«　WEEK 2　DAY 3　»

　　Matt. 9:12-13 …He said, Those who are strong have no need of a physician, but those who are ill. But go and learn what this means, “I desire mercy and not sacrifice,” for I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.

　　The Lord’s word in Matthew 9:13, addressed to the Pharisees, indicates that the Lord Jesus heals man’s spiritual illness, the illness of sin. Sin came first and death follows. Between sin and death there are all kinds of illnesses, diseases, and infirmities…As sinners, we are sick absolutely, for we are sick physically, spiritually, morally, and mentally. But Jesus, the Forgiver and the Physician, is able to heal all our sicknesses.

　　As our Physician, the Lord heals us mainly in our spirit and in our soul, not mainly in our body. The tax collectors and sinners in Matthew 9:10 were not physically sick; they were spiritually sick. While the Lord Jesus was feasting with them, He was healing them spiritually. Likewise, although the Lord may or may not heal us in our body, He is always ready to heal us in every part of our spirit and soul. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, pp. 2782-2783)

　　As the Physician, the Lord Jesus is not for the righteous but for sinners… There is none righteous, not even one (Rom. 3:10).

　　The Lord’s use of the word righteous in Matthew 9:13 is related to the matter of sins. This word also indicates that the healing of the Lord as our Physician is not mainly physical but spiritual. He is the One who heals our spiritual sicknesses. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, p. 2783)

　　Without the environment portrayed in Matthew 9:9-13, the Lord Jesus would not have had the opportunity to reveal Himself as the Physician. The Lord did not simply tell His disciples, “You must know that I have not come as a Judge but as a Physician.” This would have been merely a doctrine. As the Lord was feasting with all those sick ones, He revealed Himself as the Physician. Those tax collectors and sinners were not physically sick; they were spiritually sick. While the Lord Jesus was feasting with them, He was healing them. The Lord was telling the Pharisees, “Pharisees, you are the judges, but I am the Physician. As a Physician, I can heal only the sick ones. If you feel that you are not ill, then I have nothing to do with you, and I cannot heal you. I have come here to call the sinners, the sick ones, not the righteous, the whole ones. On which side do you stand—the side of the righteous or the side of the sinners? If you take the side of the sinners, then I am here to be your Physician.”

　　Matthew reveals…Christ as the Physician…If we have this vision, we will have faith in Him and trust Him whenever we are sick physically, spiritually, or mentally. The Gospel of Matthew is a book…full of the riches of the heavenly King. This heavenly King is our Physician with healing authority. His healing is not simply a matter of power; it is a matter of authority. To heal us there is no need for Him to touch us directly. He needs only to speak a word, and His authority will come with His word. Remember the case of the healing of the centurion’s servant. The centurion said to the Lord, “Only speak a word, and my servant will be healed” (8:8). Furthermore, the centurion could say, “I am also a man under authority, and many others are under me. I simply speak a word, and they obey it, because with my word there is authority. Lord, You don’t need to come to my home. Simply give a word, and Your authority will go with Your word.” The Lord’s word heals us not with power but with authority… The Lord’s healing is not a matter of His ability to heal; His healing is a matter of authority.

　　[The Lord] seemed to say, “You Pharisees, you religious people, are wrong. I am not here as a Judge condemning the people. I am here as a Physician healing them. And I would heal you also, if you were willing to be healed.” How sweet and intimate is this portion of the Word! (Life study of Matthew, pp. 313-314)

　　Further Reading: The Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 268