How is your health? Are there aches and pains that you should be paying attention to? How is your blood sugar or blood pressure? Have you had a checkup? Of course, doctors prescribe checkups at many times over a person’s life. There is the well-baby checkups, checkups before entering school, checkups while we are in our growing years, and checkups at all the benchmarks of life; 40, 50, 60 years, and counting.

It is wise to consider your health and analyze your physical well-being. Everyone knows that it is important to take care of your physical health. But what about your spiritual health, your soul? It is more important than your body. There is nothing more important than your spiritual health.

Levi held a great banquet for Jesus at his house, and a large crowd of tax collectors and others were eating with them. 30 But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law who belonged to their sect complained to his disciples, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and ‘sinners’?” 31 Jesus answered them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. 32 I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” Luke 5:29-32

Jesus is concerned about health. Jesus obviously was concerned about the physical needs of those he met: he healed their diseases, he made the lame walk and gave sight to the blind. But even more so, Jesus was concerned about spiritual health.

Levi the tax collector, (and remember, the tax collectors were sinners who would steal from those whom they collected taxes) had a banquet because he was so happy that he now knew Jesus. At this banquet was Jesus and other tax collectors. The Pharisees, those who thought they were righteous by obeying the Law, complained that Jesus could do such a thing, that is, eat and drink with tax collectors and “sinners”.

Jesus is the Great Physician who came to give life to the dying. The dying, by the way, is everyone in the world. Who else should he be eating with? The Pharisees and the teachers of the Law didn’t think they needed a Savior. His call to repentance would fall on deaf ears. But to the ones who were in need of a doctor, they like Levi rejoiced that the Great Physician was with them. They knew they were sinners who needed a Savior. And they knew that only Jesus could heal them from their sins that deserved eternal death.

If I would have known that I was diabetic I would have went to the doctor. If I would have known I had high blood pressure I would have looked for help. If I knew I was dying, I would have sought out the one who could save me. Hind sight is 20/20. So why not do a health analysis now? Am I human? Yes. And that means I’m going to die and need a Savior.

Why wait to see the Great Physician? He continues to bring healing as we gather together around his Word. He continues to give us strength as we eat and drink his body and blood in the Lord’s Supper. Why wait?

I once was told by a member that her adult daughter was dying. I said, “Let me come to share Jesus with her.” The mother said, “I will ask her.” A couple of days later I spoke with the mother and said, “Let me come and share Jesus with her.” Her response was, “she said not yet. She’s not ready yet.” And this went on every couple days for a month until I finally received the call that she had died.

The reality of death could not have been more obvious and the invitation for Jesus the Great Physician more vital. But even at death, some people do not realize how important Jesus and his Word are for our life. Not just eternal life in heaven, but life everyday on this earth.

Now is the time for a spiritual health analysis for our congregation and for all of us as individuals. Please take the spiritual health analysis that is included here. And when you see that you are not in perfect spiritual health, and all of us will, don’t wait. Our Great Physician has all that we need in daily and weekly doses of His life saving, and life giving Word.

Keep Christ First!

Pastor Chris Christenson

First Lutheran, La Crescent