The people of Israel insisted that God give them a king. Despite warnings to the contrary, they persisted. In today’s first reading from 1 Samuel 9, we meet the new king, Saul. In our Gospel reading today from Mark 2, we read about the call of Levi, or Matthew.
Levi has Jesus over for dinner. Many people in the house were tax collectors and sinners. Tax collectors were considered traitors by the Jews; turncoats who turned their allegiance to the Romans and sold their souls for a buck. So the Pharisees want to know why Jesus is hanging out with these scum-of-the-earth types. So Jesus tells them, “Those who are healthy do not need a physician, but the sick do. I have not come to call the righteous to repentance but sinners.”
I’m not big on going to the doctor. But when I know that something is wrong, out of whack, I go. It should be the same with Jesus. We have to admit to ourselves that something is wrong, out of whack. That spiritually, we need to go see the doctor. And that’s where our Divine Physician comes in. Now, he may have to give us medicine that is not too pleasant to take. He may even have to perform radical surgery. But if we go to Him and allow Him, he will make us whole.
Father, we acknowledge that we do, indeed, need a physician. And so we commend ourselves to the care of your Son, Christ Jesus, our Divine Physician. Amen.
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