Divine Health Care

St. Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist
21 September 2009

Are Christians any better than anybody else? No. The Bible teaches that only forgiven sinners enter the kingdom of God. Jesus rejoices in the repentance of the "tax collectors and sinners" of his acquaintance. In fact, St. Matthew, whom we commemorate today, was himself a tax collector. He was part of that unsavory community of sinners, of which St. Paul pronounced himself chief (1Tim 1:15).

Our works do not make us nearer to or farther from God. Good works are helpful to our neighbor, yes. But it is God who comes nearer to us in Christ through baptism, preaching, and the body and blood of Christ. This is counterintuitive. We believe in our hearts that some people are closer to God because they are better, when in fact, those who see themselves as far from God are the ones whom God visits and redeems for Christ's sake. All the religious works in the world do not make us close to God, but God comes and makes Himself close to us. That is why Christ has come.

St. Augustine

"Jesus found all sick; it is the Apostle's judgment, 'for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God' (Rm 3:23). Though He found them all sick, yet were there two sorts of sick folk. The one came to the Physician, clung to Christ, heard, honored, followed Him, and was converted. To heal them He received all without disdaining any, who healed of free favor, who cured by almighty power. When He received them, and joined them to Himself to be healed, they rejoiced.

"However, there was another sort of sick, who had already become infatuated through the sickness of iniquity, and did not know themselves to be sick. They mocked Him, because He received the sick, and said to His disciples, 'Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners' (Mt 9:11)? And He who knew what and who they were answered them, 'Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.' (Mt 9:12). And He showed them who the 'well' were, and who the 'sick.' He said, 'For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.' (Mt 9:13). It is as if he said, If sinners do not come to Me, why am I come? For whose sake am I come? If all are whole, why has so great a Physician come down from heaven? Why has He prepared for us a medicine not out of His medicine chest, but of His own blood?

"The sort of sick persons who had a milder sickness, who felt themselves to be sick, clung to the Physician, that they might be healed. But those whose sickness wasmore dangerous mocked the Physician, and abused the sick. Where did their frenzy proceed at last? To seize the Physician, bind, scourge, crown Him with thorns, hang Him upon a tree, and kill Him on the cross! Why are you amazed? The sick slew the Physician; but the Physician, by being slain, healed the frantic patients."

Augustine, Sermon on Matthew 17:19,