Hi, my name is George Sinclair. I'm the lead pastor of Church of the Messiah. It is wonderful
that you would like to check out some of the sermons done by Church of the Messiah, either
by myself or some of the others. Listen, just a couple of things. First of all, would you pray
for us that we will open God's Word well to His glory and for the good of people like yourself?
The second thing is, if you aren't connected to a church and if you are a Christian, we really,
I would really like to encourage you to find a good local church where they believe the Bible,
they preach the gospel, and if you have some trouble finding that, send us an email. We will
do what we can to help connect you with a good local church wherever you are. And if you're a
non-Christian checking us out, we're really, really, really glad you're doing that. Don't
hesitate to send us questions. It helps me, actually, to know, as I'm preaching, how to
deal with the types of things that you're really struggling with. So God bless.
Jonathan, as you know, is joining us to preach the Word. And for those who don't know, Jonathan
used to be, I believe, a ministry intern here, and now Jonathan and his wife are serving the
Lord on the other side of the river. So thanks, Jonathan, for coming to preach.
Thank you. So just remaining standing, let us pray as we open God's Word to meditate upon it.
Heavenly Father, I thank you for your presence where your Word has opened your speaking. And
I pray your Holy Spirit would come upon the words that are spoken this morning, that you would
direct my words, but also that you would help all of us to receive your words, the truth that you
have for us today. I pray that you would touch our hearts in ways that we might have tried to hide
our hearts, and that you would give us the grace to walk in the newness of life which the Gospel
brings. And I pray these things in Jesus' name. Amen. You may be seated.
Amen. So it's a pleasure for me to be here. It's a joy to see very familiar faces, faces that I've,
people that I've known for years, that many of you have played such a key role in my life. And it's
such a joy to be here, open God's Word with you. As some of you know, my wife and I moved to Quebec,
and just as I say, the other side of the river. It's along the river, but it's a little bit,
it's on the other border, close to where Hawkesbury is. If you know the little town called Rego,
we moved there a few years ago. And I've been working over the last couple of years as a cook
and supervisor in a federal government training college. And so I work there, and it's been a joy
to work there and be able to be a light as much as the Lord gives grace among the people there.
And I want to share with you a brief story of what has happened there. So I work Thursdays to
Sundays, but the deal is I work starting at two or starting at one or two to the evening, so I don't
miss church Sunday mornings. But anyway, I get to work there. And one of the things that's pretty cool
that happens is that on Sundays when I get there and I serve people their meals, they ask me,
how was your day? What did you do today? And so it kind of pushes me to out of my comfort zone to say,
well, I went to church this morning. And there was one guy in particular, I won't say his name,
but he would often come. He was kind of like the life of the party and all that. But every time I
would ask him, hey, how are you doing? How's it going? And he would kind of show up in the line,
and he said, he would always say, well, I'm alive. To which I would respond, hey, I'm glad you're alive.
I'm glad you're here. It's good to see you. And we proceed to do that. And then he would ask me,
well, what did you do this morning? How was your day? How was your weekend? And on one particular
Sunday, I said, well, I went to church this morning. And he was kind of like, oh, interesting.
And I said, I taught Sunday school as well. And to which he responded, oh, that's really good. I
guess if it makes you happy, like that's a very good thing. I know, to serve your community that
way and all that. And he kind of explained away what was happening and kind of, you know, led the
conversation to a segue to something else. And, you know, for me as a Christian, my primary concern
isn't necessarily being happy in life. Of course, I want to be happy in life. But there's another way
around that. But I wasn't going to try to explain that to him. Like, the conversation is closed,
buddy. Like, I'm not going to try to say, well, actually, that's not how I, like, he would just
think that I try to be unhappy in life. And I go to church and associate church with pursuing
unhappiness. And that's just kind of weird. The story that we're looking at today is a
story about Jesus who is encountering someone who we might call a relativist, someone who
kind of lives by his own law, his own preferences, his own ambitions. And his life is kind of
centered around that. And Jesus is encountering him. And what do you think Jesus would say to
someone like that? Would he say something like, hey, I'm so glad that you're doing what makes
you happy in life? So let's look at the text. We're looking at Matthew chapter 9. I invite
you to turn with me, if you have your Bibles, to chapter 9, verse 9, which goes something like this.
