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Jesus as physician role-model. “Since you are God's dear children, you must try to be like him. Your life must be controlled by love, just as Christ loved us and gave his life for us...” (Ephesians 5:1-2)
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“Since you are God's dear children, you must try to be like him. Your life must be controlled by love, just as Christ loved us and gave his life for us...” (Ephesians 5:1-2) • “And now I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” (John 13:34-35)
“your life must be controlled by love” • “love one another”
Problem: Irritability and Frustration • Neurology scheduler: • “Dr. Cole, I’m so sorry, I accidently double booked you for the entire day. We just found out about this and haven’t had a chance to call any of your patients. Your first 4 patients are already in the waiting room. What would you like me to do?”
Jesus Feeds Five Thousand • “There were so many people coming and going that Jesus and his disciples didn't even have time to eat. So he said to them, ‘Let us go off by ourselves to some place where we will be alone and you can rest a while.’ So they started out in a boat by themselves to a lonely place. Many people, however, saw them leave and knew at once who they were; so they went from all the towns and ran ahead by land and arrived at the place ahead of Jesus and his disciples. When Jesus got out of the boat, he saw this large crowd, and his heart was filled with pity for them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began to teach them many things.” (Mark 6:31-34)
“When it was getting late, his disciples came to him and said, ‘It is already very late, and this is a lonely place. Send the people away, and let them go to the nearby farms and villages in order to buy themselves something to eat.’ ‘You yourselves give them something to eat,’ Jesus answered. • They asked, ‘Do you want us to go and spend two hundred silver coins on bread in order to feed them?’” (Mark 6:32-37)
Jesus Feeds Four Thousand • “Not long afterward another large crowd came together. When the people had nothing left to eat, Jesus called the disciples to him and said, ‘I feel sorry for these people, because they have been with me for three days and now have nothing to eat. If I send them home without feeding them, they will faint as they go, because some of them have come a long way.’ His disciples said… • ‘Where in this desert can anyone find enough food to feed all these people?’ • ‘How much bread do you have?’ Jesus asked. • ‘Seven loaves,’ they answered. • He ordered the crowd to sit down on the ground. Then he took the seven loaves, gave thanks to God, broke them, and gave them to his disciples to distribute to the crowd; and the disciples did so.” (Mark 8:1-6)
Irritability? Harsh words? • Jesus gave his disciples an opportunity to exercise their faith, even though they failed • In a positive way, involved his disciples in the solution
Problem: Irritability and Frustration • Patient: Uncontrolled 3-4 seizures/month • Me (after one hour visit): “Please take Keppra twice a day. If you do, we have a good chance of controlling these seizures. Call me in 2-3 weeks to let me know how you are doing. Come back to see me in 2 months.” Reported to DMV • Patient: No phone call in 2-3 weeks. “No show” for follow up visit. Was contacted by the neurology secretary and given another appointment. Was a “no show” for the next 3 appointments.
Problem: Irritability and Frustration • Patient: presented to the ED with a seizure and admitted that he only took about 5-10 pills of Keppra/month. • Me: saw patient in the ED. Informed that if he would take his medication that we may be able to stop the seizures. • Patient: no show for follow up appointment • Patient: presented 2 weeks later to the ED after another seizure. Patient left before he could be seen by neurology • Me: at follow up visit, patient still found to be non-compliant. Lengthy counseling. Patient still driving. Sent another letter to the DMV.
Problem: Irritability and Frustration • Patient writes letter of complaint to the hospital medical director: • “Dr. Cole has been completely unable to help me with my seizures and now he has ruined my life by taking away my drivers license.”
Jesus speaks of his death • “From that time on Jesus began to say plainly to his disciples, ‘I must go to Jerusalem and suffer much from the elders, the chief priests, and the teachers of the Law. I will be put to death, but three days later I will be raised to life.’” (Matthew 16:21)
2nd time • “When the disciples all came together in Galilee, Jesus said to them, ‘The Son of Man is about to be handed over to those who will kill him; but three days later he will be raised to life.’ The disciples became very sad.” (Matthew 17:22-23 GNB)
3rd time • “As Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples aside and spoke to them privately, as they walked along. ‘Listen,’ he told them, ‘we are going up to Jerusalem, where the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and the teachers of the Law. They will condemn him to death and then hand him over to the Gentiles, who will make fun of him, whip him, and crucify him; but three days later he will be raised to life.’” (Matthew 20:17-19)
“Simon, Simon! Listen! Satan has received permission to test all of you, to separate the good from the bad, as a farmer separates the wheat from the chaff.” (Luke 22:31)
“They came to a place called Gethsemane, and Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Sit here while I pray.’ He took Peter, James, and John with him. Distress and anguish came over him, and he said to them, ‘The sorrow in my heart is so great that it almost crushes me. Stay here and keep watch.’ He went a little farther on, threw himself on the ground, and prayed that, if possible, he might not have to go through that time of suffering. ‘Father,’ he prayed, ‘my Father! All things are possible for you. Take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet not what I want, but what you want.’ Then he returned and found the three disciples asleep.
