The Sick Need A Physician

Matthew 9:10-13 (NKJV)

“Now it happened, as Jesus sat at the table in the house, that behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and sat down with Him and His disciples. And when the Pharisees saw it, they said to His disciples, “Why does your Teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”

When Jesus heard that, He said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. But go and learn what this means: I desire mercy and not sacrifice.’ For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.”

In the midst of Covid and other diseases, true preachers of the gospel of Jesus Christ will NEVER tell you to never see a doctor when you’re sick. You have to be a special kind of stupid to believe that you don’t need a doctor that you trust.

Like the Jehovah’s Witnesses with blood transfusions, and Christian Scientists, as well as some wild segments of the Word of Faith movement.

The Lord Jesus used the analogy to underscore two things.

Just as the sick need a doctor, sinners need the Savior.

In the story, the Pharisees accused the Lord Jesus of sitting with sinners and tax collectors.

In Israel, some tax collectors were extortionist. So they were numbered with the sinners.

In fact, Matthew, one of the disciples of the Lord, was a tax collector (see Matthew 10:3).

So the Lord Jesus took their accusation and turned it into a teaching opportunity. When you get sick, you want to find out what’s physically wrong with you. If you break a bone in your body, you go to a doctor. When you have a sore throat, you go to a doctor.

Obviously, you go to a doctor that you trust.

Just like a car. When you hear a noise, you take it to a car mechanic. Just like when your airplane engine fails on the ground, you take it to an airplane mechanic. Or when your iPhone or any smartphone malfunctions, you take it to an iPhone or smartphone technician.

When you get a fever, or you feel a lump somewhere in your body, you go to a physician that you trust.

Pastors have to take this into consideration because we know what the Word says. However, good pastors will also look out for your best interest and suggest that you see a doctor that you trust.

There’s nothing wrong with this. Many people think that there’s something wrong with this. That it’s not “faith.” Paul had Luke, a physician with him during Paul’s ministry. You know Luke, a physician wrote the gospel of Luke and the Book of the Acts of the Apostles.

Amazing, isn’t it?

When a woman that is giving birth, she will make a good choice as to how that birth is to take place. For the most part, you want to go to a place where you have the best chances of survival of the mother and child. So a hospital may be the best choice.

We understand that the place of prayer has a very prominent role in asking the Lord for healing. In James chapter 5, James said…

“Is there anyone sick among you? Let him call for the elders of the church, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord, and the prayer of faith shall save the sick and the Lord will raise him up.”

But have we ever noticed that Paul left Trophimus sick (see 2 Timothy 4:20)? There’s no question that Paul may have prayed for him, but the fact that Trophimus was left sick shouldn’t disturb us.

Paul told Timothy to drink a LITTLE wine for the stomach’s sake because of his OFTEN infinities (see 1 Timothy 5:23).

Epaphroditus worked so much that he worked himself sick (see Philippians 2:25-30). But the Lord had mercy, and he got better.

Folks, this should underscore the fact that God is God.

Things do happen. Many people have received Covid. Some will say “I don’t receive it.” Why don’t we ever say “I don’t receive obesity?” Why is it that we sound so strong in faith in one place, but sound so stupid in other things?

The whole point of the matter is that trusted doctors are there to help people that are sick. And we shouldn’t feel inferior if we choose to go to the doctor when we’re sick. When we have a toothache, we go to the dentist, right?

We have no shame going to the auto mechanic. We have no shame going to the airplane mechanic. We have no shame going to the IT to get our phone repaired.

So don’t feel ashamed when you have to go to your trusted physician.

Finally, your health is between you, the Lord, and your trusted physician.

Not the government.