Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary Mark 2:17

"And when Jesus heard it, he saith unto them, They that are whole have no need of a physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners." — Mark 2:17 (ASV)

No statement of Jesus in this gospel is more profound than this one. A doctor ministers not to healthy persons but to those who are sick. So Jesus came not to call the “righteous” (GK 1465; here meaning the self-righteous) but “sinners” (i.e., those who are alienated from God in their lives). Jesus’ call is to salvation; and, in order to share in it, there must be a recognition of need. A self-righteous person is incapable of recognizing that need, but a sinner can.