On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” (Matthew 9:12-13) Jesus, overhearing, shot back, “Who needs a doctor: the healthy or the sick? Go figure out what this Scripture means: ‘I’m after mercy, not religion.’ I’m here to invite outsiders, not coddle insiders.” (MSG)
The message of the kingdom is not a religious message. I am interested in mercy, not religion. I care about those who are on the outside in the darkness and without hope, not those on the inside who are never satisfied. I want to heal the sick, not bless the healthy. I’m calling my church to understand the implications of what this means, that the time is over for comfortable religion and the time has come to pop the Christian bubble. Yeast must be mixed into flour before it can fulfill its purpose, and my people must go to the sick, not guard themselves against them, before healing will come. Change comes through service, not legislation, and nothing in the world will change until my people desire mercy, not sacrifice.
— September 2, 2020