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.” (Mark 2:17 NLT)
What does a godly person look like?
If you had asked the people in Jesus’ day, they would have told you that the godly people were the ones who fasted, who obeyed the Law of Moses, observed the Sabbath, etc. Godly people stayed away from tax collectors and sinners, and only associated with other good religious people.
One theme of this chapter is Jesus turns His back on this kind of legalism. Jesus rejects the Pharisees’ idea of righteousness based on obedience to regulations. He instead encourages us to pursue a new vision of godliness - one based not on obedience to rules, but love.