July 10, 2019
READING TIME: 1 MINUTE
Dave, what was Jesus referring to in Matthew 9:12-13 when he said healthy people don’t need a doctor but sick people do?
The words healthy and righteous should be understood as ironic. The Pharisees falsely thought they were “healthy” (religiously pure and whole) because of their pious and scrupulous law-keeping (Philippians 3:6). In actuality, even though the Pharisees thought they were healthy, they weren’t. The outcasts knew they were not. Salvation can’t come to the self-righteous who display external righteousness while having hearts far away from the Lord.
Jesus cites Hosea 6:6 in v. 13. Neither Hosea nor Jesus should be understood as dismissing sacrifices, for God desired them; but He desired COMPASSION (mercy) more. The Pharisees were in the same category as the apostates of Hosea’s day for they neither showed compassion toward the outcasts Jesus was reaching nor joy at their repentance. Many believers today fall into this trap as they pompously isolate themselves from the world when God desires them to extend His love even to those on the fringes of society.
Sources Used
MacArthur, John. NKJV, The MacArthur Study Bible, eBook: Revised and Updated Edition. Thomas Nelson.
The Moody Bible Commentary. Moody Publishers.
Nelson, Thomas. The NKJV Study Bible, eBook: Second Edition. Thomas Nelson.