GOOD MEDICINE

Good Medicine

When he heard [the Pharisees’ criticism], Jesus replied, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do.” Then he added, “Now go and learn the meaning of this Scripture: ‘I want you to be merciful; I don’t want your sacrifices.’ For I have come to call sinners, not those who think they are already good enough.”Matthew 9:12-13

When Jesus ate with the tax collectors, he caused a stir throughout the city. Many were men of ill repute who abused their power over their fellow citizens by overcharging them and then lining their own pockets with the difference. The Pharisees reasoned that if Jesus were truly the Messiah, he would not seek out these vile men but would eat with the righteous instead. When the Pharisees confronted Jesus about this, he silenced them with a challenge to discover the true meaning of mercy, defined by his own example. Rather than wait for the unbeliever to come to church, Christ brought a living gospel to the doorstep of their homes.

The challenge is no less compelling today. Right outside the walls of your local church are people who are seeking answers. There are those who need healing, who are lonely, and who may even be reviled by others in their community. You have good medicine to dispense—a gospel message that heals hearts and changes lives and reconciles sinners to a merciful Savior.

GOD, thank you for showing me that you desire that I be merciful rather than make sacrifices to you. You come to those of us who know that apart from you we are sick instead of to those who believe that they are well but are really sick at heart. Thank you for being my Great Physician and for never being too busy to attend to my needs or wounds. Guide me in joyfully dispensing to others the good medicine you pour out to me.

GOD IS NOT SAVING THE WORLD; IT IS DONE. OUR BUSINESS IS TO GET MEN AND WOMEN TO REALIZE IT.Oswald Chambers (1874–1917)