As Jesus passed on from there, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth.
And so we'll pause here. We'll just kind of unpack who are the characters, what is the setting.
Jesus has just healed a paralytic person. And so he did a miracle, very clearly a miracle. He wasn't
there with, you know, surgical kind of equipment or anything. Like, it was a miracle. He spoke,
and the man was healed. And it was kind of like a play on words. Which one is easier,
to say your sins are forgiven or take up your mat and walk? Jesus was just really highlighting the power
of his word, which is something which belongs to the creator. And now he's here. He's going across,
you know, just some of the different territories in Rome, in the Roman Empire. And he's crossing a
border, and he finds someone called Matthew. Now, Matthew is a Jewish man. The other gospels of
Mark and Luke tell us that his name was Levi. But Matthew decided to abandon that name and associate
with the new name that is Matthew. And so Jesus is calling Matthew. And Matthew is a Jewish man.
He is working for the Roman Empire. And so already you get a sense that he is an asymmetrical
character. Is that too big a word? He's kind of like, he's Jewish in his being, but he puts on
Roman clothes and works for Rome. And at that time, the Jewish people were seen as the oppressors,
or the victims, and the Romans were seen as the oppressors of the victims. You know, it's kind of
like this weird thing happening where Matthew is just kind of working for the bad guys, if you will.
And so there's something asymmetrical about him. There's something strange about Matthew. And the text
doesn't say exactly what it is, but I get the impression that Matthew was just tired of being on the
losing team. You know, maybe he just wanted to work for the winning team. He would want his efforts to
go forward. You know, he maybe had a skill that he wanted to contribute in the world. And so as a tax
collector, which is actually originally someone who would work in the border and would receive kind of
the shipping, and he would kind of add taxes to whatever cost the shipping would be. And that way,
he would gain money. And the way that people did that back in those days is that they would add extra
fees that he would keep the money. That was something that the Roman Empire kind of valued. So Matthew was
this character who was not prized by the Jewish people. He was not someone who was well-received,
appreciated. He basically cut himself off of his tribe to pursue his ambitions.
And so in that sense, we can see him as a relativist. So what would Jesus say to someone
like that? What would Jesus say? Would he say like, my friend, hey, I'm so glad you're just,
you know, doing what makes you happy in life. You know, someone who's like stealing, someone who's
not honest in his dealings. Like, would Jesus actually say that? Like, just to affirm him? Like,
that's the Canadian thing to say. What would Jesus say? He says here in verse 9, and Jesus said,
follow me. Jesus said, follow me. Now, there's something about human beings that we are followers.
And if you're here thinking, I'm a follower of no one. I am my own person, and I just do whatever I do,
and whatever I want to do. Well, from the time you were a baby, you were actually following
your mother's cues. You were looking at her eyes. You're following her smile, trying to understand
the world through your experience of your mother. So chances are, if you've had that experience,
you're a follower. And if you ever go on YouTube, you definitely hear the call to click, like, and
subscribe to get more of this content. And so the whole world, in a sense of the whole media world,
is based on this premise that we are followers, that we follow things. And me as a cook, I like my,
I have my certain chefs. I have my Greek chef that I follow online, the Indian chef, and all these
different chefs that I kind of learn my recipes from, because I'm kind of learning on the fly. I didn't
go to chef school. So I'm definitely a follower, and I'm sure some of you, maybe in ways that you're
conscious of or unconscious of, are followers as well. And so there's something human, that we are
followers, and we follow either someone or someone's or something or some things. That is really what we
are, and it's not wrong to follow things. That's not the point that I'm making here. There's nothing
wrong with following. But when we make following someone or something the ultimate in our life,
that's when it becomes murky waters. And so Matthew was a relativist who would have followed
his happiness, maybe the happiness of being prosperous, wealthy, famous, appreciated and applauded by Rome.
