Thought for Today
Jeremiah 8:22 Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there? Why then has the health of my poor people not been restored?
Ecclesiastes 3:3 a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;
Luke 4:23 He said to them, "Doubtless you will quote to me this proverb, 'Doctor, cure yourself!' And you will say, 'Do here also in your hometown the things that we have heard you did at Capernaum.'"
Luke 5:31 Jesus answered, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick;
Another doctor’s appointment this morning. As I thought about the appointment, I began to think about how differently we view medicine, doctors and their role in our lives today compared to Jesus’ time. I am ‘of an age,’ an age filled with regular, routine doctor’s visits. The vast majority of those visits are not because I am sick, unless one thinks of normal aging as a sickness.
Modern medicine is far removed from its practice in Jesus’ time. “Hippocrates (born c. 460 BCE, island of Cos, Greece—died c. 375 BCE, Larissa, Thessaly) was an ancient Greek physician who lived during Greece’s Classical period and is traditionally regarded as the father of medicine.” (Britannica.com) Things have changed greatly during those 2484 years. “In 1897, scientists at the drug and dye firm Bayer began investigating acetylated organic compounds as possible new medicines, following the success of acetanilide ten years earlier. Two years later, Bayer created acetylsalicylic acid, which they marketed around the world under the brand name ‘Aspirin’.” (Wikipedia) Modern medicine is even far removed from its practice in my youth. The speed with which reliable, convenient in-home tests for COVID and multiple effective vaccines were developed during the pandemic was amazing.
A large percentage of modern medicine deals with routine maintenance issues. Maybe at some future updating of the Bible we could add another line to Ecclesiastes, “a time to maintain and a time to let things take their course.” Thank goodness, for my doctors and for most doctors, letting things take their course is not an option. In a few weeks, I will be visiting another physician, an ophthalmologist, to get a replacement part for one of my parts which has exceeded its life cycle and whose warranty has expired. Hopefully, after the cataract has been removed, I will get a new lens for my left eye. I am not sick, but I do need a physician if I want to be able to read the streaming news at the bottom of my television screen or to safely drive at night.
In addition to offering us insight into Jesus’ birth and his family, Luke’s gospel and the companion Acts of the Apostles offer us a lot of historical information on Jesus’ ministry and on the early growth and spread of Christianity. Luke was also a companion of the apostle Paul and is mentioned in Paul’s writings. “Colossians 4:14 Luke, the beloved physician, and Demas greet you.” “2 Timothy 4:11 Only Luke is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is useful in my ministry.” “Philemon 1:23 Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, sends greetings to you, 24 and so do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke, my fellow workers.”
Becoming a physician requires dedication and extensive education. I suspect that has been true since long before Hippocrates. We have little knowledge about how or where Luke obtained his medical training. We have equally little knowledge about the source of Luke’s knowledge of Jesus. We can surmise that Luke did know Mary, Jesus’ mother, how else could he know, “But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart.”? Was Luke Paul’s family doctor, his PCP? Did Paul convert Luke? Or, maybe Luke had moved to Nazareth and was Mary’s PCP?
Irrespective of the hows and whys, I am thankful for Luke, the beloved physician. I am thankful for Hippocrates and for all the other dedicated women and men who choose to undertake the rigor of medical school and the practice of medicine. I am equally thankful for all the Christians who have gone before me, preserving and perfecting our faith. Our Creator God has gifted his creation and his creatures with a multitude of skills, aptitudes and abilities. Thankfully, so many have dedicated the use of those skills, aptitudes and abilities to caring for others, physically and spiritually.
Stay safe, pray for your healthcare providers, trust God,
Pastor Ray