Thought of the Day !!

Later, Matthew invited Jesus and his disciples to his home as dinner guests, along with many tax collectors and other disreputable sinners. But when the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with such scum?”

When Jesus heard this, he said, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do.” Then he added, “Now go and learn the meaning of this Scripture: ‘I want you to show mercy, not offer sacrifices.’ For I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners.” – Matthew 9:10-13 (NLT)

So just what kind of person does Jesus seek (both then and now)?  As the ultimate Physician he seeks the sick, the spiritually sick that is.  He seeks those who are dirty. 

The dirtiness I’m speaking of has nothing to do with the outside physical body (though it may be dirty too at times).  It has to do with the heart.  Jesus came as a cardiovascular surgeon to do heart surgery on us.  And those who know that they are sinners, that know they are in need of a surgery, and who seek to change are the ones Jesus seeks.  This is because they are the ones who are responsive to his healing.  They know that they have a heart condition. 

Those who won't admit to having a heart problem will never allow a surgeon to operate on them physically.  Neither will people allow Jesus to operate on them spiritually if they think that their heart is already “good enough”. 

Eating with what the “proper” people thought of as “scum” and “sinners” was taboo in this time.  Sharing a meal was a cultural sign of friendship and acceptance.  These Pharisees saw Jesus’ eating with the lowly tax collectors and sinners as an acceptance of their lifestyle.  This is obviously something that they would never do.  They enjoyed their clean religion where they went to worship properly and tithed the proper amount and acted the proper way around the proper people.  Pharisees continue to do this to this day.

If we’re going to be followers then we will have to get dirty with Jesus.  We must go where the need is instead of waiting for people to come to our clean environment.  

In the love of Christ,

greg