The Art of Forgiveness
Luke’s Gospel – New Revised Standard Version

Text

Notes

S

ONG OF

Z

ECHARIAH

L

UKE

1:

67

Then [John’s] father Zechariah was filled with the Holy

Spirit and spoke this prophecy:

68

“Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has looked fa vorably

on his people and redeemed them.

69

He has raised up a mighty

savior for us in the house of his servant David,

70

as he spoke

through the mouth of his holy prophets from of old,

71

that we

would be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who
hate us.

72

Thus he has shown the mercy promised to our

ancestors, and has remembered his holy covenant,

73

the oath that

he swore to our ancestor Abraham, to grant us

74

that we, being

rescued from the hands of our enemies, might serve him without
fear,

75

in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.

76

And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for
you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways,

77

to give

knowledge of salvation to his people by the forgiveness of their
sins.

78

By the tender mercy of our God, the dawn from on high

will break upon us,

79

to give light to those who sit in darkness and

in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace. ”


J

OHN

’

S

M

INISTRY

L

UKE

3:

1

In the fifteenth year of the reign of Emperor Tiberius,

when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was ruler of
Galilee, and his brother Philip ruler of the region of Ituraea and
Trachonitis, and Lysanias ruler of Abilene,

2

during the high

priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John
son of Zechariah in the wilderness.

3

He went into all the region

around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for
the forgiveness of sins,

4

as it is written in the book of the words

of the prophet Isaiah, “The voice of one crying out in the
wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.

5

Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be

made low, and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough
ways made smooth;

6

and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.’”

F

ORGIVE AND YOU WILL BE FORGIVEN

L

UKE

6: [Jesus said,]

27

“But I say to you that listen, Love your

enemies, do good to those who hate you,

28

bless those who curse

you, pray for those who abuse you.

29

If anyone strikes you on the

cheek, offer the other also; and from anyone who takes away your
coat do not withhold even your shirt.

30

Give to everyone who

begs from you; and if anyone takes away your goods, do not ask
for them again.

31

Do to others as you would have them do to you.

32

“If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For

even sinners love those who love them.

33

If you do good to those

who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do
the same.

34

If you lend to those from whom you hope to receive,

what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to receive
as much again.

35

But love your enemies, do good, and lend,

expecting nothing in return. Your reward will be great, and you
will be children of the Most Hig h; for he is kind to the ungrateful
and the wicked.

36

Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

37

“Do not judge, and you will not be judged; do not condemn, and

you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven;

38

give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down,
shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap; for the
measure you give will be the measure you get back.”


A

P

HARISEE AND A

W

OMAN IN THE

C

ITY

L

UKE

7:

36

One of the Pharisees asked Jesus to eat with him, and

he went into the Pharisee’s house and took his place at the table.

37

And a woman in the city, who was a sinner, having learned that he
was eating in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster jar of
ointment.

38

She stood behind him at his feet, weeping, and began

to bathe his feet with her tears and to dry them with her hair. Then
she continued kissing his feet and anointing them with the
ointment.

39

Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw it,

he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would have
known who and what kind of woman this is who is touching him --
that she is a sinner.”

40

Jesus spoke up and said to him, “Simon, I have something to say

to you.”
“Teacher,” he replied, “Speak.”

41

“A certain creditor had two debtors; one owed five hundred

denarii, and the other fifty.

42

When they could not pay, he

canceled the debts for both of them. Now which of them will love
him more?”

43

Simon answered, “I suppose the one for whom he canceled the

greater debt. ”
And Jesus sa id to him, “You have judged rightly.”

44

Then turning toward the woman, he said to Simon, “Do you see

this woman? I entered your house; you gave me no water for my
feet, but she has bathed my feet with her tears and dried them with
her hair.

45

You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in she

has not stopped kissing my feet.

46

You did not anoint my head

with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment.

47

Therefore,

I tell you, her sins, which were many, have been forgiven; hence
she has shown great love. But the one to whom little is forgiven,
loves little.”

48

Then he said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”

49

But those

who were at the table with him began to say among themselves,

“Who is this who even forgives sins?”

50

And he said to the

woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace. ”


T

HE

L

ORD

’

S

P

RAYER

L

UKE

11:

1

He was praying in a certain place, and after he had

finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray,
as John taught his disciples. ”

2

He said to them, “Whe n you pray, say: Father, hallowed be your

name. Your kingdom come.

3

Give us each day our daily bread.

4

And forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone
indebted to us. And do not bring us to the time of trial.”


T

HE

P

RODIGAL AND

H

IS

B

ROTHER

L

UKE

15:

11

Then Jesus said, “There was a man who had two sons.

