Who needs a doctor?
By Rob Wiltshire
People outside the church have a view that you have to have life together to go to church.
A great question to ask is, where has this come from? And the answer is; this belief has come from us…the church.
Throughout time the church has forgotten her mission is about reaching people, regardless as to how messy they are and has acted as though their only job is to be the moral police to their communities.
The problem is that everyone else sees the mess in the lives of ‘churched people’ and are turned off by the hypocrisy.
The reality is this. Regardless as to whether someone is a churched or unchurched person; all of us either were a mess, are a mess, or are one stupid decision away from becoming a mess.
Jesus addresses this way of thinking in Luke 5
Luke 5:27-32
After this he (Jesus) went out and saw a man named Levi at his work collecting taxes. Jesus said, “Come along with me.” And he did—walked away from everything and went with him. Levi gave a large dinner at his home for Jesus. Everybody was there, tax men and other disreputable characters as guests at the dinner. The Pharisees and their religion scholars came to his disciples greatly offended. “What is he doing eating and drinking with crooks and ‘sinners’?” Jesus heard about it and spoke up, “Who needs a doctor: the healthy or the sick? I’m here inviting outsiders, not insiders—an invitation to a changed life, changed inside and out.”
Can you imagine sick people walking into the doctor’s office only for the doctor to tell them; “You need to be healthy before I will see you?” There would be public outcry, and for good reason too. The doctor’s office would go broke, no one would receive treatment, and sick people would die.
It’s a thought that is anything short of just plain ridiculous. But in a sense, this is what the religious community of the time were saying. “What’s he doing with crooks and sinners?”
And if we are honest, we at times ask the same question to.
Who needs a doctor? Sick people.
Who needs the church? Messy people (that’s you, I and everyone)
Who needs Jesus? See the answer to the previous question.
After posing this question, Jesus makes this statement…
“I’m here inviting outsiders not insiders.”
Jesus loves every person going to church, and he equally loves every person who doesn’t go to church.
Here is a challenge for you. Who is in your life currently who is outside of church that Jesus is asking you to invite them into church? Make it happen this week, step out from your comfort zone and invite outsiders in.