Matthew 9:12 Meaning and Explanation
“But when Jesus heard that, he said unto them, They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick.”
King James Version (KJV)
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Read Full Chapter →Jesus answers with a proverb: it is the sick, not the healthy, who need a physician.
What Does Matthew 9:12 Mean?
Overhearing the complaint aimed at his disciples, Jesus answers it himself with a plain and familiar image. A physician spends his time among the sick, not the well; that is simply what a healer is for. By this saying he explains why he keeps company with sinners, for they are precisely the ones who need the help he has come to bring.
The proverb gently turns the question back upon its askers. If the Pharisees think themselves already "whole," they will sense no need of him at all; but the "sick" who honestly know their condition are exactly the ones he came to heal. Christ is the physician of souls, and the door to his help opens the moment a person stops pretending to be well and admits the truth of being ill.
Matthew 9:12 in the Original Language
iatros (ἰατρός), 'physician' -- a healer of the body, here a picture of the One who heals the soul.
Frequently Asked Questions About Matthew 9:12
What does Matthew 9:12 mean?
Jesus answers with a proverb: it is the sick, not the healthy, who need a physician.