The Great Physician: Embracing Our Need for Jesus

We've already begun, though, to see the way Jesus' words and ministry tended to polarize people.

I mean, think about it, what we've seen so far.

Crowds were flocking to Jesus and rejoicing in what he was doing.

People were even giving up their careers to follow after him.

But there are also some key notes that we see here in this passage.

And as a musician, I have to think about it this way, in a minor key.

What do you usually think of for a minor key?

Sad, right? And people in Nazareth also, in that minor key, so to speak,

they wanted to throw him off a cliff, Brother Jimmy, right?

I mean, the Pharisees and teachers of the law, if you remember,

were outraged by his claim to have authority to what? Do you remember? To forgive sins.

And the split of opinion, that's reflected in chapter 5 that Brother Ronnie

read, verses 27 through 29.

If you look back there in verse 30, we see the religious leaders grumbling at

jesus disciples that hasn't changed and he has it sometimes all right,

In verse 33, we see a challenge, though, to the religious habits of the disciples.

And in both cases, I want you all to see today, Eastwood, we see that while

some people instinctively understood how to respond to Jesus,

some people just couldn't see why his coming was good news.

Well, that leads us to our first area today, six sinners and the great physician.

I have to say it again, six sinners and the great physician.

You look back in verse 27, Jesus sees a tax collector named Levi,

who is referred to as Matthew in Matthew 9, verse 9.

Matthew 9:9

He's sitting at his station. It's not clear whether or not there's been any

previous interaction necessarily between the two.

But here, when Jesus calls him, as you look there, to follow after him.

Levi does the same thing, if you hadn't noticed already, that Simon,

Peter, James, and John had done. as we saw the other week.

Look what it says in verse 28 of chapter 5 there.

He got up, left everything, and followed him.

You know, it's easy, I think, for modern readers to miss the significance here.

I mean, for a faithful Jew in those days, it'd be hard to imagine a more loathsome

and hated person in all of society than a tax collector.

Being real, being real, right? Like tax collectors were normally Jews who were

working for the Roman government, exacting the very taxes from their fellow

countrymen that actually served to support the forces that occupied their land, right?

They were infamous for their treachery, their willingness to collect more than

they had a right to collect.

Does that sound familiar? We see John the Baptist, though, his admonition in

chapter 3, verse 13, as we look back in passages we cover. but tax collectors

were commonly viewed, again, as the ultimate sinners.

The enemies of God and his people. Now, you may have a different view today,

but I bet if some of you sat here and thought today for a moment,

who would you think would be the ultimate sinners today in our society?

Here, the task collectors were viewed as that.

Surely these were the kinds of people that the Messiah would oppose and punish when he arrived.

And given all of this, imagine everyone's shock here in this passage when Jesus

asked one of those kinds of people to be his follower.

And you think right now, I hope you thought about that one is the ultimate sinner.

That's the one Jesus calls to be his follower. What self-respecting rabbi would

allow such a person to be part of his inner circle?

This was the things that was being talked about, right? This was what was going

on, let alone commanding to come after him.

But Jesus here in this passage, you look at it, he doesn't seem to care at all

about people's opinions of him and his actions. In fact, verse 29,

you're going to see something. He attends a great banquet.

You might want to say a party held in his honor by Levi.

Despite the presence, though, it tells us of a large crowd of tax collectors and others.

Y'all, get the scene here. These are other tax collectors who probably,

in fact, I know, had not all repented and put their faith in Christ,

right? They were all Christians.

And they're friends, right? They were all there held in honor of Christ by Levi.

And the Pharisees, as we see in this passage, the teachers of the law,

the representatives of the religious establishment, if you will, react.

You know how they react, as you see in the passage? With frustration.

Look at verse 30 again. Y'all got to get this today. They complain to the disciples.

Hey, maybe they lack the courage to confront Jesus directly.

But they ask, why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?

Now, if you're familiar with the gospel accounts of Jesus's life,

it's tempted to simply dismiss the Pharisees sometimes as the bad guys,

quote unquote, right? In every story.

And while there's truth to that characterization to a point,

it's also easy to miss the dynamics of what was taking place in this passage.

You see, the Pharisees here, don't miss this church.

The Pharisees thought of themselves as the good guys in the story.

That's how they viewed themselves. They were the people who were concerned to

keep the rules and to do what good people should do. I mean, what's wrong with that?

