Health and a Health Service

Jesus' supreme mission was to be the Saviour of the world. He came to die on Calvary for the sin of the world, taking God's judgment on himself, in your place. But he healed. He cared for the people he met in his earthly ministry. Twelve times in the Gospels a special word is used to describe Jesus "having compassion". Jesus was not just a cold, armchair theologian. No! He was basic, simple and practical. He cared and he healed. He met physical needs as well as spiritual needs - and so should we.

Especially since the European Reformation that example of Jesus has led to significant Christian influence in the development of hospital care, surgery, medicine and nursing. But if (or as) that influence is reduced, there will be a sad loss. An article in the British Medical Journal some years ago said this:

"As the influence of the Church declines until its effect is negligible ... a general lowering of standards seems inevitable."

And ethical or moral standards have been lowered. There are indeed problems.

On the other hand, we need to thank God for what over the years that Christian influence has achieved in shaping Western medicine - from increased life expectancy to more care for more people. However, at the beginning of the 21st century there are many challenges. So this morning to give us a biblical view on some issues, I want us to look at the two passages of the New Testament read to us as our lessons, first 2 Corinthians 12.7-10 and then John 17.13-19. And first I want to talk about HEALTH; and secondly about A HEALTH SERVICE.

First, then, HEALTH

What is health? To answer that, a) I want to say something by way of Biblical background, then b) I want us to look at 2 Corinthians 12.

So a) - four things by way of background.

First, to answer questions relating to health and healing, you have to ask the preliminary question, "what (or who) is man?" On that, the Bible is crystal clear - at least with regard to the fundamentals. It says, "mankind - male and female - is made in the image of God" - Genesis 1.26-27:

Then God said, 'Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.' So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.

That is an amazing statement and an amazing truth - you are in the "image of God". That is what makes you so special from God's perspective. In your very being you reflect something of the divine dignity and character of Almighty God. That is why you are quite separate in worth from the animals. The other animals do not share the image of God. It is mankind alone who has that image. Mankind alone has creativity, rationality and moral responsibility. Yes, the sin of men and women - from the first man and the first woman onwards - has defaced that image. But it has not destroyed it. There is no one who lacks it. It doesn't matter how irreligious or immoral you may be; or however young, old, deficient, disabled or sick you may be. And that image of God in man is why human life is so sacred. Genesis 9 verse 6 says:

Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed; for in the image of God has God made man.

But now some doctors and, from the other side, some vets are blurring that distinction. I shall never forget the reply of a consultant neurologist when asked: "Does a young baby have value as a person?". He said:

"A new-born baby probably doesn't ... One of the things that irritates me about people who believe in the sanctity of life is that they don't extend that sanctity of life to higher primates and dolphins ... They think that we have a God-given sanctity of life. Well, I don't believe in God so I don't see any divine imprint."

So, first, the bible teaches that mankind is made in the image of God and, therefore, human life is sacred.

Secondly - and because of the reality of that image of God in man - God the Son could become incarnate as Jesus of Nazareth. The Bible says, "he [Jesus Christ] is the image of the invisible God" (Col 1.15). God the Son, the second person of the divine Trinity, if I may put it like this, could never have become an animal. He could become human flesh and blood because human nature was already "in the image of God." Jesus Christ was truly human; and, being without sin, he was and is the only perfect human being. So he reveals not only the true God to the world as being himself truly God. He also reveals the true nature of human being to the world as being himself truly and perfect man.

Thirdly, because he reveals the true nature of human being, his life is so important for some current ethical issues in health and healing. His life is especially important regarding the beginning of life. For the human being of Jesus Christ began not at his birth but at his miraculous conception in the womb of the Virgin Mary. The Son of God took human flesh and began human existence with his conception. As we have just said in the creed, "He (not something before Jesus Christ, but the real Jesus Christ - he) was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary." The history of the one who later "was crucified", then gloriously "on the third day rose again" commenced at the conception. That is why respect for a human being that is created in the image of God must begin with conception. You shouldn't just treat an embryo or a pre-embryo as a blob of tissue. It is the start of a God-given special creation - a human being created in the image of God - not an infant human being, or an adult or senile human being, but an embryonic human being.

And fourthly the incarnation of Jesus helps you with the definition of health itself. You can define normal health as sufficient healthy functioning? But what is sufficient? Some say, "it is the statistical average for well being?" But if we had stuck at the averages of the middle-ages many of us would now be dead and many others very ill. People then say, "You want an ideal human being to use as a standard of health and wholeness." But who is that ideal? Arnold Schwarzenegger - a former Mr Universe? Hardly, if what you read in the papers is true. The Bible says there is only one ideal - Jesus Christ. It says follow him. He is the guide to true health.

So human beings are sacred and to be respected because in the image of God; Christ reveals true human being; Christ's conception defines the beginning of human life; and Christ helps us define what is true health. We must move on.

Now b) I want us to look at 2 Corinthians 12.

The Bible says, in Psalm 103, that God "heals all your diseases". Why then, you ask, does not the Christian always have guaranteed good health? You say you know that scientific research is now showing that on average Christian believers who follow a Christian lifestyle are healthier than those who don't. But why are there still many sick Christians, if God is our healer? Look at 2 Corinthians 12.7:

To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.

Some think Paul's weakness was an eye problem. Others think it was something else. It is good that we don't know. It enables each of us here this morning, when we are sick or face some major trauma, to relate better to this teaching. So what does Paul teach us about this "thorn in the flesh"? Again there are four things (at least).

