The online
Bible teaching
ministry of
Stephen &
Brooksyne
Weber
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Thursday,
November 2, 2023
This
fire bush is
in full
crimson array.
"We
All Need This
Doctor"
Message
summary:
"Jesus
said, 'It is
not the
healthy who
need a doctor,
but the
sick'". At
first glance
it may appear
that Jesus is
saying it is
not the
healthy (the
Pharisees) who
need a doctor
but the sick
(the tax
collectors and
sinners)
implying the
Pharisees are
spiritually
healthy. But
that's not His
message! We
all need this
doctor.
Listen
to our message
on your audio
player.
"Jesus said, 'It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice.' For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners'" (Matthew 9:12-13).
Throughout life we have been blessed by good medical care, including both general and specialized. Early this year I had surgery to remove infected mesh from an abdominal surgery 14 years ago. At the time my surgeon explained the mesh would very likely need replaced and a CAT scan last month verified that is indeed the case. So, that is something I have to look forward to! This is all the result of a baseball injury when I was young. However I wouldn't trade being active all through life and the consequences of that activity.
"Jesus said, 'It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice.' For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners'" (Matthew 9:12-13).
Throughout life we have been blessed by good medical care, including both general and specialized. Early this year I had surgery to remove infected mesh from an abdominal surgery 14 years ago. At the time my surgeon explained the mesh would very likely need replaced and a CAT scan last month verified that is indeed the case. So, that is something I have to look forward to! This is all the result of a baseball injury when I was young. However I wouldn't trade being active all through life and the consequences of that activity.
Today
we will
consider a
doctor we all
need.
We
don't know a
lot about
doctors or
medical
practices in
the Bible
times. Luke is
described as a
physician and
in another
place Jesus
healed a woman
who had been
ill for twelve
years who had
been treated
by many
doctors.
We normally think of going to a doctor when we are sick, which was also the reasoning at the time of Christ. In our daily text Jesus said as much when He told his listeners, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick". In our day we also go for a preventive type examination when we are healthy. My first experience with this type of doctoring was during high school when I was required to have a physical for sports. I don't recall Mom taking me in for checkups when I was young, only when I did something stupid like putting a marble in my nose!
The Great Physician practiced what He preached when He went about the region healing those whose bodies were diseased. In Matthew 9 Jesus sought out Matthew at a tax collector's booth and said to him, "Follow me" (v.9). Right after this He had a meal in Matthew's house where "many tax collectors and sinners" joined them (v.10).
We normally think of going to a doctor when we are sick, which was also the reasoning at the time of Christ. In our daily text Jesus said as much when He told his listeners, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick". In our day we also go for a preventive type examination when we are healthy. My first experience with this type of doctoring was during high school when I was required to have a physical for sports. I don't recall Mom taking me in for checkups when I was young, only when I did something stupid like putting a marble in my nose!
The Great Physician practiced what He preached when He went about the region healing those whose bodies were diseased. In Matthew 9 Jesus sought out Matthew at a tax collector's booth and said to him, "Follow me" (v.9). Right after this He had a meal in Matthew's house where "many tax collectors and sinners" joined them (v.10).
This
was especially
an affront to
the proud
Pharisees who
represented
the "holier
than thou"
attitude of
their day.
This greatly
distressed
them and they
asked the
disciples
concerning
Jesus, "Why
does your
teacher eat
with tax
collectors and
'sinners'?"
(v.11).
"Jesus said, 'It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick'". At first glance it may appear that Jesus is saying it is not the "healthy" (Pharisees) who need a doctor but the sick (the tax collectors and sinners). But Jesus doesn't stop here. He challenges their thinking, "But go and learn what this means". He didn't elaborate but wanted them to learn as they considered what He was about to say.
His answer is contained in the simple phrase: "I desire mercy, not sacrifice". Here Jesus was actually quoting the Old Testament prophet Hosea, "For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings" (Hosea 6:6).
Jesus ended the exchange by stating, "For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners". Indeed the pursuit of His righteousness begins when we acknowledge (confess) we are sinners and repent. Each of us is born into sin and must make a willful choice to be saved by God's grace.
Jesus was calling attention to the fact that the Pharisees, who relied upon religious rituals ("sacrifices and burnt offerings") to make themselves righteous before God, were actually missing the mercy and knowledge of God Himself. They did not realize that, in fact, they were the ones sick in spirit and desperately in need of the Master Healer's touch. We all need this doctor!