I mean, just imagine how you would feel if Jesus showed up and started criticizing

the church-going people while frequenting parties hosted by sexually immoral

drug dealers with terrorist sympathies.

How would you feel? My guess is that we might be scandalized just as much as

the Pharisees were. I hope you get the picture today.

But in verses 31 and 32, Jesus explains his behavior.

Look at this. It's so important, church.

It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but those who are ill.

I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.

Y'all, that's a strong image, is it not?

That's a strong image. When you go to the doctor, you know you're sick and you

know you need help, don't you?

That's why you go, right? But you know you're sick. You need a doctor.

And that's the kind of person that Jesus is calling here in this passage.

That's the kind of person who is willing to leave what he has and follow after Christ.

That's the kind of person who winds up church as a friend of Jesus.

The one who knows that he's desperately sick with sin.

And the clear implication, church, in this passage here that we looked at of

Jesus' teaching is that the Pharisees, don't miss this, they aren't part of the equation.

Jesus came to call who? Sinners, not the righteous.

That's to say he didn't come for the people like the Pharisees.

And I want you all to see today, we don't need to force the details of Jesus'

statement beyond what it intends to communicate here.

He clearly, he's not granting to the Pharisees that they are really righteous

before God. That's not what he's saying.

In fact, we see a little later in Luke's gospel that he's going to call them

out for their hypocrisy and their greed and their wickedness in chapter 11, 39 through 44.

You see, they're full of self-righteousness.

And instead, we should understand that Jesus here in this passage,

church, he's speaking to the Pharisees on the grounds of their own self-perception.

They think they're righteous.

They look down on other people and thought of themselves as righteous.

And so when the great physician came to heal the sin sick, they had no interest

in seeking his help because they thought they had it all together.

Y'all, I can't help, but y'all, this should step on toes today if you don't

know the Lord, because I'm going to tell you something.

Those who are self-righteous and don't need Jesus, you're not who he came for,

according to this passage. You're not who he came for.

You have to realize your need for Christ and your need for his righteousness.

And if you look down your nose at other people and you think just like that

day, they thought the tax collectors were the ultimate sinners.

Whoever you think it is, you fill it in the blank for you.

If you look down on them and think God can't call them to repentance and to

follow him, you're a Pharisee in your attitude.

And you need to repent before the

Lord and say, God, forgive me a sin sick sinner. I need you as my savior.

You see, the Pharisees here, that wasn't their heart. But I want you to know

something that's probably going to tick them off even more, we see here,

obviously, because it's time for a party, church.

It's time for a party. In this next episode here in chapter 5,

verses 33 through 39, Luke records another question about Jesus and his disciples.

And I think if we're to understand that the setting here, it's still Levi's banquet, right?

He's the one that's throwing it in whose honor? Right, in Christ's honor and Jesus' honor.

And it makes sense that questions about the importance of fasting and religious

austerity, if you would, would be raised. In fact, the they,

if you look in verse 33, probably refers to the party goers.

And their pointed questions here pertains to the difference in practice.

Y'all heard Brother Ronnie read this earlier.

Between Jesus' followers and those of both John the Baptist and the Pharisees.

You see, Jesus' disciples, what do they do in verse, well, we see this in chapter 18.

If you look over there, verse 12, they go on eating and drinking is what they're

saying here while the others often fast and pray.

Why are they having a party? Why are they celebrating? Why are they eating and drinking?

You know, they should be fasting and praying is kind of the application.

And if the piety of the disciples is a measure of the teacher,

then why does Jesus seem unconcerned to actually encourage strict religious

practices among his followers here?

You see, fasting, if you think about it, it was a sign of both mourning,

whether for sin or painful circumstances they were experiencing,

and also hopeful dissatisfaction with the present state of things.

We already met Anna back in chapter 2, the prophetess who fasted,

and she was looking forward to

the redemption of Jerusalem, it said in chapter 2, verses 36 through 38.

But John, the Baptist's disciples here fasted in anticipation of the arrival

of the one who was coming. It tells us in chapter 3, verse 16.

So think for a minute, church. So in that light, it would not make sense for

Jesus' disciples to fast.

The one for whom they were longing had arrived. Do you see it?

Do you see it? I mean, here, chapter 4, verse 21 tells us that.

So Jesus draws an Old Testament image here to help us understand just a little bit what he means.

First of all, in verses 34 and 35, we'll see this. He's like a bridegroom, right?

That's a common Old Testament description, if you remember, for the relationship

between God and his people.

