Mark 2:17




Jesus said: “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do. I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners.”
The way in which Jesus lived was a shock to the respectable religious leaders of his day. They were eager to do everything they could to avoid becoming ritually impure, as this would mean they couldn’t take part in temple worship. Jesus’ parable of the good Samaritan powerfully describes the situation. The first two people who walked past the wounded man were a priest and a Levite. Jesus wasn’t suggesting that they didn’t care. However, their priority was to remain ritually clean so that they could perform their duties in the temple.
Jesus, on the other hand, didn’t seem to be bothered about staying ritually clean according to the Jewish law. He gladly associated with dodgy people, even though he must have known that this would have offended the religious leaders. Here, Jesus explained the reason why he acted in this way. It was because he had come for the sake of people who knew that they were sick, and not for people who were spiritually perfect. Of course, Jesus knew that everyone needed forgiveness. However, he also knew he could not help people who thought they were perfect.


One of the persistent problems that doctors face is that people often don’t take action when they have a medical need. A lump grows, or another bodily change takes place, and the individual shrugs it off, assuming that it will resolve itself. Until a person takes action and visits the doctor, there is not a thing the doctor can do. It is very much the same with God. He would love to forgive us, but until we recognise that we have a problem, there is nothing he can do.




Question: How would you describe your own spiritual health?
Prayer: Lord God, forgive me for those times when I have tried to pretend I was spiritually fit, when I needed to come and seek your healing. Amen

Released on 12 Oct 2022