The Divine Physician!

Saturday, February 21, 2026

Is 58:9b-14; Lk 5: 27-32

Today’s Gospel highlights Jesus as the Divine Physician. 

The call narrative of Levi is quite surprising to many because, in calling Levi, Jesus contradicts the dominant expectations. What does Jesus intend to communicate?

At first, Jesus shows that some things did not add up in his society. The religious leaders profiled some people as spiritually unclean (the truly sick) and reserved their attention (treatment) for a few healthy people. Jesus finds it strange and attempts to correct the flaw. Hence, his call of Levi is not something accidental but sends a clear message that Christian discipleship consists of and thrives through inclusion.

Secondly, in calling Levi, Jesus reveals the true nature of the Kingdom of God. Jesus has hitherto talked about God’s Kingdom, and now he gives his audience an opportunity to witness it in action. Thus, with the call of Levi, they discover that the Kingdom of God transcends human calculations. It asserts itself through compassion, inclusion, mercy, and transforming love. Finally, it intends to heal the sick society through boundary-crossing in and for love. 

Thirdly, through his call of Levi, Jesus invites us to engage in a sound reflection as the ministers of the Kingdom. Regardless of any bias, Jesus wants us to identify people who truly need a physician so that we can direct our attention towards them. God’s love cannot be extended or applied selectively. Just as Jesus shows through his boundary-crossing, at times, what makes us uncomfortable is Divine justice. However, the Kingdom’s inclusive love means that we do not approve of sin but embrace the sinner for God’s love. 

Let us pray that, just like Jesus, the Divine Physician, we may bring healing to the broken society.

Fr. Dhinakaran Savariyar