3 Minute Read
Prepare Your Heart
To the best of your ability, get rid of all distractions. Take a few minutes to breathe deeply and quiet yourself in the Lord’s presence. Then, ask the Lord to speak to you in this time. Let Him know that you will listen and make whatever adjustments He will reveal to you.
Read God’s Word
Genesis 26:12-27:46
Matthew 9:1-17
A Verse for Today
Slowly and reflectively read the following verse(s) and listen to what God will say to you through His written Word. Consider writing down any insights He reveals to you.
Matthew 9:12-13 (CSB): “Now when he heard this, he said, ‘It is not those who are well who need a doctor, but those who are sick. Go and learn what this means: I desire mercy and not sacrifice. For I didn’t come to call the righteous, but sinners.’”
Reflecting on God’s Word
Sometimes, we read our Bibles but don’t adequately reflect on what we’ve read. And because we fail to stop and meditate, we miss so much of what God wants to say to us.
In the verses I’ve chosen for today, Jesus responded to some legalists. Legalists are religious people who are focused only on the law, feeling that they have arrived, and who look down their noses at everyone else. When legalists (a.k.a. Pharisees) in Matthew 9:9-13 saw that Jesus was eating and spending time with people who were in grievous sin, they couldn’t help but condemn Him.
But Jesus was always in control. Those Pharisees weren’t going to get the last word. People had heard their public scandalous condemnation, so Jesus would correct them publicly. And Jesus was going to make it easy for everyone to understand.
Jesus started by saying that people who are not sick don’t need to go to the doctor. Only when someone is feeling very sick do they want to seek a physician to help them get well.
That’s a straightforward principle. We don’t look for a physician unless we readily acknowledge that we are sick and need a doctor.
What Jesus was saying was that the Pharisees were delusional. They didn’t realize that they were spiritually sick. And because they believed they were spiritually well and whole, they felt no need to go to the Great Physician.
But Jesus didn’t stop there. He was going for the kill. He quoted an Old Testament passage, specifically Hosea 6:6. In that passage, God clarified that he wanted people to grow in their knowledge/experience of Him and to obey Him. God made it clear that if He could have either the love and obedience of his people or their sacrifices at the Temple, he wanted their love and obedience.
Jesus told the Pharisees that they were settling for religious rituals when God clearly prioritized obedience and a love relationship with Him. So Jesus took a scenario where the Pharisees were looking down on “sinners,” and Jesus called out the Pharisees as being the sin-sick folks who needed the Great Physician.
Things haven’t changed much in our current church culture. So many people believe they are getting on good terms with the Lord by participating in the religious rituals of church attendance, singing in church, giving their tithes and offerings, and so much more. But if, as we engage in the religious rituals, we aren’t growing in our knowledge of and love for the Lord and are not being obedient to Him, then we are no better than the Pharisees that Jesus condemned.
Friend, God certainly wants us to demonstrate by our behaviors that we are followers of Him. But He’s much more interested in our private life. He’s much more interested in whether or not we are obeying Him and enjoying Him. All of our religious activities should flow out of that kind of heart.
Spend Time in Prayer
Lord Jesus, I acknowledge that there are plenty of times when my “religion” is just surface-deep. I’m doing the right thing while not attending to the condition of my heart. Help me to realize that You care so much about my relationship with You and my obedience to You. Help me to get those things right so that my religious activity can flow from it, making my time in worship fully pleasing to You. I pray this in Your Name, Amen.
Going Deeper
If you want to go deeper, check out this article by Got Questions: “Why did Jesus say, ‘I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance’ (Matthew 9:13)?”
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Matt Ellis is the pastor of First Baptist Church in Polk City, Florida (fbcpolkcity.com).
Matt’s Musings 