They that be whole need not a Physician...the Wayfarer 1/20/13

1/20/13

They that be whole need not a Physician

“’But when Jesus heard that, he said unto them, They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick.

But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice; for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”

(Matthew 9:12 & 13)

Forgive the skipping around today that must occur to get the message out that is intended to be presented.

We will cover several segments of scripture in an attempt to lead the reader to the discovery of exactly whom our Savior intended to comprehend his teachings, and hopefully to reach some of them as well.

I will begin with this particular passage of scripture, as Jesus having healed a lame man in the presence of a crowd, including Pharisees, chooses a place to have a meal:

“And as Jesus passed forth from thence, he saw a man, named Matthew, sitting at the receipt of custom: and he saith unto him, Follow me. And he arose and followed him,

And it came to pass as Jesus sat at meat in the house, behold many publicans and sinners came and sat down with him and his disciples.

And when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto his disciples, Why eateth your master with publicans and sinners?

But when Jesus heard that, he said unto them, They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick.

But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but the sinner to repentance.”

(Matthew 9:9-13)

This is far from the first time that we find Christ choosing to associate himself with the common people as opposed to the “religious leadership” of the time.

His choice of disciples shows that affinity for the common man beginning with the selection of Peter and Andrew and the statement made to them.

“And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.”

(Matthew 4:19)

Each of those eventually selected, came not from the ranks of the Pharisees and Sadducees, nor did they come from the ranks of the priests and scribes so respected by those of the time. Those of those ranks considered themselves as righteous, and saw no need for the repentance which he preached making them unfit to follow him as disciples.

The people he chose to minister to, and those who truly followed him were those considered to be less righteous than those in those categories listed. This is why he became hated by those categories to the point of persecution and death.

A good example of whom Christ chose to minister to, and for, is given in the 19^th chapter of Luke.

“And Jesus entered and passed through Jericho.

And behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus which was chief among the publicans, and he was rich.

And he sought to see Jesus who he was; and could not for the press, because he was little of stature.

And he ran before, and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him: for he was to pass that way.

And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for today I must abide at thy house.

 And he made haste, and came down, and received him joyfully.

And when they saw it, they all murmured saying, That he was gone to be guest with a man that is a sinner.

And Zacchaeus stood, and said unto the Lord; Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold.

And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham.

For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost.

(Luke 19:1-10)

Naturally those self-righteous, hypocritical, short sighted Pharisees immediately found fault with Jesus for associating with one they considered to be a sinner.

Christ not only had the temerity to talk to this man who collected taxes from the people for the Romans, He actually sat down and had a meal with him! 

Zacchaeus in turn knew that this was the Son of God and immediately made arrangements to repent past sins against both the people he worked with, and with God himself!

Jesus comment that this was also a son of Abraham was to put those who were critical in their place, reminding them that he came to call sinners to repentance to save that which was lost!

As we go through our daily lives, and go about the business of living, we need to remember to whom Jesus ministered. We need to remember that in order to reach, or teach anyone we must first be able to recognize their humanity and equality in the sight of God with all others.

If we minister only to those who already attend our churches, just who are we reaching? If our churches do not reach out to the poorer and needier of our people, then what have they accomplished with their pretense of worship?

I mentioned once before a preacher who once told me that a sinner was more apt to give a hitchhiker a ride than a Christian, I do not and cannot subscribe to his definition of Christianity.

I recently stopped for a young man walking in the cold, obviously miserable, trying to get from point A to point B. He entered the car and began cursing the weather and the fact that so few stopped to offer a ride to a stranger. Something in my demeanor mad him stop, and ask the question, “Are you a Christian?” When he knew that I was indeed a Christian, he immediately apologized for his language, giving me the opportunity to give my standard response to such an apology, that I was owed none, but that God was the one needing apology. This in turn led to a conversation that lasted the entire time that he was in the vehicle with me, allowing me to give witness to one in need of it. He indicated a drug problem had led to his having done time in jail, and that he had made a choice to make changes in his life.

This too led to further conversation about the fact that we are all given choices daily, and that not only do they affect our daily lives on this little ball in space, but our life in the unbounded universe ruled by our God, and where we will spend eternity dependent upon those choices.

At the conclusion of his ride, he gave me his phone number and asked that I call him, in turn I gave him my card and told him that if needed I am always available.

Had I not stopped, because of irrational fear of all fellow humans in need, I would not have been given the opportunity to attempt to reach what I recognize as one of those lost sheep that abound in the pastures of these hills.

The people we need to reach are there in front of us daily, it is up to us to use each opportunity given to witness, and teach as we were commanded by our savior. Each opportunity to do so will only come once, and must be answered for when the accounting takes place before the judgment throne.

Instead of ignoring these opportunities we should accept each of them for what they are and pray for all the more to be given us.

This means associating with others who do not believe as we do, do not dress as we do, do not speak with the same accent and often even in the same language we speak. This means taking action instead of cowering in a corner and associating only with those who agree wholeheartedly with our own view of life, and who are similar in circumstance to us.

No one has ever been reached by withholding a hand. This is only accomplished by extending it!

I close , as always  with the love of a sinner saved by the Grace of God through the sacrifice of my savior Jesus in  prayer that you find and seize  the opportunities given you.

The Physician remains available to all in need of Him willing to seek Him out and accept that which only He can give.

2 Timothy 1:12
 ¹²For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.

Amen and Amen

the Wayfarer