Mark 2:17

[Jesus] told them, “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.”

Jesus’ way of life was a shock to the respectable religious leaders of his day. So far as they were concerned, the priority was to ensure they were ritually pure so they could participate in the 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 – their priority was to remain ritually clean so they could perform their duties.

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 offend the religious leaders. Here, Jesus explained the reason why he did this: 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, but he also knew he couldn’t help people who thought they were perfect.

One of the persistent problems 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 they shrug it off, assuming it will resolve itself. Until a person takes action and visits the doctor, there is not a thing that the doctor can do. It is very much the same with God. He would love to forgive us, but first we must recognise that we have a problem.

Question

How would you describe your own spiritual health?

Prayer

Lord God, forgive me for trying to pretend that I was spiritually fit when I needed to come and seek your healing. Amen