Jesus, the Great Healer

Matthew 9:12 (NRSV) But when he heard this, he said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.

There is a misconception that people need to have it together before they can come to church.  Church should be the one place that we can go in order to get it together.  If we had the ability to heal ourselves, we wouldn’t need the Physician.  There are ailments in our minds, souls, and bodies that only the Balm in Gilead can cure. 

It isn’t just that people are embarrassed or uncomfortable coming to church when their scars are visible.  Some in the church make it absolutely clear that the disfigured are not welcome.  If you cannot hide the ugliness of your sins and put on a ‘holy façade’, then you cannot worship here.  What we fail to realize is that hiding the pain prevents us from being healed.  Burying the sin under acceptable behavior won’t allow us to be forgiven.

It’s time we used our churches the way Jesus Christ intended – as hospitals for the sick.  We need to hang flashing neon signs welcoming the broken because the truth is that we are ALL broken and in need of Jesus.  We need to admit that we are sick, that we are bound, that we are weary, and that we are in need of a Savior.  I encourage you, no matter how unworthy you may feel, to find a place to worship.  It may not even be the place that has your membership; it doesn’t matter.  Find a place where you can be real for at least a little while, a place where you don’t have to be so put together, a place where you can just fall at the feet of the Great Healer and say… “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”