The Sick Need a Physician Matthew 9:12

Matthew the apostle shared, “And as Jesus passed forth from there, he saw a man, named Matthew, sitting at the receipt of custom: and he saith unto him, Follow me. And he arose, and followed him. And it came to pass, as Jesus sat at meat in the house, behold, many publicans and sinners came and sat down with him and his disciples. And when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto his disciples, Why eats your Master with publicans and sinners?” In chapter nine and verse twelve of his book, Matthew shared how Jesus said, “they that are sick” “need... a physician” where we read:

But when Jesus heard that, he said unto them,

They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick.

The verse reads, “But when Jesus heard that, he said unto them, ...” Matthew began with the word, “but” or “moreover and nevertheless” “when Jesus” which means “at the time and moment Jesus whose name means Jehovah is Salvation and is the Son of God, the Savior of mankind and God incarnate” “heard that” or “was endowed with the faculty of hearing, perceived, understood and attended to what the Pharisees said”, “he said” which means “Jesus uttered, declared and proclaim” “unto them” which refers to “to the Pharisees”. Matthew shared how Jesus “heard” what the Pharisees said, and made the following statement to them.

The verse continues, “... They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick.” Matthew continued with the words, “they that be whole” or “the people who are strong in body, robust and in sound health” “need not” which means “do not have a necessity for” “a physician” or “a doctor or one who attends to the physical body”, “but they that are ” which refers to “but the people who are” “sick” which means “miserable, ill, reviled and wronged”. Matthew shared Jesus' words concerning “sick people” needing a “physician” rather than people who are well.

When we think through Matthew's words in this verse, we see how Jesus addressed these Pharisees' comments concerning His eating with “publicans and sinners”. Jesus came into the world to “save the lost” who are “spiritually sick” and in need of the Great Physician. God sent His Son Jesus to reach those who are in deep need, and though He may be criticized for having fellowship with “tax collectors” and wicked people, it is them whom He came to save from their sinful state.

Next time Matthew shares how Jesus told the Pharisees, “go and learn what that means”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.