When Jesus began preaching, He was not well received by many of the Jewish nobles and leaders. Many became jealous or felt His teachings on repentance didn’t apply to them and were greatly offended when He implied they needed to be saved. They felt they were good enough in their present condition (John 8:31-34).

However, other people who were rejected by the spiritual leaders as sinners and outcasts received Jesus’ teachings with rejoicing. He preached a message of repentance toward God, forgiveness of sins, and the hope of entering the kingdom of God. People who had all but given up any hope of salvation found a new sense of life, put away their sins, and beginning turning back to God.

Among them were several tax collectors. These were despised by the Jewish people as traitors to their nation and fraudsters. Many earned their reputation by collecting more taxes than were due and pocketing the extra.  They were lumped together with sinners as undesirable and rejected by the majority.

There was a certain tax collector named Zacchaeus who lived in Jericho. Desperate to see Jesus, Zacchaeus climbed a tree just to get a glimpse of Him as He passed through the town. Jesus saw him in the tree and called to him, “Zacchaeus, make haste and come down, for today I must stay at your house.” (Luke 19:5) Not only did Jesus acknowledge this tax collector, He went to his house to eat with him. Overwhelmed with joy, Zacchaeus confessed a desire to put away his corruption, to not only stop taking more taxes than what was owed, but to start giving to others who had need. He said, “Look, Lord, I give half of my goods to the poor; and if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore fourfold” (Luke 19:8).

When others saw this, they complained, “He has gone to be a guest with a man who is a sinner” (verse 7).  This wasn’t the first time Jesus did this. Throughout His ministry, Jesus went to those who knew they were sinners and were looking for a better life. He went to another tax collector named Levi, also called Matthew, and made him one of the twelve apostles. A certain sinful woman, overwhelmed by the promise of forgiveness that Jesus preached, washed His feet with her tears.

Many such people thronged to Jesus, not because He told them that they had no sins, but because He taught them how to repent, turn to God by faith and be saved. When they manifested their faith through godly sorrow and repentance, Jesus would say to them, “sin no more” (John 5:14), “Your sins are forgiven you,” and “your faith has saved you” (Luke 7:48-50).

When the Jewish leaders asked why Jesus went to the sinners, He answered, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance” (Luke 5:31-32).

In this statement, Jesus described two kinds of people: 1) those who are sick, and 2) those who are well. Those who are sick know they need help. They seek out the physician to cure their illness. The sickness Jesus refers to is sin. The sick are those who are honest and acknowledge their sins and who come to Jesus in the hope of salvation.

What about those who are well? These are NOT people who don’t need forgiveness, but those unwilling to acknowledge their need for the forgiveness that comes through Jesus.

All men have sins. “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). All men need Jesus, but only those willing to acknowledge their sins and their need to be forgiven can benefit from the salvation He offers.



In the parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector (Luke 18:9-14), Jesus describes two men. One who thought he was righteous and had no need for forgiveness, and the other who humbled himself, acknowledge his faults and pleaded God for mercy. Of the second man Jesus said, “I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted” (Luke 18:14).

The fact that all men need Jesus, including you, is clear. The question we leave with you is this: Will you acknowledge your need for Him and come to the Great Physician so that you too can receive the forgiveness of your sins?