“And Jesus answered them, ‘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.'”
Luke 5:31-32
Are there any who are good before God? The Bible (without apology) declares that the answer to this question is: No. This means that there are none righteous outside the redemptive work of Christ. Jesus died for the unworthy and those who desperately need Him. It is the “poor in spirit” who are more likely to perceive their need for a Savior and thus depend on God alone, rather than on their own righteousness. Paul taught (Rom 5:6-8):
“For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. (7) For one will scarcely die for a righteous person – though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die – (8) but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
It was characteristic of Jesus’ ministry to seek fellowship with those considered low-class in society and deemed unclean by religious leaders and elites. Some examples include:
- He went among lepers and touched them for their healing (Mt 8:1-4, Lk 17:11-19).
- He intervened in the public execution of a prostitute, exposing the hypocrisy of the accusing mob (Jn 8:3-11).
- He associated with Samaritans, whom the Jews considered half-breeds, as they had a more lax understanding of ritual cleanliness (Jn 4:1-45).
- He chose disciples who formed a band of societal riffraff, composed of smelly fishermen and a despised tax collector.
He imitated His Father in how He chose His servants, which was a radical departure from how humans identify and judge people’s value. In contrast, we naturally focus on a person’s physical features and socio-economic standing as the gold standard for worth in society. But God does not judge by outward appearance. The Bible reveals several kingdom principles that reinforce these truths:
- The first shall be last, and the last shall be first (Mt 20:1-16).
- He who humbles himself will be exalted, but he who exalts himself will be humbled (Lk 14:7-11).
- Better is the little that the righteous has than the abundance of many wicked (Ps 37:16).
Remember, God not only seeks sinners, but He also commissions the outcast and marginalized of society (cf. Judges 6:11-18) and uses them for His glory. Paul affirms (1 Cor 1:27-29):
“But God choose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God choose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; (28) God choose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, (29) so that no human being might boast in the presence of God.’”
In our focus passage, we witness a display of God’s election in His encounter with Levi (Matthew), who is sitting at his booth collecting taxes on merchandise from international commerce between Syria and Egypt. The Bible states that Jesus calls him to discipleship, and Levi leaves his lucrative business, trusting God to provide for him. In light of this recorded Gospel occurrence, here are some observations from our focus text (Lk 5:27-32) about Jesus that should guide us in how we engage with those in the lost world, thus enabling us to reflect the heart of God:
- Jesus deliberately enters close proximity with sinners. Levi leaves his entire livelihood to answer the call to follow Jesus. This conversion brings Levi such joy that he holds a great feast to honor Jesus, inviting his tax-collecting associates (some of whom were likely non-believers). Pharisees also attended. Jesus associated with the ungodly but did not (a) become a sinner in doing so, nor (b) join them in a lifestyle of sin. His goal was to reach those who were lost. To do so, He sought them out like a shepherd searching for one sheep that has wandered off outside his sheepfold of care and security (cf. Mt 18:10-14, Lk 15:3-7).
- People with a Pharisaical disposition will criticize gospel grace and kindness. The text states that the Pharisees grumbled at Jesus’ disciples (v. 30), “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” Their superiority complex blinded them to their own spiritual poverty. In the Gospel of John, they even rejected the healing of the blind man, to which Jesus responded (Jn 9:39-41), “For judgment I came into this world, that those who do not see may see, and those who see may become blind. (40) Some of the Pharisees near him heard these things and said to him, ‘Are we also blind?’ (41) Jesus said to them, ‘If you were blind, you would have no guilt; but now that you say, “We see,” your guilt remains.’” From a Pharisaical perspective, they considered it impure to dine with people they deemed riffraff or “those people” …simply not like them. Society at that time viewed tax collectors as traitors and extortionists. Yet these are precisely the people our Messiah seeks.
- Jesus is the cure for our spiritual disease. Jesus endeavored to have close contact with non-believers, like a physician who meets sick people in an exam room (in close proximity), evaluates them, and prescribes appropriate healthcare. A good physician is guided by compassion for his or her patients, regardless of whether an illness was beyond their control or the result of poor habits or decisions. The medicine Jesus provides us is the gospel, injected straight into the heart.
- Jesus came to seek lost people and lead them to repentance. Remember, His ministry began with the words, “Repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand.” The Pharisees believed they were righteous before God. Jesus teaches a parable about the “Pharisee and the Tax Collector” praying in the temple, revealing their prideful hearts (Lk 18:9-14). The key is that no one is righteous before a Holy God (Rom 3:9-20); we all desperately need Jesus.
Jesus has come to offer forgiveness of sins through repentance for all. He did this by leaving the security and glory of His heavenly home to be in close proximity with sinners on the guilty side of heaven. The Father clothed His Son with our humanity so that He could identify with our human condition and weaknesses, becoming the perfect Advocate for us (1 Jn 2:1-2):
“My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. (2) He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.”
We, as Christians, are to imitate our Savior’s attitude and disposition in gospel work. We are redeemed people, not wearing heaven-issued judge robes or holding courtroom gavels. To the lost, we should not appear as symbols of God’s condemnation and wrath but rather as beneficiaries of His abounding grace and kindness, overflowing like springs of living water towards others.
Dr. Jason S. Price, Th.D
www.springoflivingwaters.com