“And when Jesus heard it, he said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners”” (Mark 2:17).

In Mark 2, Jesus healed a paralytic man who was brought to him by his friends. He was teaching at his home and so many people gathered to hear him, that the door was blocked off. When the man’s friends realised that they could not get near Jesus, they removed the roof of the house and lowered him down. Jesus forgave the man of his sins and commanded him to arise, pick up his bed and return home. “And he rose and immediately picked up his bed and went out before them all, so that they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, “We never saw anything like this”” (Mark 2:12)! After he healed the man and finished teaching, he went near the sea and the people followed him. Jesus called Matthew who was sitting in a tax booth and he followed him.

He went to Matthews’s house for a meal and other tax collectors and sinners were there with him. The Scribes and Pharisees were puzzled about Jesus’s choice of company and grumbled about this. He heard their grumbling and said to them, that the healthy don’t need a doctor, but the sick. In other words, he had not come to save those who were already righteous, but he came to save the sinners. Jesus experienced a lot of criticism during his ministry and the religious leaders of his time were unhappy with his methods. Of great concern to them were the people who Jesus chose as disciples. Matthew was a tax collector who would have betrayed his people to work for Rome and collect taxes.

At another point, Jesus went to Zacchaeus’s, house who was also a tax collector. Zacchaeus was intrigued by Jesus and climbed into a tree to get a good view of him. Jesus saw him and when he went to his home, Zacchaeus not only repented and was saved, but sold half his goods and fed the poor. He also pledged to repay anyone who he had defrauded fourfold. “And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost”” (Luke 19:9-10). The people also grumbled about Jesus going to Zacchaeus’s home, as they viewed him as a sinner. He did not allow the opinions of others to stop him from doing the work of his father. Jesus focused on reaching those who were lost and in need of salvation and healing.

I once heard a minister say that God often deliberately places the righteous among the wicked. Most Christians think that the best thing is to be surrounded by other believers. Yes, it is important for believers to fellowship together to strengthen and encourage each other. There is also a mandate for us to be among the unsaved, in order to shine our light within the darkness. We are called to shine in our places of employment, schools, universities and communities. If Christians stay with each other and never associate with the unsaved, who will lead them to Christ? The friends were willing to sacrifice and go to great lengths to get their paralytic friend to Jesus. Not only was he healed, but his sins were forgiven. How far are we willing to go in order to win the lost for Christ? Ministry within the four walls is mostly preaching to the converted. There is a greater harvest field ready and waiting in the marketplace who need to hear the gospel of Jesus Christ.

“Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest”” (Matthew 9:37-38).

A.P.-Y.

Published by Anneta Pinto-Young

I am a trained Social Worker who currently provides professional leadership on a programme to support Social Work students and Newly Qualified Social Workers entering the Social Work Profession. Born and raised in Jamaica in a Christian family where my father is an ordained Pastor and Deacon who has served for over 50 years in the ministry. My father is also a trained musician and our family can be described as a musical family. I grew up in a small farming community in St. Peter’s, St. Andrew and my parents also have a small farm. I credit my gift of writing to my father who I watched and listened to over the years as he wrote sermons, poems and other recitals in his capacity in ministry. English has always been an easy subject for me and over the years I have developed an increased interest in writing. I am a Trainer, I sing and have a passion for worship, the spoken word and the free flow of the prophetic anointing. I am married to my best friend Andrew Christopher Young who is an advanced Musician and whose music you can find on YouTube and Facebook. I am a trained Coach and Mentor and I love experimenting with food so I love cooking. I enjoy trying cultural dishes from across the world and I view food as an entry into cultures and languages.

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