He was pursuing happiness. And in that sense, happiness, when we follow it as the ultimate,
becomes a tyrant. Now, I know I sound a bit extreme as I'm saying that. But I am guessing that maybe
some of you here might have this similar experience where whenever you feel angry or whenever you feel
sad, you feel guilty. I shouldn't be feeling this. And there's something about, you know, I should be
feeling happy. Or I should brush this off and pursue happiness right away. And maybe if you're a parent,
you've experienced this as well. Your children are crying and you're like, no, no, no, cover the tears.
Let's stop this right away. As soon as possible. This is uncomfortable. Or if your child is screaming,
no, no, no, no, let's stop this. Let's calm this right down. Let's try to find happiness together.
And in a sense, happiness has become an idol. Why? Because happiness is just a fraction of our human
experience. Happiness is just a small part of what it means to be human. And if you read the book of
Psalms, you get a sense that the human experience is way more. The emotional spectrum of what it means
to be human is way bigger. And so happiness is a good thing. Happiness is a very good thing.
It's a gift of God. But pursuing happiness as the ultimate, as the ultimate thing, the very guiding
principle of our life, that's when it becomes a tyrant that we cannot experience the rest of what it
means to be human. And it's impossible not to feel it when you're pursuing happiness. And I am wondering
if Matthew felt this when Jesus came up to him and said, follow me. Follow me. Jesus has two words to
Matthew. And we see that Matthew has a type of conversion experience. When you look at it from
a symbolic, choreographical point of view, we see in verse 9, Matthew rose and followed him.
You think of Isaiah 60 or Psalm 1, when people are, when it says that, blessed is the man who walks
not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers.
Matthew was sitting in those who were oppressing the people of God. He was sitting in that sense,
but he decided he saw Jesus, he heard the words of Jesus, and he got up. And he got up and he followed
Jesus. And I want to share with you my first point here, if we can have that on the screen.
Jesus' word is healing power. Jesus' word is healing power. Now why healing power?
We're in the context of the gospel of Matthew here, where Jesus is doing healings. He's doing
multiple healings. And he healed the centurion's servant, where the centurion asked Jesus, would you
say one word and my servant will be healed? And Jesus says, go, he's healed. And same thing with
the paralytic. He says one word and he's healed. And this whole rhetoric of what Matthew is doing here
that he's showing, showcasing the authority of Jesus' word. And what kind of authority is that?
The authority to break us and crush us? No, the authority to heal, to bind what is broken.
And so how does this look like? How does this work? That Jesus' word brings healing.
See, we're made for God's presence. We were made to behold God, to know God, to behold him as the
highest possible being, the highest possible pursuit, the highest goodness, the highest beauty.
That is our original relationship, the intention that God made us for. And you read that in the
early pages of scripture. That is God's intention for us, to know him and behold him. But what our
original ancestors did, Adam and Eve, is that they, having heard the word of the serpent, Satan,
they decided to turn and they didn't follow God anymore. They followed their own selves,
their own ambitions. The devil said that you could be gods if you just eat from the tree of the
knowledge of good and evil. You will be gods. And so they decided to follow their own selves,
their own self-interest, their own autonomy. They became followers of self. And in that sense,
they became distorted. In that sense, there was a breaking off from God. There's no way to have
relationship with God when we follow our own selves, when God is other-oriented in his own being and in
his relationship to his creation. And so in the garden, there was this exile where Adam and Eve were
cast out of the garden. And every human being afterward has experienced this exile of not being
in fellowship, not beholding God, not being in the presence of God. And that has characterized the rest of
humanity ever since. So when Jesus called Matthew, he invited him back into this original knowing and
beholding. There's something about Jesus's words, maybe Jesus's face, the blending of the two,
that Matthew saw, the face of God. And he thought, whoa, I need to follow this man. I need to follow
his man. And as someone who would have worked at the border, I'm sure he would have heard the stories,
the miracles of what Jesus has done. But his time came when Jesus said, follow me. And Matthew,
who is the writer of this gospel that we're looking at, he wrote this down because he has tasted and seen
the goodness of Jesus, the goodness of knowing God and beholding him. He wrote this down so that we
could participate in the same thing. And I don't know where you find yourself today. Maybe you're
not a follower of Jesus. You're a follower of happiness, maybe, or a follower of your pursuit of
wealth or fame, your work, whatever it is, your relationship. You're a follower of something. I know it.
