Emotional Healing

As Jesus went on from there, He saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” He told him, and Matthew got up and followed Him. While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and sinners came and ate with Him and His disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they asked His disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” 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 9:9-13 NIV)

Tax collectors suffered rejection by their own people. The Romans used local people to collect taxes from those they conquered. The tax collector was given an amount they were required to raise. Anything over that amount they could keep. Tax collectors often used the power of the Roman army to extract far more taxes than Rome demanded. As such, they were considered collaborators, traitors and scumbags.

We all crave acceptance and avoid rejection. Matthew undoubtedly lived with the pain of rejection and loneliness. Many of us live with the wounds and scars of childhood bullying, negative messages from parents, constant criticism, betrayal by a friend or even physical, emotional, verbal or sexual abuse. Some of us carry self-blame and shame around in our hearts and never seem to be able to shake it.

Jesus saw something else in Matthew. He called him to follow and become one of His disciples. He called Matthew to leave his old life and begin to live for something higher. In Jesus, Matthew found a Savior who forgave him and a Lord who led him into a life of serving God. Eventually, Matthew was used by God to write one of the four Gospel biographies of Jesus' life, death and resurrection, preserving the Good News of His redemption for all generations.

At the party at Matthew's house, the rejection was stated openly. "Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?" The sting of rejection for Matthew was not just personal, it was cultural. In some ways, society is increasingly rejecting Christianity and Christians in this period of history. We are often lumped together with the worst examples of failure and hypocrisy like the ministry leaders who have fallen into financial and sexual sin. We are dismissed as judgmental, holier-than-thou bigots. Sadly, because the sin nature in us is so entrenched that it too often leads to bad behavior, there is plenty of ammunition for these charges.

Jesus came as the doctor who heals our wounds. He came to redeem and heal the whole person - body, mind and spirit. Our rejection is healed by His acceptance, just as it was for Matthew. "For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” We can bring our hurts to Jesus. He has compassion and brings healing for our personal wounds as well as society's rejection. We can leave behind the old baggage of our past and live out a new future. Hurting people hurt people. And healed people heal people. The holy love of God can heal and change us as we live for Him rather than for the fickle acceptance of people.

None of this is automatic, of course. Inner healing takes time. Old patterns of thinking need to be taken captive and transformed by the renewing of our mind in Christ (Romans 12:1-3). Sometimes the way to emotional healing includes counseling. We walk with Jesus over decades and He gives us the mind of Christ that overcomes sin and brokenness and pain. I am not the awkward, non-athletic, kid who was excluded at the cool kid's table I used to be. (Well, I'm still not at all athletic...) I am a child of the one, true King. I am loved and accepted and blessed by God and by the people of multiple churches where I have worshiped and led and served. Now if I could just get past that instant annoyance that rises when someone pulls out in front of me and goes ten under the speed limit...

Jesus, the Gentle Healer, does heal our emotional wounds. And He uses other people in the Body of Christ to do so. We need each other to walk in freedom and health. Fulfilling Jesus' command to love one another goes a long way toward healing our wounds and setting us free. If you are reading this and do not have a congregation where you can worship God and love others, please, please ask God to lead you to a place where you can find His healing and peace and joy through the love of others who follow Jesus.