Because they associated with public sinners and ne’er do wells, Jesus and the disciples were suspect. It was for this reason that the Pharisees and the scribes questioned them. Jesus’ answer to their concerns was to the point. “Those who are healthy do not need a physician” (Luke 5:31). This is another of Jesus’ reminder that he has come among us to be the healer, the comforter, the consoler.
The first thoughts that come to the modern mind when confronted by prostitutes, street people, immorality, sexual abuse etc. is that these are peoples and situations that are truly “sick.” This is not physical sickness but a sickness of the soul, of the heart. It is to these that Jesus and the disciples have given time and interest.
During this season of Lent we have the time to look within our own hearts for the single purpose of seeing if there are practices or habits that need Jesus’ spiritual medicines. Lent is a time not only for having a full soul scan to determine if there are any spiritual illnesses that we have either avoided or not recognized.
If you discover any “sicknesses” in your soul, do what most people do when they find themselves hurting or with fever: they call their physician. Lent is a time when we have an open window to meet with the physician who can heal us, who can help remove from our hearts and souls that which is causing pains, anxieties or doubts. Lent is the time when Jesus says to us “Do you know where you are hurting? Do you know what you are doing that is causing you pain?”