But these things are temporary. And so when we follow something that's temporary, these pursuits
die when we die. The value is ephemeral. It's gone when we're gone. I was talking with one of my
colleagues, co-workers, someone that I supervise. And I asked her, like, look, for this type of job,
you need to have a vision that's higher than merely washing dishes, putting the food out,
serving the people, putting a smile on, and just kind of closing the day, closing the kitchen.
Like, you need to have a vision that's higher than that. And I know that you want to buy a car with
the money that you make, and that's a good vision, but you need something that's even higher than that.
Something that will not perish. Something that will bring you to the next point in your life that
you will carry with you. And once you figure that out, I give you a week to think about it. Once you
figure it out, come tell me so that I can help you reach that goal. We all need to aim for something
that is high. Why not aim for the highest thing? Why not aim for Jesus? If you're not following Jesus,
I want to encourage you that Jesus is the highest possible pursuit in this life. Your life will never
be the same. He will transform it for the good. And I want to invite you to consider that. Hopefully,
as we unpack the rest of the sermon, you'll understand a little bit more what that entails.
But Jesus is good. Jesus is good. He's good for all of us. From wherever background you come from,
he is good. Or maybe you're a follower of Jesus, but you're cold or dull. However, you may feel that
in your heart of hearts. Maybe if I would ask you, how are you doing? You'd say, I don't really know.
I'm just kind of like, I don't know. I just kind of go on and on and on, not really knowing and
kind of in the fog about where you are with Jesus. I would call on you to wake up. Wake up from the
slumber. Maybe you're following idols. Maybe it's the happiness thing that's kind of overtaken your
pursuit of Jesus. You kind of pursued Jesus and happiness, Jesus and something else. Get rid of the
idols. Get rid of these things, these pursuits that don't fill you, that don't give you eternal life.
Turn from them and follow Jesus and ask Jesus to search you and to know you.
And in the words of the great 1980s band, take a chance. Take a chance on Jesus. I'm thinking of
Abba. Maybe it's not a great example, but take a chance on Jesus. Like, if you need to wake up,
take a chance. Like, ask Jesus what it is and just take a chance. Just go up to someone who's in need
and give. Like, honestly, take a chance. Make it tangible, fleshly, real. Make your faith real, incarnate.
Live it out. Or maybe you're a solid follower of Jesus. Well, praise God. I praise God with you for that.
But don't give up. Keep going. Keep bearing fruit in line with the repentance that you've originally started with.
And be thankful to Jesus. Cultivate thankfulness. Keep going. Cultivate thankfulness.
Or lastly, maybe you're a discouraged follower of Jesus. Maybe you've been mocked. People have laughed at you.
Maybe you've suffered loss. I don't know what it is. But as it says in the book of Acts, and I know you've been going through the book of Acts,
rejoice in that you're accounted worthy of suffering for the name, the name of Jesus.
There's no greater honor in suffering for doing good in the name of Jesus.
That is a good thing.
And we want to follow Jesus because His word
is health. His word is healing
power. And His healing power is what brings us
into and fits us for this friendship with God the Trinity,
the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
As Jesus heals us,
as we get to see Jesus, we behold Him,
we hear His voice, we receive it,
and we trust in Him.
What happens is that it's not just kind of like,
you know, me here, Jesus there.
It's that
Jesus sends His Holy Spirit.
The very Spirit, the very presence of God
to indwell us.
So our life is not the same, you know.
It's really not Jesus my buddy.
It's really
God in me.
And as the Holy Spirit works in us,
our gaze, our sight
is set upon God the Father in Heaven.
And we're no longer just kind of just walking like this,
looking at the next task,
looking at the next pursuit,
feeling bogged down because it didn't work out,
or feeling good because it worked out,
but feeling anxious because you feel it's going to be taken away from you
at any moment.
