Jesus answered 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 and need to repent.”
When Jesus began choosing His disciples, among the first was Matthew, also known as Levi. His choice was a bit controversial because Matthew was a tax collector — not someone the public looked upon as worthy of great respect. In fact, they looked upon tax collectors as sort of “legal” bandits.
Matthew responded to Jesus’ call instantly and left everything behind and followed Him. And, like any of us who discover something of great worth, Matthew wanted to share it. So, he gathered his friends for a banquet in honor of Jesus to give them a chance to meet Him too. It was a great gathering of tax collectors and others sinners — and Jesus was right there in the middle of them, seeming to have a good time.
As it would happen, some of the Pharisees had seen what was going on. They had seen Jesus eating and spending time in the company of these “scoundrels,” and they just could not fathom why Jesus would let Himself be seen with them.
They asked Him, “Why do you eat and drink with such scum?”
The answer Jesus gave them is one that should cause us all to reflect on how we view ourselves from the inside…
Jesus answered 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 and need to repent.”
Think about yourself — which group would you be a part of?
Do you see yourself from the inside as someone who is “righteous?” When you see others who are “sinners,” do you consider yourself better than them? When you see someone obviously drowning in sin, do you think to yourself, “At least I am better than that guy!”?
If you do, you might spend a little time taking a closer look at what Jesus taught about the self-righteous Pharisee who prayed in the temple, “I thank you, God, that I am not a sinner like everyone else. For I don’t cheat, I don’t sin, and I don’t commit adultery. I’m certainly not like that tax collector! I fast twice a week, and I give you a tenth of my income.” (Luke 18:11-12)
When we lose sight of our own sinfulness, and convince ourselves that we are somehow “righteous” of our own accord, we deceive ourselves.
Writing to the Roman Christians, Paul quoted a Psalm of David, “No one is righteous — not even one.” (Rom. 3:10) A few verses later, he explains about righteousness (Rom. 3:23-26):
“For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Yet God, with undeserved kindness, declares that we are righteous. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when he held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past, for he was looking ahead and including them in what he would do in this present time. God did this to demonstrate his righteousness, for he himself is fair and just, and he declares sinners to be right in his sight when they believe in Jesus.”
