Luke 5:31

Luke 5:31 – Jesus answered them; “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” It seems like wherever Jesus went, everything that He did was questioned. There was always someone who had a problem with it. Most often it seemed to be the religious leaders of the day, the Pharisees and Sadducees. They felt threatened by Him because many of the people were looking to Jesus for guidance instead of them. In their eyes this was bad, first because they wanted the attention, and second because He did not fit into their “religious” mold of what a spiritual leader looked like. Often times, like in this particular passage, they wouldn't even confront Jesus. They would either mumble under their breath or talk to His disciples. Every time they did this Jesus would confront them and answer their questions. He would answer their questions, even when they didn't actually ask them. In this passage of scripture Jesus is hanging out with tax collectors and sinners, the “scum” of the earth. The Pharisees and Sadducees did not like this, so they went to His disciples. Before His disciples had a chance to answer, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy that need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. Jesus puts it in relate-able terms. We all know that you do not need a doctor if you are not sick. In the same way, Jesus says if you are already righteous, your relationship with God is healthy. It is Jesus who makes us righteous and if we have already accepted Him and are living for Him, there is no point in trying to “save” us a second time. If it’s already been done, there is no changing it. It is those who have not answered the call who still need Him. This is why it is so important for us as the church; the body of Christ; to get out of our building and into the world. Don’t get me wrong, the church is important. Jesus setup the church to strengthen and build up the believers, but most of all, the church was setup to equip the saints. It is designed to get us ready to go out into the world. If you are not venturing out of the “safety” of the church to minister and serve the lost and hurting of the world you are missing an important part of the gospel. That is our mission and Jesus’ last command: “Go into all the world and make disciples!” Get out there and Love on some people! That is what Jesus did and we are to follow His example!!