Second Presbyterian Church

"Who Really Needs the Physician:
Preaching From the Gospel of Luke"
April 18, 2004

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Sermons Homepage » Sermons for 2004 » Sermons for April 2004 » Sermons from the Series on Luke

#15 in the Series on Luke
The Rev. Daniel E. Hale, D. Min.

• Deuteronomy 10: 12-22
• Luke 5: 27-32

Here we begin to see how the Gospel, the Good News of Jesus Christ begins to turn things upside down from what we human beings expect in life. Let me explain. The story is a brief description of the calling of Levi (or Matthew) to be a disciple. Jesus came up to Levi at his office (the tax booth) and called Levi to follow him. Levi rose from his tax booth and left everything and followed Jesus.

Then Levi made a great feast for Jesus and invited a large company of colleagues, fellow tax collectors and others, to join him in the feast. The Pharisees and scribes were shocked that Jesus and his disciples would stoop to associate with such low-life (as we would call them). They asked, "Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?" Note that Pharisees and scribes labeled the other guests as "sinners." It is not clear what this meant. It is probably meant to mean people who were ritually unclean and who were therefore barred from worshiping in the Jerusalem temple. They were people who could not, or would not, maintain the stringent rituals of religious cleanliness. Some have surmised that "sinners" meant prostitutes. There is no evidence that Luke had any particular group in mind, except for their ritual inability to fellowship with the other Jews in the temple.

Back to the question, they asked, "Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?" And Jesus answered, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance."

And it is precisely at this juncture that Jesus turns the values of that culture upside down. He didn't avoid those who were despised; he invited them into his circle! He didn't hob-nob with the religious "movers and shakers;" he reached out to those who were left out, disenfranchised.

As I see it there are two types of people involved here. All of us fit into one of these categories. 1) The first type of person is the one who is an outcast and a sinner and he knows it. 2) The second type of person is the one who considers himself to be righteous and spiritual; who is a sinner, but doesn't own up to it!

1. Levi and his associates, fellow tax collectors and friends, were of the first category. They were generally hated by the people. Levi exacted Roman taxes. This was NOT a job that won friends and influenced people! These people were the ones who could not maintain ritual cleanliness, therefore could not enter the Temple to worship. They included tax collectors, prostitutes, and anyone else who could not maintain the regimen of ritual cleanliness.

People labeled them as sinners; they saw themselves as sinners; and they did not try to change that opinion.

It would be difficult to make a comparison today without some risk, but I shall. The following would probably fit this category: drug addicts, alcoholics, chronically mentally ill, untreated schizophrenics, prostitutes, etc. Anyone in our culture that is considered as not functioning in a useful way within our cultural system would qualify for this category.

And Jesus was right; they needed a physician and he came to call to himself such people of hopelessness.

The advantage of this group of people was that no one tried to pretend any differently. Neither the ones in Jesus' time nor the ones I mentioned who exist today. How is this an advantage? This group of people have no barrier of self-righteousness to work through! They are a problem; they know they are a problem; and they know that they need the Physician.

Jesus said, "I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. Jesus, in other words, offers these people hope! They have a savior. They have one who can redeem them from their hopeless state!

2. And this brings us to the second group of people. These are the ones who are the Pharisees and scribes. They are the religious, institutional leaders. They are the movers and shakers. They are the cultural leaders. They are the ones to whom everybody looks for leadership and guidance. And, they are the ones who are most apt to lose sight of their need for redemption!

Luke gives a perfect example of this in chapter 15 with the parable of the Prodigal Son. I am referring to the oldest son. He is the one who stayed home and worked. He did the hard work in the field. He was obedient, at least ostensibly, to his father. He even got to the point where he believed that he had EARNED his inheritance. Now that's a real oxymoron! One RECEIVES and inheritance; one does NOT earn it!

The older prodigal son is much like the scribes and Pharisees in this lesson for today. They are the religious leaders who, by their religiosity have deluded themselves into believing that they are righteous. And by doing so, they have effectively barricaded Jesus' efforts to offer them redemption that can only be given as a gift. How can you receive gratefully the gift of salvation when you believe that you have earned it, or deserved it? One can't!

Again, to compare that time to our time is risky, but that usually doesn't slow me down! I shall name a couple potential persons (Not by name!) who might fit into this category. One, ministers are liable here. They work full time at the church and focus on caring for the flock. It is very easy to forget the gift of the Grace of God and begin to believe that we are working righteously on the road to heaven where we will receive our just reward. The problem is, if we don't come to our senses, then we very well may receive our just reward: a stern reminder that we are sinners after all and in need of the love and grace of God as much as anybody else!

There may be others who are susceptible to this form of self-righteous Pharisee-ism: the very, very faithful church member. These are the ones who attend worship every Sunday, Sunday School every Sunday, active on the committees, maybe the session, and attends all the pot luck suppers!

I do not mean to step on anyone's toes, but it is important for all of us who consider ourselves faithful to hear the call of Jesus and our need for his Redemption, the Redemption that He gave us through his death on the cross and his resurrection!

Jesus spoke with a sense of irony when he referred to those who have no need of a physician. Who really needs the Physician? We ALL do! Every last one of us, from the richest to the poorest, from the most religious to the most secular! We all need the Spiritual Physician, Jesus Christ!

That is one of the reasons that services of wholeness and healing are important to me. I need to remember who my Redeemer is. Regardless of what I may be suffering, whether it is cancer or alienation, it is Jesus Christ to whom we turn. He is our Healer. How do I know? Because God raised him from the dead! And some day we shall all be made perfect, not with our own perfection, but with the perfection that we receive, as a gift, from Jesus Christ. It is our inheritance from the Great Physician. Amen.

The Rev. Daniel E. Hale, D. Min.