THE SICK NEED A DOCTOR NOT THE HEALTHY

PROCLAMATION

“When … the Pharisees saw Him eating with the sinners and tax collectors, they asked His disciples: ‘Why does He eat with tax collectors and sinners?’  On hearing this, Jesus said to them, ‘It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.  I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.’”  Mark 2:16-17 (NIV)

EXPLANATION
These words are from the gospel, the good news regarding Jesus, The Christ, according to Mark, a companion Simon Peter. (1 Peter 5:13)  After He was baptized Jesus called His disciples saying, “Come, follow Me.” (Mark 1:16-20)  They went to Capernaum and Jesus began to teach.  While He was teaching in the synagogue, Jesus healed a man who was possessed with an impure spirit. (Mark 1:21-28)  They left the synagogue they went to the home of Simon and Andrew.  When they got there, they found Simon’s mother-in-law in bed with a fever and Jesus healed her.  The people brought many sick and demon-possessed individuals to Simon’s house and Jesus healed all of them. (Mark 1:29-34)  Then He travelled throughout Galilee, preaching, healing the sick, and driving out demons. (Mark 1:39)  A few days later Jesus returned to Capernaum and a large crowd gathered outside the home where He was staying.  Four men brought a paralyzed man to Jesus, but they could not get to Him because of the crowd.  So, they lowered the man down on a mat through a hole in the roof of the house and Jesus healed him. (Mark 2:1-12)  Jesus went out of the house and walked beside the lake.  As He walked, He saw Levi the tax collector and said to him, “Follow Me.”  Levi left the tax collector’s booth and followed Him.  They went to Levi’s house for dinner with many tax collectors.  The Pharisees saw this and questioned His behavior. (Mark 2:13-17)

APPLICATION
Jesus, The Christ, left heaven and came to earth to save us because we were all lost sinners.  There are some today who, like the Pharisees, think that they are righteous but are also lost sinners.  The Bible says that we all have sinned (Romans 3:23) and that none of us are righteous. (Romans 3:10)  We all need Christ to save our sin sick soul.  When believers witness to other believers that is fellowship as we encourage one another.  However, our “job” is to witness to the lost, to point them to Christ, to save lost souls.  We all know someone in our circle of family and friends who is lost needs to hear about Christ.  It is not our place to make them believe, we are only to tell them, to plant the seed, and to act in such a way that they can see Christ in us. (Matthew 5:16)  The Holy Spirit of God will add to the church as He sees fit to do so. (Acts 2:47)

We All Have Become Corrupt And We Need Jesus

"The LORD looks down from heaven on the sons of men to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God.  All have turned aside, they have together become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one."  Psalms 14:2-3 (NIV)

In this psalm King David talks about the sad state of man.  He states that when God looks down from heaven, He sees that all men are corrupt, all have sinned.  He ends the psalm stating that the salvation of man can only come from The Lord.

It may be hard for some people to accept this, but all of us are sinners.  There may be a difference in the nature of the sins that we have committed, but we all have sinned. (Romans 3:10 & 3:23)  However, the biggest difference between us is that some of us believe in Jesus Christ and have confessed our sins, and some have not.  The Bible states that if we confess with our mouth and believe with our heart, then we shall be saved. (Romans 10:9-10)  Those of us who confess and believe will be saved, those who don't, won't.  God gave us a free will, we can choose to accept Him, or to reject Him.  The salvation of our soul depends upon our choice.

Righteousness By Faith To All Who Believe

"This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus." Romans 3:22-24 (NIV)

The Apostle Paul told the Christians in Rome that the righteousness that was imputed to them comes from God through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe in Him, because we have all sinned and we must be justified by His grace.

We are not "innocent" of sin, we have been declared "not guilty" because Jesus paid the price for all of us who believe in Him and it is by His grace that we are justified and declared righteous. We ought to thank Him every day for what He did for us.

Repent Or Perish

"Jesus answered, 'Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish." Luke 13:2-3 (NIV)

Luke records the words of Jesus, The Christ, saying that some sinners are no worse than other sinners. If they do not repent, then they will perish.

Christian believers are still sinners just as the non-believers are sinners. The only difference is that believers are sinners who have been saved by the grace of God. Only by belief and repentance are we saved. Salvation is not earned, it is a gift from God to those who believe that Jesus is His Son. (John 3:16 & Romans 10:9-10)

All Of Us Are Sinners

It does not matter how good we think that we are, we all sinners. We all need to repent and ask God for forgiveness.

"For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God." Romans 3:23

If you think that this does not apply to you, read Romans 1:18-3:20, which lists the sins of mankind. All of us are sinners, but some of us are just sinners who have been saved by the grace of God.