We're following God,
the triune God,
who gives new life.
And now what does that look like?
Friendship with God.
We get a beautiful picture
of Matthew beholding Jesus
in the beauty of the gospel
in the next verse.
Let's look at verse 10.
It says,
And as Jesus reclined at table
in the house,
behold, many tax collectors and sinners
came and were reclining
with Jesus
and His disciples.
So Matthew,
presumably out of humility,
he left some details out
which we find in Luke
and in Mark.
It says that Matthew
held a great feast,
a great banquet.
He splurged.
And what did he do?
What did he splurge on?
Well, he received Jesus and His disciples
as well as sinners
and tax collectors.
And this is a reflection
of God's own hospitality
which we celebrate at communion,
that we celebrate that God receives us
and that God feeds us
with His own body,
His own life.
But Matthew is transposing that
into what it means
as a human being.
And so as the gospel grips us,
as the gospel grips us,
we begin to consolidate our lives.
That's where the Holy Spirit leads us.
We begin to consolidate our lives.
We see that Matthew,
he consolidates
his time,
his treasure,
his talents.
He looks at what he has,
does an inventory,
a stock inventory.
He looks at who he knows
and he brings them together.
We see his old friends,
maybe his,
you know,
if you work in an office building,
maybe his smoking buddies
at the bottom of the building
at the entrance
or his,
you know,
his drinking buddies after work.
He says,
come along,
I have something to show you.
And he brings his new Jesus
with them
and together
they share in a meal.
And there's something
absolutely beautiful,
Jesus reclining with them.
It's a very kind of
ancient way
of just,
you know,
being with people
that you would recline
at the table.
But being reclined,
you know,
if you're reclined,
you're not really going anywhere.
Like,
Jesus is not there
kind of looking at the door
like,
okay,
when's the next,
when's the perfect exit moment?
Like,
when is the conversation
kind of dying
so I can gun out?
And I showed my presence,
people know that was here
and then,
phew,
he's out.
No,
he's reclining
at table.
He's eating with them.
He's enjoying
their very presence.
There's something
absolutely beautiful
with that.
Now you might think,
okay,
if I did that,
like,
my friends would reject me.
Like,
I would get pushback.
My neighbors,
if they saw me do that,
like,
if they saw me
receive these sinners,
tax collectors,
with,
you know,
people with the tattoos
or people who smoke
or people who smell different,
like,
if they saw me do that,
like,
I would get pushback.
And they'd probably say something like,
like,
what is up with you
and,
like,
this Jesus stuff?
Like,
you're going a little bit
off the rails here.
Like,
that's a bit too much.
At least move upward.
At least try to invite people
that are higher than you
in your work
or higher than you
in society
so that way you can kind of
move your way up with them.
Like,
that's a good idea.
That's a wise idea.
That's what wise,
sophisticated people do.
Well,
that's exactly the criticism
that Jesus
and Matthew
receive in verse 11.
Let's read it.
Verse 11.
It says,
And when the Pharisees saw this,
they said to his disciples,
Why does your teacher
eat with tax collectors
and sinners?
There you have it.
Why does your teacher
eat with tax collectors
and sinners?
And I'd like to have
my second point
just so we can expound on this.
What is happening here?
What is happening here
is that
Jesus eats
and fellowships
with sinners.
He is clean.
He is mercy of God.
I'll say this again.
Jesus eats with sinners
and eats and fellowships
with sinners.
He is clean.
He is mercy of God.
He is the very definition
of what he means
to be clean.
He's the very definition
of the mercy of God.
And this is what we see
happening here
in this story.
Jesus makes very little
of externals
in case you're wondering,
in case maybe you have forgotten.
The externals,
not so much.
Jesus cares for the heart.
He goes towards
the heart of each
and every single one of us.
And this is a picture,
Jesus eating with
and fellowshipping with
his disciples
and with sinners
and tax collectors.
This is a picture
of what the cross accomplishes.
