Blake was home with a stomach virus yesterday.  He rarely gets sick.  And when he is, he’s not whiney.  But there is a vulnerable side that comes out that needs his mama.  He called me three times yesterday while I was out and about, to give me updates on his tummy.  He asked for a back rub for his sore and aching muscles.  I brought him Sprite, soda crackers, dry toast, Motrin, ice chips and a heating pad.  As I was sitting next to him on the couch rubbing his back, I reminisced on days when he was little and would get sick.  It was the one time that I could rock him for hours without him wanting to get down.  When his fevered little head would rest against my chest so he could hear my heartbeat.

I hate the stomach flu.  I detest vomit.  And though my child’s body was poisoned by this ugly virus, my love for him remained the same, my compassion for him grew.  I wanted to help him in any way I could, even if it meant I would be exposed to the nastiness and would possibly pick up the virus myself. And it was while he was sick, that he realized that although he’s eighteen, there’s still a part of him that needs his mom.

As I was thinking about that this morning.  It reminded me of something that Jesus once said.  “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick,” and “I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”  He said these things to the Pharisees (the “religious” people) who asked him why He was spending time with “sinners”.   The problem was, that they thought that Jesus should focus on the person’s behavior rather the person himself and his need for a Savior.

Throughout Jesus’ time on earth, he was drawn to the sick, the outcasts, the sinners, NOT the religious and self-pious sector.  He was drawn to children, the humble and poor.  These were the people who recognized Him for who He was and knew their own need of Him.  They were all vulnerable and trusting.  Pride was not blocking their vision of their own condition.

Jesus hated sickness and sin and shame but He loved those who were sick and were sinning and filled with shame.  Just like I hated the vomit, but loved the vomiter.  He was moved by love and compassion to free us from every bondage that plagued us.  And how did He do that?  He exposed Himself to all of it.  Every germ of sin touched His skin, penetrated His brain and pierced His heart.  He could have asked someone else to clean up our mess.  But He loved us too much to do that.  He chose to do it Himself.

Thing is, we all have the same condition.  We’ve all been exposed and don’t possess the antibodies in ourselves to fight off the effects of the germs of sin and selfishness.  Even the Pharisees had the disease.  They just didn’t know it.  Jesus was and is the only cure for this condition.  The antidote for our illness.  The lover of our souls is the healer of our hearts…

 Matthew 9:1-13 – On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice. For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”