“AWESOME GOD”
“Great Physician and Friend”
“Therefore, since we have a great High Priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold
firmly to the faith we profess.” Hebrews 4:16.
WHY have people been so attracted to Jesus down through the centuries? The Bible answers that question in a simple
phrase, “We love, because He first loved us”
(1 John 4:19).
As you look back at the special relationship Jesus had with so many people, you must be convinced that Jesus is on the
side of common people. Anybody who was hurt, sick, mistreated, lonely, disenfranchised, or condemned – people like
you and me – were the ones Jesus came to help.
Matthew wrote, “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 physician, but the sick” (Matthew 9:11-12).
In essence, Jesus was saying, “My job here on earth is to get sinners back to God, not to worry about the good people.”
Jesus does not present Himself to us as “holier than thou”, but rather as a friend. He said, “I no longer call you servants,
because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned
from my Father I have made known to you.” (John 15:15).
We are not second-class citizens. The Bible says we are part of God’s family. Hebrews 4 records that Jesus, who is now
in heaven, intercedes for us, and that He understands our weaknesses. We are encouraged to “approach the throne of
Grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” Hebrews 4:16.