He said to Peter, ‘Simon, are you asleep? Weren't you able to stay awake for even one hour?’ And he said to them, ‘Keep watch, and pray that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.’ He went away once more and prayed, saying the same words. Then he came back to the disciples and found them asleep; they could not keep their eyes open. And they did not know what to say to him. When he came back the third time, he said to them, ‘Are you still sleeping and resting? Look! The hour has come for the Son of Man to be handed over to the power of sinners.’” (Mark 14:32-41)
Peter • “Woman, I don’t even know him” (Luke 22:57) • “Man, I am not!” (Luke 22:58) • “Man, I don’t know what you are talking about!” (Luke 22:60) • “At once, while he was still speaking, a rooster crowed. The Lord Turned around and looked straight at Peter…” (Luke 22:60,61)
“Now go and tell His disciples, including Peter, that Jesus is going ahead of you to Galilee. You will see Him there, just as He told you before He died.” (Mark 16:7)
“After Jesus rose from death early on Sunday, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, from whom he had driven out seven demons. She went and told his companions. They were mourning and crying; and when they heard her say that Jesus was alive and that she had seen him, they did not believe her. After this, Jesus appeared in a different manner to two of them while they were on their way to the country. They returned and told the others, but these would not believe it.” (Mark 16:9-13)
It was late that Sunday evening, and the disciples were gathered together behind locked doors, because they were afraid of the Jewish authorities. Then Jesus came and stood among them. • “Peace be with you,” he said. After saying this, he showed them his hands and his side. The disciples were filled with joy at seeing the Lord. Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father sent me, so I send you.” …One of the twelve disciples, Thomas (called the Twin), was not with them when Jesus came.
“So the other disciples told him, ‘We have seen the Lord!’ Thomas said to them, ‘Unless I see the scars of the nails in his hands and put my finger on those scars and my hand in his side, I will not believe.’ A week later the disciples were together again indoors, and Thomas was with them. The doors were locked, but Jesus came and stood among them and said, • “Peace be with you.” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and look at my hands; then reach out your hand and put it in my side. Stop your doubting, and believe!’ Thomas answered him, ‘My Lord and my God!’” (John 20:19-28)
Human tendency: irritability, short temper, easily frustrated, tit-for-tat • What God is like: Patient, forgiving, returning love in the face of unbelief and lack of trust
“The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group and said to Jesus, ‘Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?’ They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him. But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger.” (John 8:3-6)
As they stood there asking him questions, he straightened up and said to them, "Whichever one of you has committed no sin may throw the first stone at her." Then he bent over again and wrote on the ground. When they heard this, they all left, one by one, the older ones first. Jesus was left alone, with the woman still standing there. He straightened up and said to her, "Where are they? Is there no one left to condemn you?" "No one, sir," she answered. "Well, then," Jesus said, "I do not condemn you either. Go, but do not sin again.“ (John 8:7-11)
Goal: Persuade that the attitude of God in this story applies to your patient • David • Solomon • Manasseh • Peter • Judas • Thief on the cross • The mob the crucified Jesus
“As soon as Judas took the bread, Satan entered into him. Jesus said to him, ‘Hurry and do what you must!’ None of the others at the table understood why Jesus said this to him. Since Judas was in charge of the money bag, some of the disciples thought that Jesus had told him to go and buy what they needed for the festival, or to give something to the poor.” (John 13:27-29)
Arrogance & Pride • “What a dumb consult.” • Surgeon misses a diagnosis: “When all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail.” • About neurologists: “diagnose and adios” • Patient: “I have a hard time accepting that what you say is true.” • Doctor: “Look, I went to a school a long time. You’re just going to have to trust me.”
