Rev. Dr. Jonathan Blanke, Senior Pastor
Pastor’s Corner for June 7-13, 2026
In Need of a Physician
(Matthew 9:9-13)
There’s an award-winning TV series these days called The Pitt that gives a glimpse into a grueling, 15-hour Emergency Room shift. One aspect of the show I find interesting is how it depicts the importance of Emergency Department acute care for people from all walks of life… regardless of age, race, gender, or even language. The most recent season of the show depicts the heartbreaking reality of a baby abandoned in a hospital bathroom; a burn victim whose PTSD is triggered by fireworks; a young woman putting on false eyelashes who accidently glues one eye shut; an unhoused man who dies in the ER from liver failure; an elderly nun with a bacterial infection; a construction worker injured on the job, and the list goes on. While the series depicts the limitations of the doctors and medical staff in the face of death and trauma, it nevertheless shows how they perform heroically and rescue many patients under challenging conditions. Illness and injury are the great equalizers among members of the human race. Everyone is welcome at the Emergency Room door.
That’s a good thing, too. Because sooner or later, EVERYONE needs a doctor! Jesus said as much when he was surrounded by tax collectors and “sinners” in today’s Gospel reading. Tax collectors were people of ill repute, and Jesus had just called one of them—Matthew—as a disciple. No surprise, then, that Jesus welcomed those considered by others to be people of questionable moral standing who nevertheless recognized His life-giving message and came to Him. Do we ever develop an “us” and “them” perspective when we judge others as somehow less acceptable… when we make our endless comparisons about who is the better parent, or spouse, or child, or neighbor, or friend? Or might we sometimes look around and wonder whether our past actions have put us outside of fellowship with Jesus… whether we truly belong with those who stand in the presence of a holy God? When questioned why He spent time with those deemed morally inferior… somehow less than the status quo… what did Jesus say? He replied, “Those who are well don’t need a doctor, but those who are sick…. I didn’t come to call righteous people, but sinners!” His point was not that there are two groups—good people and bad people. No… with respect to Jesus, there is no one who is well. With respect to Jesus, everyone is sick. That includes you and me. That includes the people judged by others as somehow “outside” the grace of God. But Jesus is the Doctor! Jesus has come for you. He has come for all.
The one who comes for all comes out of mercy. May His mercy for us be our mercy for others today!
Peace and joy,
Pastor Jonathan
Pastor Jonathan Blanke grew up in Richmond, Virginia. He received his Bachelor's degree from College of William and Mary in Virginia and attended Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, Missouri, where he earned a Masters of Divinity degree and a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Biblical Studies, Book of John. He served as a Vicar at Messiah Lutheran Church in Richardson, Texas.
The Blanke family lived in Japan while he served as pastor and missionary to Okinawa Lutheran Church and taught Biblical Studies at Japan Lutheran College in Tokyo.
Pastor Jonathan lived in southern Maryland from January 2014 to November 2019 and was thankful to have served as the Sole Pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church in Lexington Park, Maryland.
He and his wife, Juli, have two grown children. In his free time, Jonathan likes to travel, "play around" on the piano, and enjoy the outdoors.
Click HERE to view a brief video from Pastor Jonathan.