and repentance, as seen in her previous act of anointing Jesus' feet with perfume and tears. This moment foreshadows the ultimate forgiveness offered through Jesus' sacrificial death and resurrection. It also connects to other scriptures, such as Psalm 103:12, which speaks of God removing our transgressions, and Isaiah 1:18, which promises that though sins are like scarlet, they shall be white as snow. Jesus' pronouncement here is a type of His redemptive work, offering a glimpse of the grace that would be fully realized through the New Covenant.
• 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.”
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.”
• 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.”
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.
(48) Thy sins are forgiven.--Better, as before, Thy sins have been forgiven. The words throw light upon the meaning and force of all like formulae of absolution. It is, perhaps, matter for regret that any other formula, such as the Absolvo te, which dates, be it remembered, from the thirteenth century, has ever been substituted for them. They did not for the first time convey forgiveness. That had been, as the context indicates, sealed and assured before by an unspoken absolution. But they came as words of power from the great Absolver, to banish every lingering doubt or fear, to confirm every faint and trembling hope that had been kindled in the heart of the penitent. He knew the secrets of her soul, and could therefore affirm in the fulness of His knowledge that she fulfilled the conditions of forgiveness. Others, it is clear, can only so affirm in proportion as their insight approximates to His.Verse 48. - And he said unto her, Thy sins are forgiven. Then, turning again to the woman, in her deep penitence, and at the same time in her deep joy - joy springing from her newly found peace - he formally renews to her the assurance of that pardon which she already was conscious of; but in renewing it the Lord mentioned no more "her many sins," as in the first place (ver. 47), but simply, "thy sins," thus reducing, as Stier remarks, at last both her and Simon to a common level.