So that when Jesus
comes down,
you know,
he's not going up the ladder.
He's coming down.
And in a sense,
he came down from heaven
as we read earlier.
Came down from heaven
to be with people
who are hungry,
people who are in need.
And as he is there,
he is fellowshipping with them
to show the ultimate reality
of what is going to happen
in the glory of the resurrection.
That we will have fellowship
and we will eat with Jesus.
That we will have
a good future with Jesus.
So that when he went to the cross,
he took everything
that made us poor
and needy and weak
upon him.
So that we could have
the riches of Jesus.
And the riches
is the very fellowship
of Jesus.
The very knowing
of God himself.
That is the cross
and that is what
Jesus accomplished
at the cross.
And this picture of eating
is a picture of eternity.
When you put your trust
in Jesus.
When you put faith
in Jesus.
Now Jesus is not
this distant hero
with no time
or interest
in you.
In the people
in the story.
He is literally eating.
Literally eating
with them.
He knows
human beings
but he knows you.
He knows your thoughts.
He knows your experiences.
He knows your pursuits.
Your ambitions.
He knows what kind
of imagination you have.
What you dwell on
when you're sitting quiet.
He knows all those things.
And he wants to have
a relationship
with you.
And you may be wondering
yeah but what if I'm
what if I'm disordered?
Like what if I'm financially
just kind of off the rails?
What if just my
my luck in life
I just
I don't have it?
What if
what if I'm not beautiful?
What if I'm not successful?
What if I always get turned down?
What if my sexuality
is just
I don't even have
a definition for it.
I don't even have
a word for it.
I don't even know
where I am.
What if
what if
and what if
Jesus is clean.
He is mercy of God.
And as we put
our faith in him
we receive
his cleanliness.
And that's the beauty
of what the cross
accomplishes.
You see in the Old Testament
there was this concern
that the
the innermost sanctuary
of the presence of God
could be contaminated
because sin
and uncleanliness
would go
and creep towards
like a serpent
towards the inner sanctuary
of the temple
or the tabernacle.
That was the concern.
That was what
all the regulations
were about.
But these regulations
are expired
because Jesus
who is the very
presence of God
he is clean
and like a mountain
has water dripping
all along it
and it's unstoppable.
I live on a mountain
and come springtime
I have to make sure
that my water pump
is functioning
because my basement
will be flooded
in a matter of seconds.
The water is so powerful
and you look at it
flow down the mountain
and it's unstoppable.
And that's the picture
of the Holy Spirit
coming out of Jesus.
And a few chapters later
in this account
we see the unclean woman
the woman with
the issue of blood
she comes to Jesus
and she touches Jesus
and what happens?
Power comes out of Jesus
and she is made clean.
And it's the same thing
same principle
that as we come to Jesus
frail
faulty
as you may be
Jesus is clean
and makes clean.
He is mercy of God.
What he is showing
and that picture
he is showing
for us
what might be for us
if we come to him.
And this
this is made clear
in verse 11.
Let's look at verse 11.
This relationship
with God
and how he makes us clean.
Verse 11 says
And when the Pharisees
saw this
they said to his disciples
why does your teacher
eat with tax collectors
and sinners?
And verse 12
but when he heard it
he said
those who are well
have no need
of a physician
but those who are sick.
What is going on here?
The Pharisees
are not catching on.
They think
that
okay
I can make myself clean
by my religiosity
by obeying rules
obeying laws
pleasing God
like this.
I don't really need
Jesus' power
or cleanliness.
I don't need
the mercy of God.
I can leave that
to the others.
I
follow the principles
of God.
I follow the laws
of God.
Therefore
I am clean
and I'm good.
And that's
the very religious spirit.
That's very contrasted
with the relativist spirit
which is
I don't need
really what to
I don't need
really any laws
or any principles
to follow.
I'm just going
to follow myself
and whatever else
other leader
I can find
on the internet.
So you have
these contrasts.
We have the relativist
who is
all heart
passion
but no external
conformity
and you have
the religious
who is all
external conformity
but no heart.
