Mark 2:17
“When Jesus heard it, he saith unto them, They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”
King James Version (KJV)
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Jesus has called Levi, a tax collector, and is dining at his house with many publicans and sinners. The scribes criticize this, and Jesus responds by explaining the purpose of His mission.
What Does Mark 2:17 Mean?
Mark 2:17 is Jesus' answer to critics who questioned why He ate with tax collectors and sinners -- He came as a healer for those who know they need Him. The scribes had objected to Jesus sharing a meal with people they considered unworthy.
Jesus replies with a simple, memorable image: "They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick." A doctor goes where the illness is. By calling Himself the physician, Jesus identifies His mission as one of mercy toward the spiritually sick. Then He states His purpose plainly: "I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance." This is not a claim that some people are sinless and need no help. Rather, Jesus exposes the difference between those who admit their need and those who imagine they have none. The self-satisfied close themselves off from healing precisely because they will not acknowledge any sickness. Sinners who recognize their condition are exactly the ones who can receive His call. The word "call" carries warmth -- it is an invitation, not a rejection. Jesus deliberately draws near to the broken, the failing, and the despised, because they are the very ones His mission was sent to reach.
In the Original Language
The Greek "iatros" means physician or healer. "Kaleo" (call) carries the sense of an invitation or summons, here extended to sinners.
Cross References
“For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.”
- Luke 19:10
“This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.”
- 1 Timothy 1:15
“But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”
- Matthew 9:13
Application
Anyone who admits their need finds Jesus ready to receive them; honesty about our brokenness is the doorway to His healing.