Thoughts From Luke - Day 20

                                           Luke 5:12-17

¹² While Jesus was in one of the towns, a man came along who was covered with leprosy. When he saw Jesus, he fell with his face to the ground and begged him, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.”
¹³ Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!” And immediately the leprosy left him.
¹⁴ Then Jesus ordered him, “Don’t tell anyone, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded for your cleansing, as a testimony to them.”
¹⁵ Yet the news about him spread all the more, so that crowds of people came to hear him and to be healed of their sicknesses. ¹⁶ But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.
¹⁷ One day Jesus was teaching, and Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting there. They had come from every village of Galilee and from Judea and Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was with Jesus to heal the sick.


       As a doctor, a passage like this speaks to me in ways that, I would guess, is different from how it speaks to other people. As I practice medicine and ask myself WWJD? if He were in my shoes or better yet WWJHMD (what would Jesus have Me do?) as a doctor, certain things come to mind from these verses.

       First, Jesus didn't demand worship/payment up front. He had the ability, He had the compassion, the man had the need and He fixed him. A sign at the front window saying "Payment is required at time of Service" or something to that effect, has no place in a Christian doctor's office. I saw a patient with cervical cancer in the ER this weekend and called the cancer specialist who will see her Monday. He gave me the number for her to call on Monday to confirm the appointment. I know what is going to happen. They are going to tell her that an initial appointment costs $250, she won't have the money, she won't go, she will end up in the ER again in worse condition. Christian doctors must treat patients first and "worry" about payment later. God provides the money in other ways as a doctor and I have never missed a payroll or not paid my bills because of this philosophy.

     Secondly, socialized medicine or government payment for medical care creates an "I deserve medical care" or a "medical care is my right" mentality. In this passage the man didn't have that mentality. He went to Jesus and asked humbly for a cure for his disease and appealed to Jesus' compassion. People, including me, deserve nothing in life but condemnation for our sins. That's it. Everything we get outside of that is grace and mercy and we get so much of that from God that we begin to feel that it is our right. In an ideal world, sick people should humbly come to get medical care and appeal to a doctor to have compassion on them, and the Christian doctor would give them treatment not because they deserve it but because the doctor owes it to them because of the grace and mercy that we have received from Christ and His command to go and do likewise. Unfortunately, the world is not full of doctors that ask WWJD? so socialized medicine is here. 

    Third, I can't start getting cocky and think what a great doctor I am when people are healed through my care. All glory must go to the Father who is the healer. He gives me the ability to cut a person open and take out a diseased organ but I can't heal that person up, that's up to God. Why did Jesus often get alone early and pray? Why do Christian doctors need an intimate quiet time alone with God? One of the reasons is so we stay humble and don't start believing our press. People are kind and grateful for their cures and will direct their praise to me. If I start accepting that praise, which my ego wants to, it is like plagiarism, taking credit for what someone else has done. It also steals the opportunity to lead a person into a relationship with the real One who healed them. Jesus told the man to go to the priests as a testimony to the power of God. A Christian doctor should always be concerned not only about the person's physical needs but also their spiritual needs. A time alone with God redirects our focus to the spiritual demands of the practice and opens the day with the power of God preceding us.

     The need to use medicine as a means to point people to Christ has kept me practicing independent of a salaried position by a third party. A third party hiring me to practice could tell me not to pray, not to witness, not to give free care, etc. and infringe on my ability to practice medicine as a Christian doctor should. I can never let that happen.

     Lord, thank you for leading me to medicine as a career. I get to be Jesus to people every day, showing compassion by treating their illnesses and pointing them to the Father. Help me not to lose sight of both of those! Amen