For instance, you probably think back to Hosea and Isaiah chapter 62,

Isaiah 62 · chapter mention

verse five talks about this.

And as long as Jesus is with them, though, his disciples, which are the friends

of the bridegroom, they should celebrate.

Now's not the time, Jesus is saying, for mourning and hopeful anticipation at

this time. He's with them.

Fasting will be appropriate after Jesus is taken from them at his crucifixion and his ascension.

For at that time, Jesus' followers, like we are today, will once again be in

a period of anticipation.

This time it's for his return, right? So Jesus' arrival here,

though, has changed everything.

And to illustrate the implications of that truth here in this passage,

Jesus actually tells them a parable.

Y'all probably noticed this in verse 36 that Brother Ronnie read.

To this effect, he said, nobody cuts a piece of cloth from a new shirt in order

to patch up an old shirt. That makes sense, right?

Otherwise, you'd end up with two ruined shirts.

And in verses 37 and 38, he points out that no one pours new wine into what? Into old wineskins.

Wineskins were made from animal hides. And when they were new, they were elastic.

And after they were used for a while, guess what? They became brittle.

And new wine would actually expand during that process of fermentation.

And while a new wineskin would be able to stretch to accommodate that growth,

an old wineskin would almost certainly burst.

And in both cases, as we see here in this next slide, Jesus is making a point about his coming.

Judaism is the old garment and the old skins.

Jesus is coming here and his ministry and his followers are the new garment

and the new wine and new skins.

Jesus hasn't come, in other words, to patch up the things that were missing

in the Jewish religion. even the religion of the most pious people like the Pharisees.

You see, the point Jesus is making in this passage is that his arrival here

has brought about something new, a new covenant church, and a new reason for

us to celebrate like guests at a wedding.

The salvation that Jesus has come, he's come to us, brings demands,

y'all, for fresh thinking, right?

About what it means to live as God's people. In fact, look at verse 39 here.

It's presented a challenge for interpreters on verse 39.

Luke is the only gospel writer who includes this saying.

And at first glance, I want you to know, if you just glance at it the first

time you read it, it might appear to be out of step with the message of the previous verses.

In fact, in the little parable that Jesus has just told, his ministry is compared

to new wine that cannot be contained by old wineskins, right?

But in verse 39, it seems that it's old wine that's to be preferred.

And two understandings really, I think, suggest themselves here.

And I want you all to think about this.

It could be that Jesus is offering an ironic criticism of the Pharisees and

their rigid insistence on the religious forms that Jesus was making obsolete.

In fact, in that reading, their love for old wine, which normally is the best wine.

Causes them to miss out on this marvelous vintage new wine that's coming. I kind of like that.

I kind of tend to see that there. But on the other hand, it could be that Jesus

here is shifting his metaphor just a little bit, acknowledging the reality that

older wines are normally best.

And if that's the case, then Jesus is stressing that his coming is the true

fulfillment and true meaning of the old covenant religion that the Pharisees claimed to love so much.

But the point here is this, church, don't miss the party.

Come on, don't miss the party.

Jesus's willingness to enjoy a party scandalized the people of his day.

They seemed to expect that a respected religious teacher should strive to be serious and strict.

But when Jesus went to parties here, he ate and drank.

Let's look at chapter 7 here, verses 34.

Listen to this, what they say. The son of man has come eating and drinking,

and you say, behold, a gluttonous man and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.

And he even speaks of himself as a bridegroom at a wedding celebration.

But only the people, Eastwood, who saw their acute spiritual need could rejoice

at the salvation that Jesus was bringing, y'all.

For others who were quite content with themselves, in other words,

they think I'm a pretty good person.

I'm a pretty good guy in their religion.

The new wine was no cause for celebration.

They wanted no part of it because they didn't think they needed it.

And if we wouldn't miss out on Jesus and the joyful celebration that he brings,

y'all, church, we got to cultivate an awareness of our need for a spiritual

physician, for a savior.

Do you realize your need today?

Those who are certain of their own health, guess what? They never go to the doctor.

And those who feel sin sick will seek after a cure.

And sadly, it's easy even for followers of Jesus to become self-righteous. Did you know that?

And in some ways, self-righteousness is the besetting sin of religious people.

But it's always been the experience, church, of growing Christians that even

as they grow in personal holiness, in other words, they become more and more

like Christ, they also, get this,

become more and more aware of their own sinfulness.

You see, as we see God's perfect standard more clearly, we also see our sin more clearly.

