“...Jesus...saith unto them, They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” -from Mark 2:17.
In the context of this passage, the religious leaders were questioning Jesus' choice of dinner companions, and the Lord responded with the words you see printed above. This same situation is recorded also in Matthew 9:12&13, and Luke 5:31&32, and I think the principle here is important.
Rather than merely answering the Pharisees directly, Jesus first alludes to when a person has the need for a doctor-the physician is called upon due to sickness, and NOT when that individual feels completely well. Is it normal to seek out professional medical attention when are health seems alright? No! But when something abnormal & undesireable is occuring, then we seek greater attention. Frankly, this account ought to give us a warning about the validity of preventitive medical treatments!
And even after we visit the doctor, would we accept any prescribed treatment given without first being convinced of the need for them? There is quite a difference between being given pills for an upset stomach and surgery to remove an organ! The good doctor will show us our real need, and why the treatment prescribed is the best course of action.
Then after this initial comparison, Jesus declares, “...I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” Yet we need to remember that Jesus told us that no one is good except God in Mark 10:18, and other scriptures verify this circumstance, even though it's God's desire that all men should be saved;
“The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good. The LORD looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God. They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy: there is none that doeth good, no, not one.” -Psalm 14:1-3.
“For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;” -Romans 3:23.
“The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” -2 Peter 3:9.
Therefore in this response Jesus made, He was in no way declaring that some were righteous, while others weren't. What the Lord was at least implying was that unless people can see themselves as sinners, they cannot take the necessary steps to REPENTANCE. This is where we can understand the comparison to the doctor-patient analogy; unless we are convinced of the killing disease of sin at work within us, we will never seek a cure, let alone employ the prescription of Jesus, the great physician.
“And when they had appointed him (Paul) a day, there came many to him into his lodging; to whom he expounded and testified the kingdom of God, persuading them concerning Jesus, both out of the law of Moses, and out of the prophets, from morning till evening. And some believed the things which were spoken, and some believed not.” -Acts 28:23&24. “Paul” was added here, and bold type to emphasize.
So now we see the need we have when witnessing to unbelievers; we must focus on Jesus Christ, and Him crucified for our redemption (1 Corinthians 2:2). This is the foundation (1 Corinthians 3:11)that ought to be laid for the building of a new creature in the spirit of the Lord.
“Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.” -1 Corinthians 3:16,17.
“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” -2 Corinthians 5:17.
We will not seek to put others down, or threaten them with hell, for apart from God's mercy we are just as deserving as anyone of eternal punishment (John 3:18,36). Yet we need to make them aware of their separation from God due to sin, and the need to be reconciled to Him through Jesus His Son.
“For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy.” -Romans 9:15,16.
“And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.” -2 Corinthians 5:18,19.
People usually think of themselves as being generally “good,” morally (Proverbs 20:6), so we must find a way to show them where they fall short by God's standards. One of the best ways to do that is by using the Ten Commandments as Jesus did with the “rich young ruler” in Mark 10:17-22.
The Ten Commandments are moral laws that are generally written in the hearts of all mankind. Most will know & agree that it is wrong to lie, steal, commit adultery, disrespect parents, or blaspheme God. If they will be honest with themselves, they'll also readily admit that they've broken most of these commandments, and some many times over. It doesn't matter how much they have improved, either, for we still need our past sins to be forgiven, and that will only come through Jesus' atonement for us.
Just think at how poorly the true message of salvation is often handled from the pulpit; we may hear things like, “God loves you, He has a wonderful plan for your life,” or perhaps, “God has a wondeful gift for you-eternal life! Do you want it?” Brethren, we must never so falsely represent the way of salvation to the lost! The ONLY part of these proceeding phrases that's true is that God loves us, yet this is shown primarily by Jesus' death on the cross-which plainly reflects upon our sin.
“In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” -1 John 4:9,10.
It is only natural for us to attempt to comfort others when they are down, and we often do that by trying to build up their self esteem (Ephesians 5:29). But before a person can truly repent, he/she must see their own sin in its true light, just as God sees it.
Let us earnestly seek to be truthful with those who so desperately need salvation. God does have a real gift that He longs to give them, the deliverance from His own righteous wrath through the atoning sacrifice of His Son on the cross; it is purely a gift, which no one can earn (Ephesians 2:8,9).
“He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.” -John 3:36.
“But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.” -Romans 5:8,9.
I also did a YouTube video on this subject. It can be found at https://youtu.be/Yi501ZoLwVU.
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