“And hearing this, Jesus said to them, ‘It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick; I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners'” (Mark 2:17)

When Christ spoke these words, He was responding to the Pharisees judgement of Him for eating with sinners. There is no surprise in the Pharisees judging Him. What is surprising is that they were unhappy with Him for eating with sinners. Are we not all sinners? Yet, if we think back on Paul’s words (Philippians 3:6), the Pharisees saw themselves as blameless. They were without sin. Moreover, in their religion, righteous people did not associate with sinners. I wish I could ask the Pharisees if there judgment of Jesus was admission that He was without sin.

Jesus’ response is heartwarming. He refers to Himself as a physician. Interestingly enough, this passage of scripture does not include physical healing. Yet, Jesus refers to sinners as sick and needing healing. When we consider Jesus’ reason for coming, it makes sense. He came to free us from sin. He came to heal us from sin. Forgiveness is God’s healing grace.

Actually, God does more than forgive us. He also removes the burden of guilt for our sins that we often carry. Christ bore our guilt to set us free from it. For me, this is a very surreal concept. God removing our sins from us leaves me in awe. I know it is true. I have felt its healing power. I still am in awe.

The Apostle Peter would agree that it is an awesome concept. Peter assuredly carried guilt after denying the Lord three times (Matthew 26:69-75). The Lord after Peter’s denials, with healing grace, gave Peter three opportunities to express his love for Him. Three denials. Three confessions. This was not coincidental. The Lord wanted Peter to experience His forgiveness. He wanted Peter to know that his sins had been removed from him by the loving forgiveness of His Father. Jesus invites us to experience this same forgiveness.

Our sins and guilt over our sins is not all that needs healing. Another way we need healing involves the sins committed against us by others. The sins of others wound our hearts. For some wounds, a protective band-aid is enough. Other wounds require surgical precision. Christ is the great physician for both. He desires to heal us of all our wounds.

Jesus, in Mark 2:17, is assuring us that He came to heal us. Psalms 147:3 confirms that He came to heal the brokenhearted. How beautiful.

The next time you or someone you know hurts emotionally, remember that God cares. Christ desires healing for our broken hearts. It may take time depending on the size and type of the wound. Christ, however, can heal all wounds. Let us be healed!