And their hearts
are
whatever heart
that they have
is revealed
in calling
Jesus
teacher.
See with a teacher
you learn things
and you climb
your way up.
You go up the ladder
and you move
towards
one degree
of glory
if you will
one degree
of healing
of wholeness
to another
to another.
And that's
anyway
that's the hope
that's the anticipation
that's why people
kind of go into it
in the first place.
But Jesus
counters that
he says
in a sense
Matthew
you're not going
to be
you're not a
relativist anymore
but I'm not going
to allow you
to become
a religious
person.
You're going
to follow me.
And what that
looks like
is that Jesus
corrects the Pharisees
by saying
those who are well
have no need
of a physician
but those who are sick.
In a sense
Jesus says
you're going
to relate
to me
as a physician.
You're going
to relate
to me
not as a
teacher first
but as a
physician.
And so
here's my
third point.
The world
says
follow
teachings
for your
healing
and Jesus
says
I will
heal you
then teach
you.
So you see
it's completely
different.
Jesus is not
offering
a religion.
He's not
offering
relativism.
He's offering
a relationship.
a lively
relationship
with your
maker
with your
creator.
He is
your creator
come to you
come to us
this morning
calling
follow me.
He's saying
follow me
to you
to me
so that we
would commit
ourselves to him
and maybe
recommit
ourselves
to him.
And Jesus
has a special
insight into
the human
person.
His word
play here
is really
masterful.
He's talking
about those
who are
well
have no
need of
a physician
but those
who are
sick.
He's talking
about these
deep realities
of what it
means to be
a human
in real time
in real space.
He's saying
that we're
sick.
He's saying
that it's not
good enough
to be
religious.
It's not
good enough
to try
harder.
It's not
good enough
to have
walked with
Jesus
for many
years
having
believed
the gospel
and now
saying
I got it.
I've got
this.
I can
just go
on and
continue
with my
own
thing
and have
my own
mind
about
reality.
Jesus
says we're
sick.
There's
something
sickly
about us,
about each
and every
single one
of us
which is
called
sin.
He's
using
another
layer
as he's
describing
in verse
13.
Go and
learn what
this means.
I desire
mercy
and not
sacrifice.
For I
came not
to call
the righteous
but sinners.
Those who
are sick,
those who
are sinful
are one
and the
same.
He's
describing
each and
every one
of us
and he's
saying that
he is
the physician
of our
souls.
He is
the only
one who
will make
us right
with God
and he's
the only
one who
will make
us right
with others,
right with
this world.
Jesus is
the physician
of each
and every
one of
us.
Now
Jesus is
also
centering
in on
what it
means to
have a
relationship
with him.
I mentioned
the relativists
have
internal
kind of
some
heart
passion
but no
external
conformity
whereas
the religious
have external
conformity
but no
heart
really
whereas
a relationship
with God
starts with
the heart
and moves
outward
into external
conformity.
We see
this in
verse 13.
He says
having said
that he
is the
physician
now he
says
go and
learn
what this
means.
I desire
mercy
and not
sacrifice.
He's
quoting from
the Old
Testament
and he's
saying
I desire
God
desires
from
God's
own
heart
his own
being
what he
wants
from us
is to
share
in his
own
being.
God
is love
and he
wants us
to share
in that
love.
