“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?’ Jesus answered them, ‘It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.’” — Luke 5:30–32, NIV
This passage is one of the clearest revelations of Jesus’ heart for the hurting and the spiritually sick—and it’s a powerful challenge to the church today. As pastors, counselors, and spiritual leaders, our mission is not simply to maintain the health of the spiritually strong, but to step outside our comfort zones and minister to those who are wounded—especially those silently struggling with mental and emotional pain.
Pastor Chuck Smith, founder of the Calvary Chapel movement, offered timeless insight into this passage and how Jesus modeled ministry to the broken:
“Jesus went out where they were, met them on their own territory. He ministered to the sick—those who were sick spiritually. I think that oftentimes in the church we begin to make ourselves sort of sterilized hospitals. And we create almost a sterile environment, where if a sinner would come in he feels so totally uncomfortable, because we are all sitting here in our sterile robes of righteousness.”
“In England, we have a good friend Jim, who pastors a Calvary Chapel affiliate in the area of the northern part near Manchester. And Jim’s ministry is in the pubs. He goes down to the pubs three or four nights a week and has a tremendous ministry there in the pubs, witnessing to the people who are getting drunk. And he is an outstanding witness for Christ.”
“Oh, he gets a lot of flak from the other ministers in town because he spends so much time in the pub. But he is following the example of the Lord—going where they are at to reach them, and to bring them out.”
Chuck’s words speak directly to a growing issue in the modern church: our tendency to confuse spiritual maturity with spiritual insulation. We become so focused on maintaining holy spaces that we inadvertently push away those who most need Jesus—including those dealing with mental illness.
When Jesus says, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick,” He’s making it clear: ministry is not primarily for those who appear strong, but for those who are visibly or invisibly suffering. That includes people with depression, anxiety, PTSD, addiction, or the residue of deep trauma—those who often feel out of place in the modern church environment.
Jesus continually went toward those in pain, not away from them:
- He touched the leper (Luke 5:13) when others recoiled.
- He noticed the bleeding woman when others ignored her (Luke 8:43–48).
- He wept with Mary and Martha in their grief (John 11:35).
- He restored the demon-possessed man in the tombs—someone the community had completely given up on (Mark 5:1–20).
Jesus’ ministry was not sanitized. It was relational, incarnational, and often messy.
Let the Church Be a Real Hospital
Chuck Smith said it well—we often try to make the church a sterile hospital, forgetting that hospitals are supposed to be filled with the sick. When someone with mental health struggles walks into our churches, do they find compassion, or do they sense judgment? Do they feel safe enough to say, “I’m not okay”?
The church must recover its identity as a place of healing, not just of teaching. James writes:
“Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.” — James 5:16a (NIV)
Healing comes in the context of community, humility, and mutual support—not isolation or silence. And that includes healing from the emotional and mental wounds that so many carry today.
Pastor, You Are a First Responder to Emotional Pain
As a Christian counselor, I often see that some of the most emotionally hurting people are those in leadership roles—pastors, elders, and ministry workers—who feel they must hold everything together. The truth is: you, too, are allowed to be human. Jesus Himself withdrew regularly to rest and pray (Luke 5:16). He lived with intentional rhythms of renewal.
Paul’s words in Galatians 6:2 are not a suggestion, but a command:
“Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.”
That includes carrying the burdens of those who are depressed, anxious, grieving, traumatized, or overwhelmed. And it includes giving others permission to help you carry yours.
A Challenge to the Church and Its Leaders
Chuck Smith’s commentary doesn’t just reflect an interpretation—it reflects a way of ministry rooted in Christ’s own actions. Like Pastor Jim in the pubs of Manchester, we need to step beyond stained glass and enter into the places where real pain lives.
The mentally ill aren’t “out there.” They’re already in your congregation. They’re sitting quietly in your Bible studies, leading your worship, volunteering in your children’s ministry—often hiding their suffering for fear they’ll be misunderstood.
We must change that.
“The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” — Psalm 34:18 (NIV)
So must we be.
Final Encouragement
Jesus didn’t heal every physical wound—but He made it clear that no soul was beyond His reach. And no mind is too broken to be seen by God.
Let your church be a place where the emotionally hurting find hope. Let your pastoral heart beat in rhythm with the Great Physician. And let your ministry reflect the Savior who said, “I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”
That includes the anxious, the addicted, the traumatized, and the mentally unwell.
They are the ones Jesus came for.
