Jesus was being accused of spending time with sinners and the Pharisees questioned: “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?” Perhaps we have similar concerns when we see someone who we think is a big sinner coming to church and receiving Holy Communion. And then we hear a very clever response from Jesus who said: “Those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick do. I did not come to call the righteous but sinners.” Here is the paradox: the more we sin, the more we should come to Jesus and ask for healing and forgiveness. The Pharisees and some scribes from the Gospel reading for today wrongly believed that the sinner should stay away from God. That doesn’t make sense, since in that case, nobody would receive healing or forgiveness for their sins. It is like washing your hands when they get dirty. You know you need warm water and soap to make your hands clean again, so you won’t avoid water. Rather you would come to the water to wash yourself. Jesus reminds us today that when we sin, and we all do, we should not run away from Him, but seek His love and mercy.
