Unhealthy, Unrighteous and Thankful

Matthew 9:9-13
As Jesus passed on from there, He saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax office. And He said to him, “Follow Me.” So he arose and followed Him.
Now it happened, as Jesus sat at the table in the house, that behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and sat down with Him and His disciples. And when the Pharisees saw it, they said to His disciples, “Why does your Teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”
When Jesus heard that, He said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice.’ For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.” (NKJV)

Distance and time tends to make the words of Jesus sometimes seem sterile to me (Like that is what He said to those “Pharisees” and about those “Tax collectors”). I forget sometimes that He is really and still talking to me. Because when I think He is just talking about “those tax collectors” and “sinners” (guys who really must have done bad things), I really am just like the Pharisee of His day. And when I thing He is just talking about those “Pharisees” (guys who must have been judgmental and self-righteous men), I am really acting just like the “sinners” in His time. I find that in some ways I am worse than either because I have somehow in my mind removed the possibilities that He is talking about me some how.

And then our gracious and loving Savior Son of God disciplines me with cancer and an aneurysm. And now I am reminded that – “Oh Lord, I need You as the great Physician who can truly only be the One who heals me and utterly eradicate/destroy this death causing illness.” And in the reminder of Him being the Great Physical Physician, I am reminded that He is also (even though He has redeemed us from all sin that was committed, is committed and will be committed), He is the Great Spiritual Physician who by His own blood, applied like the most precious and expensive ointment through faith, cleanses me from all my sin. I am awakened, that although I am unhealthy and unrighteous in my own self, He makes me healthy and righteous. Not by my works (self-righteous or self-medicated) but His work done 2000 years ago on the cross and is still working till this day through His resurrection.

The Lord does not accept our self-righteousness just like a highly trained physician like Dr. Brennan or Dr. Diethrich would not take a medical opinion that I would have on my own cancer or aneurism. I have no knowledge in these areas nor do I have any training in these diseases. We trust that the Lord has given men gifts and talents to be used in His mighty hand to accomplish His will.

The Lord Jesus does not accept our self-righteous confidence in our own flesh. His word says that our righteousness is like filthy rags. (Isaiah 64:6)

He came to deliver those who know that they are hopeless in their condition and there is nothing that they can do on their own to rescue themselves. Just like I could do nothing on my own to fix my cancer or aneurysm condition.

So I am thankful that He has given me a heart to accept my sinful and sick condition (Heb. 12:1-2). As I teach the book of Romans and Judges I say to the students often, “we have to hear and acknowledge the bad news before we can really appreciate and accept the good news.”

The bad news for all of us is two fold, we are going to die (Gen. 2:17, a promise still kept by God to this day and is a historical undisputed fact) and we are sinful and unrighteous, ungodly humans (Romans 3:10-12, 23 – see how emphatic the words are in just these verses – “NONE”, “ALL” – covers age, race, gender, ethnic, religious, educational status, etc.)

So as I need help in my physical life, I am reminded that I am even more needy in spiritual life. And thanksgiving wells up in my heart because the Lord came to save the spiritually unrighteous and to heal the physically unhealthy. “Thank You, Lord Jesus, for giving us the faith to trust You to remove our sin and the confidence that You will ultimately deal with all our physical issues both now and till the day we take our last breath or You return!”

Revelations 22:20b-21, … "Surely I am coming soon." Amen. Come, Lord Jesus! The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all.* Amen. (ESV - * Some manuscripts all the saints)