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The Pharisees believed that they could work their way to God by following the Law and their many man-made additions to the Law. In order to keep themselves “pure” and “untainted” by sin, they kept a distance from all known sinners. It was unbelievable to them that Jesus spoke to and ate with sinners. After seeing Jesus at a celebration dinner with the “less desirables,” they complained to the Lord’s disciples.

Matthew 9:11-13

And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” But when he heard it, he said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. Go and learn what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”

A doctor’s office is not filled with people who are well. The healthy have no need for corrective lenses, antibiotics, heart medication, cancer treatments, hearing aids, or surgery. As Jesus said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician.” But when vision becomes blurry, when the infection won’t go away, when chest pains come, when concerning symptoms occur, you need to head to a doctor right away.

Spiritually speaking, each of us is sick. We are infected with the disease of sin (Romans 5:12), a disease that is fatal 100% of the time (Romans 6:23). There is nothing we can do to restore our health. Any remedy we try always falls short (Romans 3:23). But Jesus came to deal with our disease. He “bore our sins in his body on the tree . . . by his wounds [we] have been healed” (1 Peter 2:24). Jesus is the Great Physician.

Lord Jesus,

Thank you for doing for me what I could never do for myself. Thank you for taking my disease of sin upon yourself and dying as my substitute on the cross. Thank you for healing me for all eternity.

In your name I pray. Amen.

Have you met the Great Physician? Send your name and address to prayer@ronmoore.org for a free resource that will introduce you to Jesus.

This Week on The Journey:

1 and 2 Samuel