First, this "weakness" is the enemy. Paul doesn't describe his illness or disability as something inherently good. He describes it as something inherently bad. It is a messenger from Satan, an enemy to be resisted. That has been a great motivation down the centuries for Christians in medicine. Since the fall of man - that primeval rejection of God when our first human parents decided to go their way and not God's - disease has been seen as a reality to be fought.

Secondly, Paul prayed to be healed:

Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me.

And so should you pray for healing. Yes, God is our healer. And, yes, he works sometimes directly without human means as he oversees nature doing its restoring work. And we thank God. When we pray and that work is amazingly accelerated, we rightly thank God for his miraculous working. But God also works indirectly through medical practitioners and medicines. In 2 Corinthians Paul has just told the Corinthians that God ...

... supplies seed to the sower and bread for food (9.10)

He works directly without human means in supplying seed, but also indirectly through the miller, the baker and then Tesco's to supply you with your wrapped sliced loaf. God can work either directly or indirectly using human agents in any area of life..

Thirdly, notice that Paul prayed three times for healing. If you think it is right to work for healing through indirect means - through going to your doctor - you must still be praying for God to heal. Ambroise Paré, the great pioneer Christian doctor of the 16th century, used to say: "I tended; God healed." Until you reach a certain age, it is reasonable to assume that God wants your health and well-being to achieve his purposes in your life. It was right for the old man Simeon to pray after he had seen the infant Christ ...

Sovereign Lord ... now dismiss your servant in peace (Lk 2.29).

But until such a time, or until God clearly reveals his greater purposes (when you pray accordingly), pray for healing as Paul did.

Fourthly, although Paul assumed it right to pray for healing, on this occasion healing did not occur. Sin, disease and death entered the world by Adam. Christ came to reverse that terrible curse and restore relationships between man and God. On the cross he dealt completely with the guilt of sin. If you believe in Jesus Christ, your sin, as the Bible puts it, is laid on him. He takes your guilt away. Before God, you are justified. Your relationship is restored. You can begin to live a new life in the strength of his Holy Spirit. So the Cross of Christ cleanses you from the guilt and power of sin. But history is not undone or remade until Christ returns and there is a new heaven and a new earth.

For example, if you have committed murder, if you repent and trust Christ, he will forgive you, and give you new power and the hope of eternity with Christ. But you will still face the courts and earthly punishment; and the person you killed will not rise from the dead immediately. They must await the General Resurrection. It is similar with disease. The practical consequences of the fall for the believer regarding health are not immediately undone. They will remain until Christ returns. Yes, they can be lessened - sometimes miraculously. But Romans 8.23 is clear:

we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.

So Christians suffer. Yes, unrepented sin leads to suffering (sooner or later); but not all suffering is directly due to the sin of the individual sufferer. That clearly seems the case here. The Lord allowed Paul to suffer. He didn't answer Paul's prayer in the way he wanted. He did answer, however, with these wonderful words:

My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.

And how did Paul respond to that answer? With these words:

Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

So, illness is the enemy; God heals directly and indirectly; it is right to pray and work for healing until shown otherwise; but then Christ's power will be made "perfect in weakness".

More briefly let's now turn ...

Secondly to A HEALTH SERVICE

We now turn to John 17.13-19.

If you are a believer and involved in some form of public health service, you are to be involved but not identified where things are wrong. Jesus Christ sends his followers into the world - verse 18:

As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world.

But Jesus prays to his Father (verse 15):

... not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one.

Yes, you will find life hard in the world - verse 14:

I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world.

You may have head on clashes regarding sex education, embryo experimentation, abortion, euthanasia and in many other areas. My wife, a paediatrician, and a former medical officer to the Newcastle Adoption and Fostering Panel, has had conflicts over homosexual adoption. Of course, you must be courteous, humble but firm. And you will find it particularly hard when you are academically or scientifically right and others are ignoring the truth. A recent example relates to AIDS in Uganda. That is one of the success stories in the fight against AIDS in Africa. And the Ugandan abstinence education programmes, which the churches support, according to the USAID report, have been a key factor in reversing the trend. But those programmes have been ignored by some people in this country and even opposed.

So how are you going to respond to these challenges? Remember Peter. Before Pentecost Peter was too frightened to stand up for Jesus Christ - he was terrified of a serving girl, the night before Jesus died. After Pentecost - in the power of the Holy Spirit - he defied the authorities who tried to prevent him witnessing to Jesus Christ?

But if you are involved as a doctor or other health professional, like all of us, you will have to fight with the evil one not just externally but also internally, in your own heart. John Wyatt, a Professor or neonatal paediatrics and a Consultant neonatal paediatrician at University College, London, writes of pressures "which reduce our effectiveness as Christian medics". Let me mention just two and quote John Wyatt. And with this I conclude.

First, there is idolatry:

"Subtly and imperceptibly, our careers and professional skills become the supremely important factor in decision-making. We become very good at rationalizing our attitudes and thinking up 'spiritual' reasons for our ambitions, but in reality God himself has been displaced in our lives."

Secondly, there is spiritual schizophrenia:

"Spiritual schizophrenics live in two worlds, the religious and the secular ... and there is no real link between the two. When spiritual schizophrenics are in church ..., they use religious words about God and the Holy Spirit and prayer and faith. But when they are on the ward round, or in the hospital canteen ... they blend into the environment as easily as a chameleon."

All of us, not just doctors and nurses, find it hard being in a minority and not blending with the world. You say, "That's not good news." No! But remember those words of Christ to Paul. They are wonderful good news:

My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.

And remember Paul's response:

That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.