“If one of you wants to be great, you must be the servant of the rest; and if one of you wants to be first, you must be the slave of the others--- like the Son of Man, who did not come to be served, but to serve and to give his life to redeem many people.” (Matthew 20:26-28) • “I am meek and humble of heart.” (Matthew 11:29)
“They came to Capernaum, and after going indoors Jesus asked his disciples, "What were you arguing about on the road?" But they would not answer him, because on the road they had been arguing among themselves about who was the greatest.” (Mark 9:33-34) • “Jesus knew what they were thinking, so he took a child, stood him by his side, and said to them, "Whoever welcomes this child in my name, welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me, also welcomes the one who sent me. For the one who is least among you all is the greatest.“ (Luke 9:46-48)
“Jesus said to them, ‘The kings of the pagans have power over their people, and the rulers claim the title 'Friends of the People.' But this is not the way it is with you; rather, the greatest one among you must be like the youngest, and the leader must be like the servant.’” (Luke 22:25-26)
“Jesus knew that the Father had given him complete power; he knew that he had come from God and was going to God. So…. • he rose from the table, took off his outer garment, and tied a towel around his waist. Then he poured some water into a washbasin and began to wash the disciples' feet and dry them with the towel around his waist.” (John 13:3-5)
“After Jesus had washed their feet, he put his outer garment back on and returned to his place at the table. ‘Do you understand what I have just done to you?’ he asked. ‘You call me Teacher and Lord, and it is right that you do so, because that is what I am. I, your Lord and Teacher, have just washed your feet. You, then, should wash one another's feet. I have set an example for you, so that you will do just what I have done for you. I am telling you the truth: no slaves are greater than their master, and no messengers are greater than the one who sent them. Now that you know this truth, how happy you will be if you put it into practice!” (John 13:12-17)
Human nature: • Attempts to better oneself at the expense of others (power, honor, pride, selfishness) • Survival of the fittest • To be served • God’s nature: • Places the good of others over that of the self • To serve
A time for anger? • “Jesus went into the Temple and drove out all those who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the moneychangers and the stools of those who sold pigeons, and said to them, "It is written in the Scriptures that God said, 'My Temple will be called a house of prayer.' But you are making it a hideout for thieves!" • The blind and the crippled came to him in the Temple, and he healed them. The chief priests and the teachers of the Law became angry when they saw the wonderful things he was doing and the children shouting in the Temple, ‘Praise to David's Son!’” (Matthew 21:12-15)
“My feelings as a Christian points me to my Lord and Savior as a fighter. [Jesus] was greatest not as a sufferer but as a fighter. In boundless love as a Christian and as a man I read through the passage which tells us how the Lord at last rose in His might and seized the scourge to drive out of the Temple the brood of vipers and adders.”
The problem • “…the enemy of good blinded the minds of men, so that they looked upon God with fear; they thought of Him as severe and unforgiving. Satan led men to conceive of God as a being whose chief attribute is stern justice,--one who is a severe judge, a harsh, exacting creditor. He pictured the Creator as a being who is watching with jealous eye to discern the errors and mistakes of men, that He may visit judgments upon them.
Jesus’ mission • It was to remove this dark shadow, by revealing to the world the infinite love of God, that Jesus came to live among men. The Son of God came from heaven to make manifest the Father. "No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, He hath declared Him." John 1:18...When one of the disciples made the request, "Show us the Father," Jesus answered, "Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known Me, Philip? He that hath seen Me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Show us the Father?" John 14:8, 9.
In describing His earthly mission, Jesus said, The Lord "hath anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He hath sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised." Luke 4:18. This was His work. He went about doing good and healing all that were oppressed by Satan. There were whole villages where there was not a moan of sickness in any house, for He had passed through them and healed all their sick. His work gave evidence of His divine anointing. Love, mercy, and compassion were revealed in every act of His life; His heart went out in tender sympathy to the children of men. He took man's nature, that He might reach man's wants. The poorest and humblest were not afraid to approach Him. Even little children were attracted to Him. They loved to climb upon His knees and gaze into the pensive face, benignant with love.
Jesus did not suppress one word of truth, but He uttered it always in love. He exercised the greatest tact and thoughtful, kind attention in His intercourse with the people. He was never rude, never needlessly spoke a severe word, never gave needless pain to a sensitive soul. He did not censure human weakness. He spoke the truth, but always in love. He denounced hypocrisy, unbelief, and iniquity; but tears were in His voice as He uttered His scathing rebukes. He wept over Jerusalem, the city He loved, which refused to receive Him, the way, the truth, and the life. They had rejected Him, the Saviour, but He regarded them with pitying tenderness. His life was one of self-denial and thoughtful care for others. Every soul was precious in His eyes. While He ever bore Himself with divine dignity, He bowed with the tenderest regard to every member of the family of God. In all men He saw fallen souls whom it was His mission to save.
“Such is the character of Christ as revealed in His life. This is the character of God. It is from the Father’s heart that the streams of divine compassion, manifest in Christ, flow out to the children of men. Jesus, the tender, pitying Saviour, was God "manifest in the flesh." 1 Timothy 3:16. (Steps to Christ pg. 11-13)
Role of the physician • To go about doing good and healing all that are oppressed by Satan’s kingdom • To reveal that God’s chief attribute is not stern justice, that God is not a severe judge, a harsh, exacting creditor. To reveal that God is not watching with a jealous eye to discern the errors and mistakes of men, that He may visit judgments upon them.
To reveal love, mercy, and compassion in every act of life • To reveal a heart that reaches out in tender sympathy to all patients • To attract the poorest and humblest • To speak the truth, but always in love. • To always exercise the greatest tact and thoughtful, kind attention in conversation with others.
To never be rude, never needlessly speak a severe word, never give needless pain to a sensitive soul. • To speak out when there is injustice or to get the attention of your patient • To live a life of self-denial and thoughtful care for others. • To reveal that every soul is precious • To conduct life with divine dignity, but yet to bow with the tenderest regard to every member of the family of God. • In all patients to see individuals of infinite worth and value • To reflect the character of God