As Jesus passed on from there, He saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth, and He said to him, “Follow Me.” And he rose and followed Him. And as Jesus reclined at table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and were reclining with Jesus and His disciples. And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to His disciples, “Why does your Teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” But when He heard it, He said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. Go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”
(Matthew 9:9-13 ESV)
I have to laugh at the poor Pharisees. Clearly they believe that Jesus is doing a bad thing. They are echoing the same ideas our parents probably taught us—“Don’t make friends with bad people, they’ll drag you into their problems and you’ll end up just like them.” The Pharisees are also feeling moral disgust—just the thought of sitting down with tax collectors and sinners makes them feel “icky.” (I believe that’s the technical word for it.)
But to Jesus, what they want Him to do makes no sense. Jesus came into this world to save sinners! How can He do that from a distance? It’s like telling the doctor to diagnose and treat someone from the other side of a football field. It’s like telling soap not to get anywhere near those dirty, stinky hands.
Of course the doctor is going to go where the sick people are. The soap will make the dirty hands clean. And Jesus will go where the sinners are, as close as close can be—and He will make them clean.
Jesus’ holiness is not fragile. It can survive becoming a human baby—growing up in a broken world—living among sinners—even being betrayed, flogged, and put to death naked on a cross. Jesus’ suffering, death, and resurrection don’t change the fact that He is the holy God.
What they change is us. Because Jesus comes so near us, He makes us clean, healthy, holy. He changes us to be like Him. Because He loves us and gave Himself for us, we come to reflect His glory in miniature. We trust in the Savior who has come so near us to save us, and so we become adopted children of God, just as Jesus Himself is the Son of God by nature.
We Pray: Lord, thank You for coming so near to me because You love me. Draw me even closer to You. Amen.
This Daily Devotion was written by Dr. Kari Vo.
Originally published in The Lutheran Hour on June 4, 2026
Used by permission from International Lutheran Laymen’s League, all rights reserved
Reflection Questions:
• Jesus comes close to us because that’s what we need. What else has He done for us because we need it?
• How has Jesus come close to you? Think of your own personal life and experiences with Him.
• Jesus lives within His people. How can you come near to someone else who needs Jesus, and become a blessing to them?