Doth not Christ say, ‘The whole have no need of a physician’; that is, they see no need, but Christ will make them see their need before he ministers his sovereign grace unto them; and good reason, otherwise he will have but little thanks for his kindness. – John Bunyan – The Acceptable Sacrifice
Luke 5:31 And Jesus answering said unto them, They that are whole need not a physician; but they that are sick.
The Whole Have No Need
For someone that is in good health, especially stubborn men, the last place they want to go is the doctor. When you don’t see a need, what good is a doctor. But when you get sick, real sick, a doctor is who you seek out. And not just any doctor, but the best. Until you see yourself in real need and are truly broken, the preacher can preach until he is blue in the face and you are not going to change. As the saying goes, “in one ear and out the other.” But when you finally figure out that you need to change and that you are truly sick, then the Lord can really help you. The Lord has to first break you before he can help you. As Bunyan says, Christ has to MAKE you see your need before he can minister to you. In some cases, it takes some pretty drastic circumstances in our lives before we see the real need.
Real Thankfulness
If Christ doesn’t first break you before he heals you, there will not be real thankfulness. You won’t appreciate the medicine. You may have to go through trial and tribulation for years before you are broken enough for the physician to truly heal you. Some people can have physical problems for years before they go to the doctor and get it checked out. The problem is they are afraid of what the doctor will say or that they may have to change their lifestyle in order to be healed. The same is true of the Christian. We put off going to the Lord because He may put demands on our life that we may not like. How long can you put off that trip to the doctor you are in need of? What you need is a good heart examination by the King of Kings. He will show you just how vile you really are. At that point he can provide a rememdy and heal the broken heart you have. Jesus did not come to call the righteous but rather sinners to repentance. This applies to saved and lost. Are you broken today and can the Lord the help you?
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