5 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

If we had lived in the first century and observed Jesus for the first time, He would constantly defy our expectations. One such instance is in today’s Bible reading (Matthew 9:9-13).

Jesus not only called Matthew, a despised tax collector, to follow Him; He also spent time in a tax collector’s house, which we assume was Matthew’s.

While we often look down our noses at the Pharisees, we might have joined them in some of their questions if we had lived then. I can certainly see myself asking Him: “Jesus, you are holy. And yet, you are rubbing elbows with people who are at the opposite extreme of the moral spectrum. The people you eat and spend time with are dirty, rotten sinners. Why are you doing this?”

That’s when Jesus gave the words I have chosen as our verses for today. However, we might not understand what He is saying at first glance. It seems a bit cryptic. But Jesus often said things in such a way that only those folks who loved His words and committed to spend time reflecting on them would get the meaning. So, let’s investigate.

In Matthew 9:12, Jesus states the obvious: sick people need a doctor, and healthy people don’t. That’s simply enough, right? If I’m feeling well, I’m not thinking about scheduling a doctor’s appointment. It’s only when I’m feeling sick or feeling like something is wrong in my body that I am compelled to meet with a doctor.

Jesus was essentially saying: “I’m the doctor. I’ve come to heal people, and the greatest sickness they have is a spiritual sickness. They are dead in sins and separated from a love relationship with God. But if you think you are fine and don’t need my remedy, that’s fine. I’ll spend my time with people who know they are sick (sinners) since they are much more likely to receive the remedy I’ve come from Heaven to administer.”

Then, in Matthew 9:13, Jesus quoted Hosea 6:6 by saying that God desires mercy (love) and not sacrifice. In other words, while those Pharisees and all of humanity want to think that we can earn our way into God’s favor (sacrifice, worship, works, etc.), God isn’t impressed by that. Instead, God is looking for people who will demonstrate love for Him and others. That sort of heart attitude tends to come from saved people (sick people who take Jesus’ remedy of salvation).

As Matthew 9:13 concludes, Jesus said that He “didn’t come to call the righteous, but sinners.” In other words, people who are proud and don’t acknowledge their guilt before a holy God will not receive anything from Jesus. Why? Because they think they are already “righteous.” Instead, Jesus came to call sinners, people who know they are guilty and in need of a Savior to forgive them.

So, how we see Jesus is directly connected to how we see ourselves. If we see ourselves as people who struggle with sin, then we will see Jesus as a Savior. If we see ourselves as good moral people, then we won’t see any need for Jesus.

Also, let this truth affect how you see others. It’s easy to look down on someone who is destroying their life with sinful choices. But those are the kind of people that Jesus loved spending time with because they were much more receptive to His message. How might this knowledge affect how you relate to those in sin?

Spend Time in Prayer

  • Ask God to help you see who you would be apart from Jesus. Let that humble you and move you to express your gratitude to Him for what He has done for you.
  • If you are not currently trusting in Jesus alone for forgiveness and eternal life, why not trust in Him as your Savior and Lord right now?
  • Ask God to bring someone into your path soon who is broken over their sin so that you can share the Good News of salvation with them.

Going Deeper

If you want to dig a little deeper into Matthew 9:13, consider reading the following GotQuestions article:

“Why did Jesus say, “I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance” (Matthew 9:13)?”

Sharing

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Matt Ellis is the pastor of First Baptist Church in Polk City, Florida (fbcpolkcity.com)