Go And Learn

Jesus Christ is the most influential man to have ever walked the face of this earth. As He walked among the people of Palestine, He gained much favor among them for His many good works and pure teaching. He also occasioned much opposition and resentment among the self-righteous religious leaders of His day. His uncorrupted doctrine coupled with His sincere life was considered by some as a slap in the face to their traditional religiosity. But this opposition did not prevent Him from always doing what was right (Jn. 8:29).

One such occasion happened as Jesus was sitting in the house and many tax collectors and sinners assembled to dine with Him. When the Pharisees (the religious elite of that time) saw Him, they asked His disciples why He ate with such foul company. The Pharisees ("separated ones") would never have been seen with such. When Jesus heard their question, He said to them, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. But go and learn what this means: I desire mercy and not sacrifice. For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance." (Mt. 9:12,13) From Jesus statement we can see that their attitudes were not correct. Jesus teaches that we are to love our fellow man, and His view of sin was like a sickness or a disease that needed the care of a physician. This is not to say that He condones sin, or that these were not responsible for their sin. Each person is responsible for his own sin (2 Cor. 5:10). It is to say that Jesus cared enough about the sinner to spend time trying to call him to repentance. He also tried to call these critics of His to realize the sinfulness of their attitudes and actions. When He said "Go and learn..." He implied that there were some things that they did not know. And they needed to know in order to be right with God. From this phrase, "Go and learn..." Jesus teaches us some valuable lessons about truth.

Truth Can Be Known

Jesus certainly would not have told these men to do the impossible. Therefore His instruction could have been followed. These men could have gone to the book of Hosea and studied the passage in its context to derive the true meaning of the text, if they had so desired. They could have learned what God wanted them to know. The quotation is found in Hosea 6:6 and it has to do with the persistent sinfulness of the people of Judah. They were willing to make sacrifices to the Lord as required by the law, but they were unwilling to change their lives and to deal faithfully with their fellow man. This treachery nullified their worship, and rendered their sacrifices useless. Therefore Hosea also writes, "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge," (4:6). It wasn't that knowledge was nowhere to be found, it was just that they were not willing to find it.

Truth Must Be Applied

For truth to be beneficial it must be applied to ones life. Perhaps the Pharisees of Jesus day were familiar with that passage of Scripture. They may have known exactly where it was found and exactly what it meant. Yet it was of no benefit to them, or to those around them, if they didn't apply its teachings to their life. The greatest hindrance to understanding the Bible is sin. When one is determined to continue in sin, he will never correctly understand the Scriptures. Especially those that expose and condemn that particular sin. We must be willing to obey now what we know now if we want to be a member of God's family. We must also strive to grow in grace and in knowledge through diligent study of God's word (2 Pet. 3:18; Acts 17:11).

Truth Results In A Changed Life

When truth is known and applied, the result is a transformation of one's life. It is definitely a change for the better. No one I know has ever regretted time spent in Bible study. Nor has anyone I know said that they regretted becoming a Christian, or applying Bible teachings to their life. No one regrets growing closer to God and stronger in fellowship with His saints. What if those Pharisees in Jesus time would have heeded the admonition given to them by the Lord? What if they truly had learned and applied that truth to their lives? Do you think they would have regretted it? Absolutely not! What a better place their world would have been. How great their relationship to God would be. And how much better would their outlook toward their fellow man have become. We don't know if any of those critics heeded Christ's admonition. We are uncertain as to how they responded. But we do know how we respond. Are we heeding His words? Are we growing in His grace and in His knowledge? How much time do we spend each day in prayer and Bible study? How often do we talk to our friends and neighbors who are lost in sin and tell them about Christ and His blessed gift of salvation? Do we really care about the "tax collectors" and "sinners" of our age? If we don't, we should.