“And when Jesus heard it, he said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.””Mark 2:17 ESV
Reflection: why is Jesus not calling the righteous?
Advances in medicine have enabled doctors to catch life threatening diseases like cancer early, helping patients to live longer and healthier. But, for that to happen, there is a critical dependency – the patient. The patient might not be honest with the doctor during the consultation, causing the doctor to either miss something or even misdiagnose the patient. And, just as important, even if the doctor provides the right diagnosis, the patient still needs to follow through with the advice of the doctor. Ignoring a disease like cancer doesn’t make it go away.
We have just seen Jesus heal three different people; one with a demonic possession, a leper, and a paralytic. Different diseases, all associated somehow with sin. Even to the paralytic, Jesus said before healing his physical condition, “And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic “Son, your sins are forgiven.”” Mark 2:5 ESV, a spiritual healing which the paralytic clearly desired most of all. It was the deeper need that Jesus saw in him, a longing to be forgiven. By God. But Jesus also saw to his physical needs, “But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the paralytic— “I say to you, rise, pick up your bed, and go home.”” Mark 2:10-11 ESV
The lead in to today’s well known verse is Jesus calling of Levi, or Matthew as we know him, who wrote the book of Matthew. Matthew was a tax collector; despited by his own people, and specifically the religious leaders. But Jesus calls him to follow. Matthew decides to put together a feast, a banquet, perhaps to celebrate his new “calling” as a disciple of Christ. So he invites his friends and colleagues, and probably asks Jesus to bring whoever he wants. Even the Pharisees show up to this banquet. It is clearly a very “mixed” party, with townspeople who don’t associate with each other. Mark writes about the people attending “And as he reclined at table in his house, many tax collectors and sinners were reclining with Jesus and his disciples, for there were many who followed him.” Mark 2:15 ESV. The tax collectors were the colleagues of Matthew. But I find it very interesting that Mark designates some of the people there as “sinners”. Perhaps it is from how the Pharisees designated them,
“And the scribes of the Pharisees, when they saw that he was eating with sinners and tax collectors, said to his disciples, “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?”” Mark 2:16 ESV
These sinners, those that outwardly or knowingly had broken the law, and not followed the rules of sin offerings. They knew it. And the religious class knew it. They were most likely not allowed to even attend synagogue. They were “unclean” according to their law and tradition. So, the Pharisees question Jesus, question why He still associated with such unclean people. And, it is in this setting Jesus says to the Pharisees “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.” Mark 2:17b ESV. We see this deeper metaphor He makes between the physical and spiritual, that one cannot be spiritually healed if already righteous.
Wait! Already righteous?
What was Jesus calling out here? Keep in mind He was talking to the Pharisees, who he later called out more directly ““Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people’s bones and all uncleanness.” Matthew 23:27 ESV. Notice this is Matthew writing this, and he might very well have remembered that night, at the banquet in his house, when Jesus said He only was calling sinners. Only calling and healing the “sick”. The Pharisees were not at all righteous; although they thought so, because they followed the “letter of the law”. They tried to be righteous by works, but their hearts were far off.
The Great Healer associates with and calls all sinners. Not the hypocrites, but all who recognize they are not able in themselves, and “fall short of the glory of God”. The spiritually lost, the spiritual lepers, the spiritual paralytics; all who long to be forgiven and healed. It is all of those who He longs to associate with, and to have a banquet with, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.” Revelation 3:20 ESV. As followers of Christ, perhaps we too should evaluate who we like to associate with; who we have a heart for. Do we “avoid” sinners?
