Wednesday, January 30, 2013

The First Step


On hearing this, Jesus said to them, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have come not to call the righteous, but sinners." -Mark 2:17 (NIV)

Note: No school today resulted in a devotional delay. Sorry to just now be sending out today's devotional.

I have friends and family members who are recovering addicts of one kind or another. Most of them are in some sort of support group like Alcoholics Anonymous or Celebrate Recovery.  Groups like these are often built on the premise that the first step to recovery is acknowledging that one has a problem and that by her or himself  are powerless over that problem. These people reach out to a Higher Power and others with similar addictions for help.

In the suggested scripture reading for today, Jesus is having dinner with sinners and tax collectors. This is not acceptable behavior to the religious leaders of Jesus' day. They consider such sinners and tax collectors unclean and a "ritually clean" person risks becoming unclean when associating with such people. The religious leaders are upset that Jesus is associating with these unclean people.

Jesus responds to their questioning his choice of dinner guests by saying, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick." One might interpret this statement as Jesus essentially saying, "Yes, these folks are sick with sin and they need The Great Physician in their life." True enough, I suppose. But I think Jesus is also saying, "Yes, these folks are sick with sin but so are you, religious leaders. These sick people need the healing touch and presence of The Great Physician, but so do you, religious leaders. If you'll acknowledge that you too are sick with sin, The Great Physician will make a house call and bring healing to you too. But if you don't realize that you're sick, you won't seek healing from a Great Physician like me."

I wonder how much healing (emotional, spiritual, and physical) you and I miss because we're not even cognizant of the fact that we're sick?

May God grant you the grace to see the need for the healing touch and presence of The Great Physician today. That's the first step.





Tomorrow's Reading: Mark 3

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