A Nugget from New Life Network
Scripture for the Day (November 15, 2018)
And when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto his disciples, Why eateth your Master with publicans and sinners? But when Jesus heard that, he said unto them, They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick. But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. (Matthew 9:11-13, KJV)
I woke up this morning with Matthew 9:11 in my head. I have learned over the years not to discount that type of thing because God may be trying to get my attention about something He wants to say to me or say to others. So, I went to my office and started digging into this particular verse.
Of course, the first thing I thought about was the “911” connection to our present danger alert system. Could God be trying to alert us to a dangerous situation? Let’s take a close look at this particular verse.
The three main characters portrayed in Matthew 9:1-13 are Jesus, the tax collectors and sinners, and the Pharisees. Jesus went to the home of a tax collector named Matthew. Many other tax collectors and sinners joined Jesus and Matthew at this home. When the Pharisees saw this they were not happy and asked the disciples of Jesus why their teacher would associate with these sinners and tax collectors. When Jesus heard this He responded that He did not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance. In other words, He was not interested in the Pharisee (Holy) types that considered themselves righteous and thought they had no need of a savior.
The Message Bible describes it like this:
Later when Jesus was eating supper at Matthew’s house with his close followers, a lot of disreputable characters came and joined them. When the Pharisees saw him keeping this kind of company, they had a fit, and lit into Jesus’ followers. “What kind of example is this from your Teacher, acting cozy with crooks and riffraff?” Jesus, overhearing, shot back, “Who needs a doctor: the healthy or the sick? Go figure out what this Scripture means: ‘I’m after mercy, not religion.’ I’m here to invite outsiders, not coddle insiders.” (Matthew 9:11-13, The Message Bible)
The “911” warning I see here is that it is real easy for us Christians to become self-righteous. It is real easy to become too comfortable in the four walls of our church and lose the hunger to reach the lost. Don’t get me wrong, I love the church but we cannot let our church become a religious country club. It has to be a filling-station where we go to receive the fuel we need to go out and take the Gospel to the world.
And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. (Mark 16:15)
I guess I’m just very sensitive to this subject because this is what our ministry has done for years. Our ministry is to the marketplace where there are a lot of people that do not know Jesus. Ministry to these people is totally different than preaching in a church. Honestly, it is hard for me to fit into most church environments for any length of time (thank the Lord we have found a good church to go out from).
I just think we tend to lose some of our sensitivity and fire for one-on-one evangelism when most of our time is spent with people that are already saved. If Jesus felt comfortable fellowshipping with sinners, then we should also. I just want to encourage you today to follow the example Jesus set for us and not be afraid to share the Gospel wherever you are.
Sinners need you!!!
