Jesus in the narrative of Luke loves to preach, teach and embody the theme of repentance and forgiveness. Luke’s version of the calling of the disciples in Luke 5:1-11 includes a miraculous fish draught which produces the repentance of Peter, who says, “Depart from me for I am a sinful man" (5:8). Luke’s version of the anointing of Jesus at supper does not take place at Passion week as in the other three Gospels. His version, rather, occurs at the home of a Pharisee and is used to showcase the Lord’s forgiveness of the repentant sinful woman who anoints His feet and dries her tears from His feet with her hair (7:36-50). Luke 13:1-9 alone records Jesus telling of the tower that fell on the eighteen and the fruitless fig tree with the message “unless you repent surely you will perish.” Luke also records some of Jesus’ most famous parables as well.

 In the parables on chapter 15 which feature the theme of lost and found sheep (15:3-7), a lost and found coin (15:8-10), and a lost and found son (15:11-32), the theme of repentance looms large. In Luke 18-19 we also find the parable of the Pharisee and the publican 18:9-13 in which the repentant breast-beating tax collector alone is exonerated, as well as the story of the little rich man Zacchaeus 19:1-10 who also successfully repents and makes a four-fold restitution for His ill-gotten gains. Most famously, there is the repentant thief on the cross, who begs for and receives forgiveness 23:39-43. All of this material with the exception of the lost sheep is entirely unique to Luke’s Gospel.

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