Mark 2:15–17 (ESV) 15 And as he reclined at table in his house, many tax collectors and sinners were reclining with Jesus and his disciples, for there were many who followed him. 16 And the scribes of the Pharisees, when they saw that he was eating with sinners and tax collectors, said to his disciples, “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?” 17 And when Jesus heard it, he said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”
What a wonderful passage, filled both with our folly and Christ’s beauty.
We do love pretending, don’t we? We love pretending that we’re doing just fine. “How are you today?” “I’m fine, thanks for asking!” We love to think we’re stable and healthy. We love to think we’re not falling apart, not broken down and failing under the weight of our sins.
Here is the beauty of Jesus: Jesus isn’t fooled. He doesn’t think we’re healthy and happy. He knows we are burdened and miserable. He sees the ugliness we hide. He sees the spiritual decay of our souls. This is exactly why he came.
Jesus came for the sick. He came for the broken. He came for the worst of sinners.
So why do we pretend? The physician of souls is looking for people to heal. He holds out to sinners his love and transforming grace. When we pretend, we simply dodge the help we desperately need.
There’s no sense pretending. Jesus doesn’t buy it. You don’t even buy it.
The bad news is that we’re kind of a wreck. The good news is that there is a Savior for people like us.
This article was originally published at https://www.dayspringreno.com/blog/no-sense-pretending on April 21, 2022.
Jason Ching (MA, Westminster Seminary California) is a pastor at Dayspring Church in Reno, NV. He is husband to Naomi and father of three.
Note: The views expressed in this article are that of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of other contributors on this site.
Comentarios