The Doctor is In!

Aren’t we all in need of healing?

Sometimes we are sick and we don’t even know it.

We have heard of situations where people feel perfectly fine, appearing to be in great physical shape, and yet they discover they have a serious illness. It is devastating news, but it is good that they finally know about it and can seek out a doctor’s help. Although there are many who are sick, the doctor can only help those who recognize they need healing.

We are all in need of healing.

Even though we are created to know and love God, we often choose actions which separate us from God. This is what the Bible calls “sin.” In smaller ways or bigger ways, we all experience daily temptations to sin. When we sin, we end up hurting ourselves and those around us. Reflecting back over the years, we can see how our hearts have been spiritually wounded by our sinful choices.

God the Father loves us despite our sin.

It is easy to imagine that God loves us less when we sin. But Jesus shows us that we are loved despite our sinfulness. The Father’s limitless love for us is not dimmed by our brokenness. We can’t decrease his love for us by our sins, nor can we increase his love for us by good actions. As a loving Father, his love for us is already overflowing, incapable of increase or decrease.

Jesus is the divine physician.

During his ministry, Jesus did not spend all of his time with the religious leaders of his day, those who thought of themselves as holy and close to God. Instead, Jesus usually sought out sinful men and women, those who recognized their need for forgiveness and healing. He explained, “It is not the healthy that need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” (Mark 2:17)

God freely offers us his forgiveness.

Since Jesus was not an ordinary man, but God in our midst, he was able to forgive people’s sins. On one beautiful occasion, a woman with a sinful reputation came and began crying at his feet. Jesus recognized her sorrow for her sins and had pity on her. He told her, “Your sins are forgiven, go in peace!” (Luke 7)

Christ's healing brings joy.

Imagine the joy of that woman, who leaves Jesus knowing that she is forgiven of her sins!  This is the joy that we have as Christians.  Recognizing our spiritual brokenness, we follow the woman's example and turn to Christ with repentance.  And we too experience forgiveness and healing at the hands of the divine physician!