2:17
In this verse Jesus responded to the Pharisees’ question in 2:16 with a proverb and applied the proverb to his own work. Notice that the proverb and the way that Jesus applied it are parallel, and the similar parts are in the same order:
It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.
I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.
Jesus was comparing healthy people to righteous ones and sick people to sinners. He was comparing himself to a doctor.
Jesus used the words “healthy,” “sick,” and “doctor” as figures of speech. The “healthy” people represent people who think that they are already righteous and do not need any help. The “sick” represent people who know that they are sinners and need Jesus’ help. The “doctor” represents Jesus, who can help the sinners to become righteous.
It is important that people understand this figurative meaning.
2:17a
In Greek 2:17a begins with a common conjunction that the Revised Standard Version translates as “And.” In this context it introduces Jesus’ response to the Pharisees. The Berean Standard Bible does not explicitly translate this conjunction, but you should introduce this change in subject in the way that is natural in your language.
On hearing this: This clause indicates that Jesus heard what the Pharisees had asked his disciples in 2:16.
Here are some other ways to translate this clause:
Jesus heard them (Good News Bible)
-or-
When Jesus heard that (God’s Word)
this: This Greek word this refers to the question that the Pharisees had asked his disciples.
Jesus told them: Although the Pharisees asked their question to the disciples, Jesus is the one who answered it.
told: In this context the verb told introduces a comparison that is a proverb. In some languages it may be helpful to use a verb or expression that people use when they tell a proverb or use a comparison. For example:
Jesus responded with this proverb
-or-
Jesus answered them with a comparison
them: This word them refers to the Pharisees.
2:17b
In this verse Jesus was using irony. See the General Comment on 2:17a–c at the end of the notes for 2:17c for an explanation. It is good to read this explanation before you decide how to translate the verse.
It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick: This verse is in the form of a proverb. Consider how to translate it so that it sounds like a proverb. There may be a traditional saying with a similar meaning in your own language.
Here are some other ways to translate this:
Sick people are the ones who crowd into the doctor’s house, not healthy ones.
-or-
There are no healthy people lining up to see the doctor.
It is not the healthy who need a doctor: The phrase It is not the healthy who need a doctor means that people who are healthy do not need a doctor to cure them. People in Jesus’ time did not go to see doctors when they were well.
need a doctor: In some languages it will be necessary to make explicit in what way people need a doctor. For example:
need a doctor to come and see them
-or-
need a doctor to help/heal them
-or-
need to consult a doctor
but the sick: The phrase but the sick is an ellipsis. In this context it means “but the sick people are the people who need a doctor.” People who know that they are sick are the ones who will go to a doctor for help.
2:17c
I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners: In this statement, Jesus used the proverb (in 2:17b) to explain the reason that he was eating with sinners. Jesus came to call people who were “sick with sin” to repent and be with him. Jesus did not come to call people who were already righteous. That would be like telling healthy people to go to a doctor.
I have not come to call the righteous: Jesus used the phrase I have not come to introduce a general statement about the purpose of his ministry. He was not referring specifically to his purpose for coming to Levi’s house. In some languages it may be necessary to express the meaning in a different way. For example:
My work is not to call the righteous
call: In this context the Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as call means “invite.” Jesus did not specify exactly what he was inviting sinners to do. It is likely that he was inviting (telling) them to repent and be his disciples. (The call to repent is an important theme in Mark, and the call to be his disciple is an important theme in this context.)
the righteous: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as righteous refers to people who live according to God’s standards. In other words, they consistently do what is right.
Here are some other ways to translate this:
those who obey God’s law
-or-
those who do what is right
In some languages there may be an idiom to describe this. For example:
those who follow a straight path
-or-
upright people
In this context Jesus was using irony. There are no truly righteous people because everyone has sinned. He may have referred to people who think that they are doing what is right and do not recognize their sins.
but sinners: The phrase but sinners is an ellipsis. Its full form is “but I came to call sinners.”
sinners: The word sinners refers here to people who have sinned and displeased God.
General Comment on 2:17a–c
In this verse Jesus implied that the Pharisees thought they were already righteous. That was the reason that they would not come to him for help to become truly righteous. Jesus did not mean that the tax collectors and sinners were the only sinners. He implied that they knew they needed him, just like sick people know that they need a doctor. (There are other ways to think about the irony here. In one sense, no one fully recognizes his own sinfulness, and there is no one who is truly righteous. It is impossible for a person to see himself as God sees him unless God reveals that to him. Jesus came to offer salvation to all people. He was helping all people to recognize their sinfulness and turn to him, just as sick people turn to a doctor to help them. Only Jesus can make a person truly righteous so that the person is able to always do what is right. )
In some languages it may be necessary to make some of the implied information explicit.
Here are some other ways to translate this:
When Jesus heard this, he replied with a proverb, “People who think they are healthy do not go to a doctor. It is the sick people who know that they need a doctor. Like that doctor, my work is not to invite people who think they are righteous to repent. I came to invite those who know that they are sinners to repent.”
-or-
When Jesus heard this, he told them, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do. I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners.” (New Living Translation)
In some languages it may be more natural to use a different order for some of the information. For example:
When Jesus heard this, he said, “It is sick people who know that they need a doctor. People who think they are healthy do not seek a doctor. I came to invite people who know they are sinners to be with me. I did not come for those who think they are already righteous.”
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