A crutch? Christianity is for those who know they need help — and we all need help

Often, believers are met with the accusation that “Christianity is a crutch.” Our first reaction is to deny it. But recently, someone told me of a man who admitted to his accuser that the statement was true.

He went on to say that if a person had a broken leg, a repaired knee or a hip replacement, they would appreciate and even need a crutch, a wheelchair or a walker in order to navigate. They wouldn’t see those devices as a cause of shame or an excuse for their weakness. They would welcome those implements as necessary to their healing! Why should someone feel ashamed of using a cane, a crutch, a wheelchair, an arm cast or a sling when they know their body needs that help in order to function? Are we too proud to admit we need help?

In Matthew 9:9-13, Jesus was scorned by the Pharisees for socializing at the dinner table with tax collectors and sinners in Matthew’s house. They attempted to besmirch Jesus’ character. These religious zealots had always tried to maintain a social circle among the better class of people to bolster their reputation. They would never be seen with such unsavory people. What would others think?

Under the glaring spotlight of accusation, Jesus never flinched in shame. Taking the offensive, Jesus said, “Those who (think they) are well have no need of a physician, but those who (know they) are sick … For I did not come to call (those who think they are) the righteous, but (those who know they are) sinners to repentance.”

Jesus saw himself as a doctor whose life mission was to minister to broken, hurting people. It is expected that a doctor be found among those who will admit to being sick and in pain. Any physician who doesn’t want to be around such people should not be in the medical field.

Jesus did not suggest that his critics were healthy and had no need of him. They either didn’t know their true condition or they ignored the symptoms. A person can be deathly sick and refuse to go to the doctor. These accusers were not well, they just didn’t own up to the fact they were as spiritually sick as the riffraff around the dining table in Matthew’s house.

In reality, every human being was born with a propensity toward rebellion against God. When Paul wrote in Romans 3:23, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” he was only restating the understanding people have always had. It took a catastrophic sin in King David’s life for him to realize he was a sinner from his birth. “Behold I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin my mother conceived me” (Psalm 51:5). In Psalm 58:3, he would write: “The wicked are estranged from the womb; they go astray as soon as they are born …”

Most people live their lives thinking they are the masters of their own fate, not knowing their true pitiful condition. Therefore, in pride, they never seek a savior to heal them. In his eloquent explanation of his mission, Jesus said, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16) People are perishing without him! He came to relieve the pain and estrangement we all have learned to accept.

If you and I want to enjoy the freedom of forgiveness, we are going to have to confess our need of help, in order to sit at the dining table with Matthew and his sinner friends, where God’s physician is holding clinic. Because Christianity is for those who know they need help.

This story was originally published September 6, 2020 at 7:00 AM.