Luke 5

The Pharisees were giving Jesus a hard time for eating with sinners, he responded, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick." (Verse 31)

My respect for doctors has grown exponentially in the past month. My father in-law Bill had double by-pass surgery the week before Christmas and my mother had part of her thyroid removed last week.

Bill was in serious trouble, if he hadn't had emergency surgery he could have gone at any time. Bill went to see his doctor on a Monday and had surgery 3 days later; he was a ticking time bomb.

My mother's surgery was less life-saving; she wasn't a ticking time bomb. The purpose of the surgery was to explore what was going on and see what further treatment was needed. Don't get me wrong, she was feeling lousy, but there was less urgency. Her surgery was 6 weeks after her initial visit.

Both of them were sick, but Bill was more sick. Bill needed a doctor immediately.

There are times in life when we need Jesus more than others. There are times when we are overcome with guilt or grief and need to feel the presence of God surround us... and we need it now. In those times, Jesus is there for comfort.
There other times when we feel spiritually lousy. Maybe you have gotten so lost in work that you have lost touch with friends and family, then one day you realized that you are alone. Maybe you feel distant from God because you haven't worshipped or prayed in months... or years. Maybe you look back on the last couple years and feel like you were just existing, instead of living. In those times, Jesus is there to give us purpose, to give us life.

But what about when life is going good? Everyone in your family is healthy, you've got good friends, and you've got a good job where you make more than enough money to survive. Do you need Jesus?

My wife Michelle tells me that I'm supposed to get a physical every year, even if I'm feeling great. I need to give the doctor a chance to look at my numbers and tell me what I can do to be a healthier person, and tell me what I need to change to avoid getting sick.

When things are going good, Jesus is still there for us. He is there to guide us and stop us from making bad choices that could hurt the ones we love most. He is there to love us when we make mistakes so that we can learn to forgive our loved ones when they make mistakes. He is there to make life the best that it can be. (If Jesus doesn't make your life better, you might want to talk to your pastor or try a new church)

In reality, we all need a doctor.

And we all need Jesus.


(I better make an appointment for my physical, this blog is going to remind Michelle to remind me.)