Do you believe that you can work your way to God? The Pharisees did. The Pharisees believed that by following the Law and their many man-made additions, they could be good enough for God. In order to keep themselves “pure” and “untainted” by sin, they kept a distance from all known sinners. It was inconceivable to them that Jesus associated 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.”

Have you been to a doctor’s office lately? It 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, the infection won’t go away, chest pains come, and concerning symptoms occur, you head to a doctor right away.

A friend recently had a meal with his family and then doubled over with pain. After being rushed to the hospital, doctors soon learned that his gallbladder needed to be removed, as infection was attacking his body. He spent eleven days in the hospital on a heavy dose of antibiotics to eradicate the infection. Spiritually speaking, each one of us is sick. We are contaminated 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.