PRINCIPLES FOR PICKING A PHYSICIAN

My mind has been centered on our GREAT PHYSICIAN.  You see, Wednesday, August 6, I was admitted to the hospital with a diagnosis of Urosepsis.  My temperature was 102 and my blood pressure 66/26.  I was in the hospital for a week.  I am home now and getting better very gradually. Here are my thoughts from the story of the nobleman whose son Jesus healed.

John 4:43-54    

^“43Now after two days he departed thence, and went into Galilee. ⁴⁴For Jesus himself testified, that a prophet hath no honour in his own country. ⁴⁵Then when he was come into Galilee, the Galilaeans received him, having seen all the things that he did at Jerusalem at the feast: for they also went unto the feast. ⁴⁶So Jesus came again into Cana of Galilee, where he made the water wine. And there was a certain nobleman, whose son was sick at Capernaum. ⁴⁷When he heard that Jesus was come out of Judaea into Galilee, he went unto him, and besought him that he would come down, and heal his son: for he was at the point of death. ⁴⁸Then said Jesus unto him, Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will not believe. ⁴⁹The nobleman saith unto him, Sir, come down ere my child die. ⁵⁰Jesus saith unto him, Go thy way; thy son liveth. And the man believed the word that Jesus had spoken unto him, and he went his way. ⁵¹And as he was now going down, his servants met him, and told him, saying, Thy son liveth. ⁵²Then inquired he of them the hour when he began to amend. And they said unto him, Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him. ⁵³So the father knew that it was at the same hour, in the which Jesus said unto him, Thy son liveth: and himself believed, and his whole house. ⁵⁴This is again the second miracle that Jesus did, when he was come out of Judaea into Galilee.”

When we moved to the Rio Grande Valley, I wanted to find a good fomily doctor and went to visit one who was recommended.  When I was called into the doctor’s office, he asked, “How can I help you? . . . . What did you come for?”  I told him there was nothing wrong with me, but I was looking for a family doctor and wanted to visit him in case I needed one.  He looked as if thought that was very strange, but after talking about baseball for awhile, I told him I had what I came for, thanked him, and left. He was my doctor until he retired.

  I. THE DOCTOR'S ABILITY - John 4:43-45

“⁴⁴For Jesus himself testified, that a prophet hath no honour in his own country.  ⁴⁵Then when he was come into Galilee, the Galilaeans received him, having seen all the things that he did at Jerusalem at the feast: for they also went unto the feast” (4:44-45).

(Mat. 12:15).  “But when Jesus knew it, he withdrew himself from thence: and great multitudes followed him, and he healed them all.” Some scholars believe He healed everyone in the surrounding areas where He went.

(Mat. 14:14)  “And Jesus went forth, and saw a great multitude, and was moved with compassion toward them, and he healed their sick.”

I remember thinking when I was a young Christian that Luke 17: 11-19 was one of the saddest passages in the Bible.  Jesus healed ten lepers and only one of them bothered to thank him!

^“11And it came to pass, as he went to Jerusalem, that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee. ¹²And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off: ¹³And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us. ¹⁴And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go shew yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed. ¹⁵And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God, ¹⁶And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan. ¹⁷And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine? ¹⁸There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger. ¹⁹And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole” (Luke 17:11–19).

We see the amazing ability of this Doctor, who has power over all the forces of nature, in the following verses:  

(Mat. 8:27)  “But the men marvelled, saying, What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him!”  

(Mark 4:41)  “And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”

(Luke 8:25) “And he said unto them, Where is your faith? And they being afraid wondered, saying one to another, What manner of man is this! for he commandeth even the winds and water, and they obey him.” 

 II. THE DOCTOR'S AVAILABILITY - John 4:46a

“So Jesus came again into Cana of Galilee, where he made the water wine” (4:46a).

The Great Physician was even available for a wedding and there performed one on His greatest miracles!

(Jer. 33:3)  “Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.”

III. THE DOCTOR'S ACCESSIBILITY - John 4:46b, 47a

“46 And there was a certain nobleman, whose son was sick at Capernaum. 47 When he heard that Jesus was come out of Judaea into Galilee, he went unto him” (4:46b, 47a).

When we went to Mexico City in 1968 to preach in an evangelistic campaign during the Olympics, I was told to try not to get sick at Easter time because during the entire Holy Week all the doctors were out of town on vacation.  But the nobleman knew that Jesus would be accessible to him.

(Mt. 11:28) “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”

(Lk. 18:16) “But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.”

Jesus is accessible to everyone: “And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely” (Rev. 22:17)

 IV. THE DOCTOR'S AFFORDABILITY - John 4:47b

“And besought him that he would come down, and heal his son: for he was at the point of death” (4:47b).

Notice that no fee was asked for, nor was any fee paid for the healing of the son.  No one has to borrow money to see this Doctor; this Doctor is affordable to whosoever comes; this Doctor charges everyone the same--no more and no less.

The Doctor's fee is found in Matthew 13:44, “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field.” (cf. Mt. 13:45,56; Rom. 9:9-10).  The field costs everything he has, but the treasure is free.

Again, the Doctor's fee is explained in Luke 9:23: “And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.” Here is my outline for a short teaching on this verse:

1). Self-dethronement - Lk. 9:23a

“And he said to them all, If any man will come after me” (9:23a).

2). Self-denial - Lk. 9:23b

“Let him deny himself” (9:23b)

3). Self-discipline - Lk. 9:23c

“And take up his cross daily, and follow me” (Lk. 9:23). 

  V. THE DOCTOR'S USE OF ACCOUNTABILITY - John 4:48

“Then said Jesus unto him, Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will not believe” (4:48).

In effect the Lord was saying, “You believed in my miracles, why didn't you believe in my message?”  In other words, he says, “Since you saw the miracles you are accountable for the information you heard in my message.”

We see in the story of the man who was born blind in John chapter 9 that this Doctor held people accountable.  He healed the man in verse 7, the man was questioned by the Pharisees in verses 13-33, they cast him out of the synagogue in verse 34, and then in 35,  “Jesus heard that they had cast him out; and when he had found him, he said unto him, Dost thou believe on the Son of God?  36  He answered and said, Who is he, Lord, that I might believe on him?”

We can see also in the stories of the Samaritan woman in John 4 and of Cornelius in Acts 10 and 11 that Jesus expected people to follow up on the information they were given.

 VI. THE DOCTOR'S AFFABILITY - John 4:49

“The nobleman saith unto him, Sir, come down ere my child die” (4:49).

Though the Lord reproved the nobleman in verse 48, it was not done in such a way as to drive him away, but to draw him to Himself.

VII. THE DOCTOR'S AUTHORITY - John 4:50

“Jesus saith unto him, Go thy way; thy son liveth. And the man believed the word that Jesus had spoken unto him, and he went his way” (4:50).

We see in Matthew 8:23-26 that this Doctor not only cures sea sickness, but He calms the sea: “²³And when he was entered into a ship, his disciples followed him.  ²⁴And, behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves: but he was asleep.  ²⁵And his disciples came to him, and awoke him, saying, Lord, save us: we perish.  ²⁶And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm.”