Good News for Sinners

Saturday After Ash Wednesday

Isaiah 58:9–14. Psalm 86. Luke 5:27–32.

“Healthy people don't need a doctor, but sick people do. I have not come to call the just, but sinners, to a change of heart.”

Many people give up on themselves and the Christian way of life because they are keenly aware of their sinfulness. Some are so sensitive to their faults and failings that they feel, “I can’t do anything right,” or, “I’m a failure.” Maybe we don’t despair that God still loves us, but we may feel that being a close follower of Christ is beyond serious consideration. Explicitly or implicitly, we may feel Jesus is too good for us. What a relief, then, to hear Jesus’ assertion in the gospel reading that his mission is to sinners rather than the righteous.

“Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.” In other words, it is the company of “sinners” that Jesus most avidly welcomes.

It is important that we take these words of the Lord to heart. It is precisely when we suffer and are afflicted with problems that Jesus is most ready to be at our side. It is when we become sensitive to our failings, and feel the weight of our guilt, that he is most available with support and healing. When we fall, no matter how seriously, and no matter how many times, the Lord is anxious to help us up. And the reason for this should be obvious. When we appreciate our mistakes and acknowledge our failings, we are at our most humble. This is exactly what opens for us the door to grace. It is when we are aware of illness that we become ready for treatment.

Your sensitivity to your sinfulness is an asset, not a liability, to the Christian way of life. Never let it make you feel that you are “unworthy” of Christ. Turn to the Lord, therefore, when you feel most down on yourself. Pray to him especially when you see yourself in the darkest light. The teachings of Jesus will never make more sense than when you are burdened with confusion and self-doubt. There is no better time to follow the Lord than when you find yourself taking all the wrong roads in life. He “who takes away the sins of the world” wishes to take away yours, whenever you’re ready to permit him. Jesus doesn’t do this with reluctance; it is precisely what he is all about! Jesus best reveals himself as “savior,” when he is actually saving you.

(From: Entering the Lectionary)