October 29

On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. — Matt 9:12 BSB

“It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.” Matthew 9:12

A doctor is pointless without a patient, and the more difficult the case, the wiser and more skilled the doctor must be. In the same way, a guilty conscience needs atoning blood, a wounded spirit needs healing, a filthy garment needs a clean robe, a drowning person needs a strong hand, a criminal needs a pardon, an incurable disease needs a heavenly physician, and a sinner sinking into hell needs a Savior from heaven. Someone with a real problem needs real salvation. They can’t be tricked or comforted by pretenses, like a nervous patient cured with fake medicine; they need a true remedy for a real illness.

Christ in the Bible, Christ sitting far away in heaven, Christ unknown or unrecognized, is of no use to them. “He must be close—close to me, in my heart, in my soul, revealed within me, made known to me—this is the Christ I need. Just one drop of His atoning blood, one glimpse of His face, one sign of His love, one assurance of His righteousness!” And when this divine Redeemer appears in His garments stained with blood, the troubled soul welcomes His arrival, the forces of evil scatter, and the barren soul begins to thrive. Then, from the deepest parts of the soul, a voice cries, “This is our God; we have waited for Him, and He will save us. This is the Lord, we have waited for Him; we will rejoice in His salvation.”