Jesus, the Great Physician
by Jacob oei, uc berkeley
This year we're collaborating with writers across the Augustine Collective, a network of student-led Christian journals, to bring you a series of short devotional articles during this season of Lent, the 40-day period prior to Easter. Find this series also published by UChicago's CANA Journal and UC Berkeley's TAUG.
Why did Jesus come?
Depending on who you ask, you might get a plethora of answers. Some might say he came to set an example. Others might say he came to teach God’s law or show us how to live a good life.
All of these are true, as they are beautiful and reassuring. But ultimately, Jesus came for a much greater purpose–to save those sick with sin.
One of the clearest examples of this is found in Luke 5, where we find Jesus having a meal with tax collectors. Jesus had been doing many miracles, healing peoples’ sickness and exorcising demons, leading to accrual of a celebrity-like following. On the other hand, the tax collectors were considered traitors, the most hated people in Jewish society. They were known for taxing their fellow Jews as required by the Roman government, and on top of that, charged extra for themselves. In fact, they were so corrupt that they were considered ceremonially unclean, defiling anybody who interacted with them. If there was anybody who did not deserve to be with Jesus, it was them. So naturally, the religious leaders asked Jesus, “Why are you spending time with these people?” Jesus could be with the religious leaders, the people who had been following God their entire lives. Why would Jesus waste his precious time with these tax collectors, of all people?
In response, Jesus gives a shocking yet beautiful pronouncement. He says the sinful tax collectors are not to be shunned, but they are actually the very people he came for. He says, “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.” In a world where the sick and the sinful are avoided at all costs, Jesus comes to forgive their sins and heal their souls.
You may feel like the tax collector. Your past is too dark. You have done too many evil things. You have thought too many thoughts. You could never be redeemed. Maybe you feel like the Christian faith is only for the good, the upright, the moral. You look around at all the Christians, and it seems like they have everything together and would never be as bad as you. Jesus came to turn that misconception upside down. He came not for the one who is righteous, but for the sinner. So if you feel like you are not good enough for Jesus, the invitation is for you. Come to the one who promised that he can heal you. See how he died and paid the ultimate price as a sacrifice for your sins, so that by no merit of your own, you can be forgiven of all your wrongdoing. And see how he rose from the dead, to prove his power and position as the Son of God. Now, he offers you the same invitation he gave the tax collectors–come to him, be forgiven, and be healed.
Jacob is a fourth year student at UC Berkeley. He loves Jesus!