Dr. Rick Mandl - August 25, 2020
Do You Need A Doctor?
Do You Need A Doctor?
Tuesday, August 25, 2020
Hey church family, this week I was thinking about a statement that Jesus made that is recorded for us by three of the gospel writers – Matthew, Mark & Luke. In response to some of the criticism that he was receiving about the people he was hanging around with, Jesus said, “It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick; I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” Thinking about Jesus words about sickness, and physicians, started me thinking about something that a lot of people may not know, which is that it was the church that invented the hospital. Not business, not government. It was Christians who invented the hospital and it was invented during a plague.
In the second century and in the third century, after our Lord left earth and ascended to heaven, there were two giant plagues that struck the Roman Empire, one was in the second century and one was in the third century. In both of those cases, the people didn’t know what to do, because they certainly didn’t know about things like germs or infections or viruses. Millions of people were dying in the Roman Empire. And it was at that time, during those pandemics, that the nonbelievers started fleeing the cities because those were the places that the plague was striking hardest – in the urban areas – in the cities. So people began fleeing the cities. It was during that time, the time of both of those pandemics, that Christians ran into the city. Christians ran toward pain, they didn’t run. They ran toward pain as an opportunity for ministry and mission, and they ran into the city to care for the sick and the dying. That’s where the expression “See how they love one another!” came from, because Christians were caring for the sick and the dying in the urban areas of the Roman Empire.
During that time, it was believers who invented a new way of caring and showing hospitality to the people who were sick and dying and invented what later became the modern hospital, where we were “showing hospitality.” It’s a reminder of the truth that people are most receptive to the message of Jesus Christ when they’re under tension or in transition. When they’re under tension means the stresses we’re feeling right now, or in transition when there’s a major change, it could be a positive change... like a new baby, a graduation, just got married... That makes people more spiritually open, or it could be a negative change. Death, divorce, disease.
When COVID hit, it turned a lot of our lives upside down. It is primarily the healthcare community’s job to care for the disease, but it is the church’s job and the job of the Christians everywhere to help you with your dis-ease,” the stress that’s caused by the pandemic. As we move toward this year’s election, I think it’s safe to say that this is going to be the most unusual election in our nation’s history. It might be not election day., specifically. There might be multiple days, and even weeks before we’ll know how everyone has voted. But in this time of transition, and in this time of uncertainty and tension, when people are under stress, it’s also an opportunity to point them toward the one we know is the source of our ultimate hope. We can let them know that trusting in Jesus won’t give you a pass on all the suffering in this world, but will give you assurance that no matter what we’re going through now, our future is secure.
God tells us in his word, “We often suffer, but we are never crushed." Even when we don't know what to do, we never give up. In times of trouble, God is with us, and when we are knocked down, we get up again... because we know that God raised the Lord Jesus back to life. And just as God raised Jesus, he will also raise us to life. Then he will bring us into his presence together” (2 Corinthians 4:8-9, 14). That’s the confidence we have as followers of J.C. and it’s the message that God has given us to share with others.
From Series: "Daily Devotional Videos"
Find daily inspiration and motivation with our video devotionals!
Signup for our e-newsletter if you would like to receive these in your personal email account. Or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, or Twitter to be notified when we post a new devotional on any of our social media accounts.
