“Hey, get some medical help when needed”

Ecclesiasticus 38:1-14 - Revised Standard Version

Concerning Physicians and Health Honor the physician with the honor due him,[a] according to your need of him, for the Lord created him; for healing comes from the Most High, and he will receive a gift from the king. The skill of the physician lifts up his head, and in the presence of great men he is admired.

The Lord created medicines from the earth, and a sensible man will not despise them. Was not water made sweet with a tree in order that his power might be known? And he gave skill to men that he might be glorified in his marvelous works. By them he heals and takes away pain; the pharmacist makes of them a compound. His works will never be finished; and from him health[d] is upon the face of the earth. My son, when you are sick do not be negligent, but pray to the Lord, and he will heal you. Give up your faults and direct your hands aright and cleanse your heart from all sin. Offer a sweet-smelling sacrifice, and a memorial portion of fine flour, and pour oil on your offering, as much as you can afford.

And give the physician his place, for the Lord created him; let him not leave you, for there is need of him. There is a time when success lies in the hands of physicians, for they too will pray to the Lord that he should grant them success in diagnosis and in healing, for the sake of preserving life.

By Rev. Michael Stonhouse

Meditation – Wednesday, October 18, 2023

Ecclesiasticus 38:1-14 (Forward, p. 81) RSV p. 176

I come from a long line of stubborn Englishmen. One of them was my father, who disavowed or avoided getting any medical help or attention unless absolutely necessary. Such was his reluctance that on an occasion when he was kicked by a horse he failed to see anyone about it. The injury, a cracked rib, was only discovered years later when he was ‘required’ to have an X ray taken for pension purposes. His response to the attending physician? “Sure, it smarted for a while, but then, you can’t quit during harvest just because you have a bit of pain or discomfort!” Such was my father, and such is probably true of quite a few people.

Today’s passage from the Apocrypha book known as Ecclesiasticus or Sirach (full title is “The Wisdom of Jesus the Son of Sirach’) should serve to dispel such an attitude. This passage makes four assertions about healing and medicine, and God’s place in the same.

Firstly, it asserts that healing (and health) come, ultimately from God Himself;

Secondly, it asserts that physicians were created by God and were given their skills and abilities by none other than God. Interestingly, our author asserts that these same physicians will pray to God for success, whether for proper diagnosis or for the patient’s ultimate healing;

Thirdly, it asserts that medicines were also created from God, using the skill of pharmacists, and that they too have their place in one’s healing;

And fourthly, finally, he asserts that personal prayer, confession of faults, and correcting and cleansing oneself of one’s faults and sin, also have their place in one’s healing. And while, as Jesus Himself pointed out (see John 9:3), not all physical maladies have a direct correlation to sin, it can indeed have a place (see Mark 2:5-12). And this we can certainly attest to in terms of life-style choices, such as drinking or smoking or overindulging.

There are many people who, like my father, are reluctant to seek medical help. And in like manner, there are those who avoid health care

professionals, and choose to consult their own remedies and their own ‘experts.’ And yet, even in Biblical times, as our author suggests, there were recognized health care professionals, whether pharmacists or doctors, that were well worth patronizing. Indeed, seeing as they were put there by God Himself and given the requisite knowledge and ability, so why not make use of them!

Forward notes: “The skill of physicians makes them distinguished, and in the presence of the great they are admired” (verse 3).

Commemoration: Saint Luke, Evangelist

“This reading from Ecclesiasticus seems quite fitting today as we celebrate the feast day of St. Luke, a physician.

“My father was a pediatrician for more than 35 years. Whenever anyone found out I was ‘Dr. Nish’s daughter,’ they would tell me how much they loved and respected my dad. It made me proud to see the profound impact my dad had on the lives of so many.

“At his retirement party in 2017, the line to greet my dad snaked around the banquet room, and parents wiped away tears as they thanked my father for all he had done for their families. While they were happy about his retirement, many seemed to grieve the loss of not having my dad to consult routinely anymore. It was a true demonstration of the respect and admiration that physicians can gain in the communities they serve.

“While we are not all called to be physicians like Saint Luke or my father, we can all be instruments of God’s love to the world as we seek to offer healing to a world that so desperately needs it, even in small ways.”

Moving Forward: “Research Saint Luke and his ministry of healing.