Lectio Divina Reflection – Mark 2:13–17

“Why does He eat with tax collectors and sinners?”

As I prayed with this passage, I was drawn to the exchange between Jesus and the scribes of the Pharisees. I have always been struck by Jesus’ response: “It is not the healthy who need the doctor, but the sick.” Sitting with those words, they began to open out beyond the moment.

In prayer, my thoughts turned to Ezekiel 34, where the Lord speaks against the shepherds of Israel—those who fed themselves but neglected the flock. The weak were not strengthened, the sick not healed, the lost not sought. Reading that alongside this Gospel, I began to see Jesus’ words not only as compassion for sinners, but as a fulfillment and correction of failed shepherding.

Jesus eats with tax collectors and sinners not to excuse sin, but to heal. He does what true shepherds were always meant to do: draw near, restore, and bring back those who are wounded or lost.

As I sat with this longer, the passage began to turn toward me. This is not only about what Jesus does, but about what His followers are called to share in. Care for the sick, the weak, and the lost is not reserved to Christ alone. We are all called, in our own small ways, to tend and care for our brothers and sisters.

Prayer: Lord, teach me to see others with Your mercy, and to care for those entrusted to me with patience, humility, and love.