Power Point - October 17, 2005
And when the scribes and Pharisees saw Him eating with the tax collectors and sinners, they said to His disciples, “How is it that He eats and drinks with tax collectors and sinners?”
When Jesus heard it, He said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”
--Mark
Now enters the God-squad—the scribes and Pharisees. They were already on Jesus’ trail…just looking for something to complain about. They couldn’t understand why Jesus would hang out with despicable people if he was such a godly man.
I’m sure Matthew was so nervous, as he saw the arising confrontation at his party, that he was wringing his hands off to the side. I can just imagine that Jesus looked over at Matthew and smiled as He gave him a knowing look that said, “Don’t worry. I’m about to handle the God-squad.”
Why did Jesus party with sinners and tax collectors? Because those people were sick, broken, wounded, and hurting (emotionally and spiritually) and they needed a physician. Jesus didn’t see them as pagans. He saw them as patients who needed a physician—someone to heal their broken lives. At that party, Jesus became a friend to the wounded heart.
Sin is a disease that spreads throughout the body, mind, and soul. The first step to a cure is admitting that we’re sick with sin. Jesus made a house call that night…and eventually paid the price with His own blood, so that the tax collectors and sinners like us might be saved from our sin, death, hell, and judgment.
Jesus is the only cure for mankind’s ills. While it seems logical to protect yourself from the sickness, you should not be so offended by sin that you don’t love people who are sinners. You don’t want to participate in their activities, but you do want to be there to pull them up and help them heal when they fall down. Crawl out of your holy hole and get into the party, so that you can reach out to the hurting and wounded of the world and bring them to Jesus.
PEOPLE ARE DESPERATELY SICK AND IN NEED OF THE GREAT PHYSICIAN—BE A FRIEND OF THE WOUNDED HEART AND TAKE THEM TO JESUS.