And so, let us join with that same Old Testament prophet Hosea in affirming: "Let us know the Lord, let us press on to know Him. As surely as the sun rises, He will appear, He will come to us..." (Hosea 6:3).
"Jesus said, 'It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick'". At first glance it may appear that Jesus is saying it is not the "healthy" (Pharisees) who need a doctor but the sick (the tax collectors and sinners). But Jesus doesn't stop here. He challenges their thinking, "But go and learn what this means". He didn't elaborate but wanted them to learn as they considered what He was about to say.
His answer is contained in the simple phrase: "I desire mercy, not sacrifice". Here Jesus was actually quoting the Old Testament prophet Hosea, "For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings" (Hosea 6:6).
Jesus ended the exchange by stating, "For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners". Indeed the pursuit of His righteousness begins when we acknowledge (confess) we are sinners and repent. Each of us is born into sin and must make a willful choice to be saved by God's grace.
Jesus was calling attention to the fact that the Pharisees, who relied upon religious rituals ("sacrifices and burnt offerings") to make themselves righteous before God, were actually missing the mercy and knowledge of God Himself. They did not realize that, in fact, they were the ones sick in spirit and desperately in need of the Master Healer's touch. We all need this doctor!
And so, let us join with that same Old Testament prophet Hosea in affirming: "Let us know the Lord, let us press on to know Him. As surely as the sun rises, He will appear, He will come to us..." (Hosea 6:3).
Be
encouraged
today,
(Hebrews
3:13)
Daily prayer:
Heavenly
Father, You
extend mercy
to the
downtrodden,
to those
rejected by
society, and
to all who
realize they
are sick,
indeed dead in
their sins and
need a Savior.
You sent Jesus
to earth not
just to mingle
and fellowship
with the
chosen few,
but to call
out those who
acknowledge
their souls
are diseased
by sin and the
only hope they
have for
spiritual
healing is
experienced by
salvation
through Christ
Jesus. Our
Great
Physician can
make us every
whit whole. We
want to press
on to know Him
more fully and
bring along as
many as we can
to meet the
mender of our
heart and
Healer of our
soul. Amen.
Stephen
&
Brooksyne
Weber
Daily prayer:
Heavenly
Father, You
extend mercy
to the
downtrodden,
to those
rejected by
society, and
to all who
realize they
are sick,
indeed dead in
their sins and
need a Savior.
You sent Jesus
to earth not
just to mingle
and fellowship
with the
chosen few,
but to call
out those who
acknowledge
their souls
are diseased
by sin and the
only hope they
have for
spiritual
healing is
experienced by
salvation
through Christ
Jesus. Our
Great
Physician can
make us every
whit whole. We
want to press
on to know Him
more fully and
bring along as
many as we can
to meet the
mender of our
heart and
Healer of our
soul. Amen.
Today's
Suggested
Music and
Supplemental
Resources
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WEBER -
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In considering support we are so pleased when we hear from you, our readers, that our messages are a source of teaching and encouragement to you. We also urge you to consider the mission aspect of these daily teachings that are freely available and read by many all over the world.
To
donate
directly
online
click here.
(This will
open to a page
that
designates the
offering
to: STEPHEN
&
BROOKSYNE
WEBER -
700001-237376 SERVING
IN SPECIALIZED
CHAPLAINCY)
If
you desire you
can also
donate
directly
through PayPal
using this link.
This will open
to a page that
states
"Brooksyne
Weber". We
keep this
option
available due
to the
familiarity,
convenience,
for
international
supporters,
and for those
who may not
need an
official
receipt. You
can also set
up for
recurring
donations.
Thank
you,
Stephen
&
Brooksyne
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radioPermissions: Please feel free to pass on, reproduce and distribute any material on Daily Encouragement Net, in part or in whole, in any format, provided that you do not alter the wording in any way or charge a fee beyond the cost of reproduction. It is our desire to spread this material, not protect or restrict it. We do request that you keep the contact, copyright and subscription information intact.
Scripture references are from The Holy Bible: New International Version. © 1984 by International Bible Society; NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, New King James Version (NKJV) Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. and the King James Version and a variety of other versions.
Personal Mission Statement: "I am created by God to bring Him glory. Through God's Son Jesus Christ I have been redeemed and make it my life's goal to please the Lord. My mission in life is to honor God through my faith and obedience and prepare myself and all whom I may influence for eternity."
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