“Jesus climbed into a boat and went back across the lake to his own town. Some people brought to him a paralyzed man on a mat. Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralyzed man, “Be encouraged, my child! Your sins are forgiven.” But some of the teachers of religious law said to themselves, “That’s blasphemy! Does he think he’s God?” Jesus knew what they were thinking, so he asked them, “Why do you have such evil thoughts in your hearts? Is it easier to say ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or ‘Stand up and walk’? So I will prove to you that the Son of Man has the authority on earth to forgive sins.” Then Jesus turned to the paralyzed man and said, “Stand up, pick up your mat, and go home!” And the man jumped up and went home! Fear swept through the crowd as they saw this happen. And they praised God for giving humans such authority. As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at his tax collector’s booth. “Follow me and be my disciple,” Jesus said to him. So Matthew got up and followed him. Later, Matthew invited Jesus and his disciples to his home as dinner guests, along with many tax collectors and other disreputable sinners. But when the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with such scum?” When Jesus heard this, he said, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do.” Then he added, “Now go and learn the meaning of this Scripture: ‘I want you to show mercy, not offer sacrifices.’ For I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners.” One day the disciples of John the Baptist came to Jesus and asked him, “Why don’t your disciples fast like we do and the Pharisees do?” Jesus replied, “Do wedding guests mourn while celebrating with the groom? Of course not. But someday the groom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast. “Besides, who would patch old clothing with new cloth? For the new patch would shrink and rip away from the old cloth, leaving an even bigger tear than before. “And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. For the old skins would burst from the pressure, spilling the wine and ruining the skins. New wine is stored in new wineskins so that both are preserved.”
Matthew 9:1-17 NLT
Jesus came to save everyone. So why did He say, “I came not to call the righteous, but sinners”? Because we are all sinners. The greatest obstacle to following Christ is thinking that you don’t need Him (self-righteousness). Most of us think and act like we are fine on our own; we think we are good enough because we compare ourselves to other people. We search for those who are worse than we are rather than looking to Jesus who can accept, forgive, and transform us.
It is only by reading the Gospels that we can know what Jesus was really like. Christ calls us to follow Him—not our made-up version of who He is. These three stories give great insights into what Jesus was like. He deeply cares for people; He forgave this man of his sin because that was the deeper issue. Jesus focuses on the deeper issue, even if it offends people. Jesus called the outcasts of society and defended them. He was a friend of sinners—the best friend. Matthew was so transformed by Jesus that he followed Him, gave his life to Christ, and wrote the very book we are reading (the Gospel of Matthew). And Jesus’ life was marked with joy. He taught: “Blessed are those who mourn,” and there was mourning in His ministry. But Jesus was not somber; He was full of joy! His disciples, quite unusually, did not fast (they would after He ascended). To be around Jesus was to be filled with joy.
Do you see yourself as a sinner, a good person, or something in-between? How does your view of yourself affect your need for (and dependence on) our Savior? Which of the three stories, and their lessons, do you need to remember and live out today?