Someone who has experienced the healing of the power of the great physician

should never descend church into critical and judgmental spirit toward others.

That hypocritical judgmental spirit. Instead, we ought to be regularly amazed

by the grace of God towards sin sick people like us. Is that where you are today?

Are you amazed? Is God's grace amazing to you?

Because I'll tell you something today, it won't be amazing to you if you see

yourself as righteous in your own flesh, right?

If you see that you've got it all together, it won't be.

But as you look at this today and you realize that you are

a sin sick soul in need of a savior the same

grace the same blood of almighty god that covers

the sins of those tax collectors and whoever

else you want to put in there by the way who repent put their faith and trust

in christ is the same grace the same amount of blood the same sacrifice the

same righteousness that covers your and my sins you know william jay who was

the 19th century English pastor,

he paid a visit to his friend, John Newton.

Some of you may know who that is. I said his name to my Sunday school this morning.

He wrote Amazing Grace, one of the hymns he wrote, shortly before his death.

And Newton had been, I won't tell if you all know this, but Newton had been

a notorious slave trader as a younger man.

But after experiencing God's grace in Christ, he became a respected pastor, author, hymn writer.

In fact, Jay described his last visit to Newton's home like this,

and I'm going to quote this. Look what he said.

I saw Mr. Newton near the closing scene. He was hardly able to talk,

and all I find I had noted down upon my leaving him was this.

This is what he said. My memory is nearly gone, but I remember two things,

that I am a great sinner and that Christ is a great Savior.

Wow. I remember that I am a great sinner and that Christ is a great Savior.

Y'all, I'm afraid that many church people, many people who attend church on

a regular basis are going to end up in hell one day because they are depending

upon their own righteousness rather than the righteousness of Christ.

They think that they've got it all together. Maybe they'd never tell you that

out in words, but the way they live their lives and the way they respond to

other people and the way they love their neighbor proves it.

They've never experienced the love and the forgiveness of Christ.

They've never experienced the fact that they're a sinner in need of a savior.

They realize that their sin is the greatest of all, like the apostle Paul talked

about. I am the chief of sinners. I'm the least of the saints.

You see, when we realize our need for Jesus, that's when Dr.

Jesus can come and heal our sin-sick soul.

That's when his grace becomes amazing because his grace is not amazing if you don't need it.

If you think you got it all together, it's not amazing at all.

But his grace is amazing because we are great sinners.

But praise God, church. If you know Christ, you have a great savior.

Look at this last slide. Here's not the healthy who need a doctor,

but those who are ill, right?

So the question is not, I want you to get this today. The question is not whether

Jesus is able to save, but whether we're able to truly confess,

truly to confess our need of him.

Have you come to that place today in your heart?

Have you ever really repented of your sin? Have you ever really realized that

it was your sin that sent Jesus to the cross?

It was your sin that he paid the penalty for? Have you ever realized?

Have you ever been to that point in your heart where you realize,

you know what? I'm the greatest sinner in need of a great Savior.

Because I tell you, it doesn't matter. I want y'all to get this today.

As far as your salvation, it doesn't matter how many times you attend church

or Sunday school, how many verses you memorize in the Bible.

All those things are wonderful.

And as a faithful follower of Christ, you should do all that.

It should be out of love, not a burden, by the way. But all that is not where

it's at. You see, you can't earn.

You can't earn. I can't earn my standing with God.

And y'all, if anything else today, I pray that you realize, let the Holy Spirit

search your heart, all of us, have you been humbled before the cross of Christ?

Have you cried out to him for his great mercy, realizing how great a sinner

you are and how great his mercy is and his forgiveness is?

Because if you never have, y'all, you can't experience.

He didn't come for you. He only came for those who are sin-sick souls,

who need the great physician.

That's who he came for. And until our heart is in that posture, we can't be saved.

You see, salvation is not a special prayer.

It's not a mantra that you spew out. It's not a certain flow of words.

It's the posture of your heart.

As you bow the knee to Christ, you repent and you grieve over your sin and you

turn from them through the power of the Holy Spirit.

You turn to Christ alone for his salvation, trusting in his righteousness,

trusting in his death on the cross for you in your place.

There's only one way, y'all, and it doesn't come through self-righteousness

and a pompous, hypocritical spirit.

It comes through a humble heart that is broken, that is contrite before God.

And I'll tell you, those people who are sin sick are the ones that Jesus says, follow me.