In your
translation
it probably
says
mercy
and in
the original
language
from which
this is
quoted
the word
is
chesed
which is
to say
God's
covenantal
love
God's
faithfulness
the very
fact that
God has
been faithful
when Israel
has been
unfaithful
the very
fact that
God has
been faithful
when you
and I
have been
unfaithful
that he
is there
he's pouring
out his
love
upon him
upon us
upon the
Holy Spirit
as the
Father pours
his love
upon Jesus
Jesus
pours his
love
back to
the
Father
and the
very
love
is the
love
of the
Holy Spirit
which wraps
us in
into this
eternal
dance of
God
do you
know this
love
is this
love
living in
you
that is
the ministry
of the
Holy Spirit
to participate
in the
eternal
love of
God
and what
is absolutely
beautiful
and stunning
and riveting
of this
story
is that
you're never
too far
you're never
too poor
never too
ugly
never too
shameful
never too
old
never too
young
never too
disordered
never too
clumsy
never too
weak
never too
lost
for Jesus
to receive
you
and to
heal you
but it
starts with
following
Jesus
and that's
a form
of worship
I'll put it
this way
following
Jesus
begins
with
beholding
him
seeing
him
looking
at
him
our
face
is the
window
of our
soul
and the
way
in which
our
face
is
directed
shows
where
our
attention
is
and where
our
attention
is
where
our
allegiance
is
and where
our
allegiance
is
where
our
actions
will
follow
and so
we need
to look
to
Jesus
our whole
life
is found
in him
so as we
look to
Jesus
we follow
him
and then
as a matter
of discipleship
we learn
to discern
Jesus'
mercy
towards
each one
of us
as the
true
physician
of your
souls
Jesus
is always
more willing
to receive
us
to heal
us
if you're
going to go
to Jesus
and say
Jesus
you're the
healer
of my
soul
would you
receive
me
I'm
broken
and I've
been following
you for
ten years
like I
don't know
why
but I'm
just in
this place
of
unclarity
and lack
of
truth
and I've
just been
in the
same sins
Jesus
is not
going to
go
I'm
your
teacher
bad
student
no
he's
the
physician
he will
say
yes
come
I'm
so glad
you've
come
back
I will
make
you
clean
I will
show
you
the
mercies
of
God
and
lastly
as a
matter
of
mission
learning
God's
mercy
for
you
and
for
others
we
see
this
pictured
Matthew
he
lived
it
out
he
received
the
mercy
of
Jesus
and
he
showed
it
to
others
he
consolidated
his
life
he
brought
his
old
friends
his
new
Jesus
together
and
it's
a
matter
of
mission
of
being
ambassadors
of
Jesus
in
this
world
of
knowing
the
mercy
of
God
and
showing
it
to
others
and
that
is
carried
out
by
the
fruit
of
the
spirit
you
don't
need
to
be
an
extravagant
missionary
who
knows
all
the
perfect
zingers
and lines
on how
to
have
people
reconsider
Jesus
you
just
need
to
bear
fruit
in
the
Holy
Spirit
that
enough
is
strange
in
this
world
showing
love
peace
patience
kindness
gentleness
faithfulness
that
is
strange
I
tell
you
just
doing
that
is
far
reaching
and
so
as
we
consider
these
things
to
follow
Jesus
discern
his
mercy
as
well
as
learning
his
mercy
for
us
and
for
others
extending
it
to
the
world
as
we
consider
these
things
we'll
pray
and
we'll
close
I
invite
you
to
stand
and
I
have
a
final
point
which
is
a
prayer
and
maybe
wherever
you
are
in
this
walk
this
prayer
applies
I've
tried
to
make
it
so
that
wherever
you
are
this
prayer
is
relevant
let's
pray
this
together
Jesus
you
alone
are
the
physician
of
my
soul
I
renounce
all
idols
in
my
life
and
receive
your
cleansing
mercy
today
help
me
to
follow
you
first
and
foremost
and
to
show
the
same
mercy
to
those
around
me
in
your
name
Jesus
amen
and if
maybe
if it's
the first
time
that you're
doing
this
come talk
with me
or come
talk
with someone
just let's
talk about
this
let's talk
about this
new
Jesus
thing
and let's
bow our
hearts
father in
heaven
I thank you
for your
mercy
revealed to
us in
the person
of your
son
Jesus
and I
thank you
that you
are not
distant
but you're
close
that you
indwell
us
that you
come in
us
through your
Holy Spirit
and I
pray that
as we
consider
these
things
as we
meditate
upon
these
truths
that you
would
give us
great
hope
in knowing
that you
are the
physician
of our
souls
and that
you would
give us
just the
grace to
take action
to take a
chance for
you
to cast
our whole
lives upon
you
to not rely
upon our
own strength
but to seek
after you
to set our
gaze upon
you
and I
pray that
in Jesus
mighty name
amen