12

The younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the

share of the property that will belong to me.’ So he divided his
property between them.

13

A few days later the younger son

gathered all he had and traveled to a distant country, and there he
squandered his property in dissolute living.

14

When he had spent

everything, a severe famine took place throughout that country,
and he began to be in need.

15

So he went and hired himself out to

one of the citizens of that country, who sent him to his fields to
feed the pigs.

16

He would gladly have filled himself with the pods

that the pigs were eating; and no one gave him anything.

17

But

when he came to himself he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired
hands have bread enough and to spare, but here I am dying of
hunger!

18

I will get up and go to my father, and I will say to him,

“Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you;

19

I am no

longer worthy to be called your son; treat me like one of your hired
hands.”’

20

So he set off and went to his father. But while he was

still far off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion; he
ran and put his arms around him and kissed him.

21

Then the son

said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before
you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son. ’

22

But the

father said to his slaves, ‘Quickly, bring out a robe -- the best one -
- and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet.

23

And get the fatted calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate;

24

for this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is
found!’ And they began to celebrate.

25

“Now his elder son was in the field; and when he came and

approached the house, he heard music and dancing.

26

He called

one of the slaves and asked what was going on.

27

He replied,

‘Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fatted calf,
because he has got him back safe and sound.’

28

Then he became

angry and refused to go in. His father came out and began to plead
with him.

29

But he answered his father, ‘Listen! For all these

years I have been working like a slave for you, and I have never

disobeyed your command; yet you have never given me even a
young goat so that I might celebrate with my friends.

30

But when

this son of yours came back, who has devoured your property with
prostitutes, you killed the fatted calf for him!’

31

Then the father

said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is
yours.

32

But we had to celebrate and rejoice, because this brother

of yours was dead and has come to life; he was lost and has been
found.’”


A

R

ICH

M

AN AND

H

IS

M

ANAGER

L

UKE

16:

1

Then Jesus said to the disciples, “There was a rich man

who had a manager, and charges were brought to him that this man
was squandering his property.

2

So he summoned him and said to

him, ‘What is this that I hear about you? Give me an accounting of
your management, because you cannot be my manager any
longer.’

3

Then the manager said to himself, ‘What will I do, now

that my master is taking the position away from me? I am not
strong enough to dig, and I am ashamed to beg.

4

I have decided

what to do so that, when I am dismissed as manager, people may
welcome me into their homes. ’

5

So, summoning his master’s

debtors one by one, he asked the first, ‘How much do you owe my
master?’

6

He answered, ‘A hundred jugs of olive oil.’ He said to

him, ‘Take your bill, sit down quickly, and make it fifty. ’

7

Then

he asked another, ‘And how much do you owe?’ He replied, ‘A
hundred containers of wheat.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill and
make it eighty.’

8

And his master commended the dishonest

manager because he had acted shrewdly; for the children of this
age are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than are
the children of light.

9

And I tell you, make friends for yourselves

by means of dishonest wealth so that when it is gone, they may
welcome you into the eternal homes.

10

“Whoever is faithful in a

very little is faithful also in much; and whoever is dishonest in a
very little is dishonest also in much.

11

If then you have not been

faithful with the dishonest wealth, who will entrust to you the true
riches?

12

And if you have not been faithful with what belongs to

another, who will give you what is your own?

13

No slave can

serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the
other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot
serve God and wealth. ”

S

OME

S

AYING OF

J

ESUS

L

UKE

17:

1

Jesus said to his disciples, “Occasions for stumbling are

bound to come, but woe to anyone by whom they come!

2

It would

be better for you if a millstone were hung around your neck and
you were thrown into the sea than for you to cause one of these
little ones to stumble.

3

Be on your guard! If another disciple sins,

you must rebuke the offender, and if there is repentance, you must
forgive.

4

And if the same person sins against you seven times a

day, and turns back to you seven times and says, ‘I repent,’ you
must forgive .”


O

N THE

C

ROSS

L

UKE

23:

33

When they came to the place that is called The Skull,

they crucified Jesus there with the criminals, one on his right and
one on his left.

34

Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them; for

they do not know what they are doing.” And they cast lots to
divide his clothing.


L

UKE

24:

44

Then [Jesus] said to them, “These are my words that I

spoke to you while I was still with you-- that everything written
about me in the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms must
be fulfilled. ”

45

Then he opened their minds to understand the

scriptures,

46

and he said to them, “Thus it is written, that the

Messiah is to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day,

47

and that repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed
in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.

48

You are

witnesses of these things.”