Jesus receives many titles throughout Scripture: the Prince of Peace, the Lord and Savior, the Logos aka the Word of God, the Lamb of God, the Good Shepherd, the Christ, the Son of God, and the Son of Man just to name a few. I think each gives us a different way of understanding God Incarnate. In today's gospel reading from Matthew, Jesus himself hints at another title, the Great Physician, which stands out as a particularly fitting nickname for such a source of healing. Wrapped within the profundity of the cognomen itself is the way in which Jesus brings about healing to those who are sin-sick and to all of Creation.
This section of the gospel begins with the call of Matthew, who is a tax collector. Tax collectors in the First Century of the Common Era, just like they are today, were not seen as a likable characters. When thinking of Matthew here at the start negative associations with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) are quite appropriate. Especially among Pharisees, folks in Matthew's line of work were villainous, for they would line their pockets with extra taxes that they added on to those imposed by Imperial Rome. Jesus' call to Matthew in light of this comes as somewhat of a shock. Maybe today's equivalent would be Jesus walking into our gridlocked U.S. Congress to call some corrupt politician to "follow me." Jesus call of Matthew is surprising to say the least. Yet, Jesus, as usual, goes a step further.
Jesus not only calls Matthew, a sinful tax collector, he goes so far as to share a meal with the IRS agent and all his friends. To dine with such lowly characters would have given the Pharisees hives. These "sinful" ones were seen not only as corrupt, but also unclean. As the Pharisees walk by they observe Jesus' welcoming action, and they cannot help but say to Jesus' disciples, "Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?" Jesus, leaning in the doorway just within earshot of the religious folks, hears their comment. Then, having to stop a very interesting conversation with liars, thieves, prostitutes, and tax collectors Jesus said, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick [do]." What an obvious retort to the Pharisee's cynical question, yet it is more than just a comeback, Jesus provides with his statement an insight into the purpose of his mission. Jesus is here to heal!
I believe fully in the power of God's healing through Christ Jesus. And, I believe that it did not stop when the person of Jesus of Nazareth commissioned his disciples to go and do the work in the world, as he mysteriously left his earthly ministry. Sometimes though, I get caught up in the mechanism of this healing. Living in such a rational age, miraculous healing sometimes sets my scientific mind on edge. I start to wonder, if Jesus is truly the Great Physician, able to heal us, why have my loved ones suffered? If the Great Physician brings healing, why is there so much pain in the world? Why God?
"Go and learn what this means, 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice.' For I have come to call not the righteous but sinners." The healing that Jesus brings into this world is salvation. There is a 100% chance that all of us are going to die. Our bodies will stop working, our hearts will stop pumping, and our minds will deteriorate. Jesus is not promising that we will not go through this, rather he is offering to all of us who are disconnected from one another and from God a chance for healing. We are given redemption through the Great Physician.
This past Sunday morning the TED-ology Christian Education class watched Bryan Stevenson's "We Need to Talk about Injustice." Stevenson, a profound and hopeful defense lawyer from Alabama, put it roughly this way, "We are more than the worst thing that we have done. I believe, if you lie, you are more than a liar. If you steal something, you are more than a thief. And, even if you kill someone you are more than a killer." I believe this is the healing that Jesus offers to us. We are more than our sins that keep us from one another. We are children of God. Made in the image of God. Redeemed by Christ Jesus. Healed by the Great Physician.
We are not to walk around with our sins written across our foreheads. We are not to hurt ourselves with painful sacrifices of shame and guilt, rather we are to see each other as healed by God Incarnate himself. Jesus wants us to be contrite, to show mercy to one another and to ourselves. This is how we are healed, not by calling one another sinners as the Pharisees do. Jesus is our Great Physician and the medicine he prescribes is the sweetness of mercy, not the bitterness of shame and guilt offerings.
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