A retired medical doctor was in an accident in which he rolled his truck over in a ditch.
He was doctor #1. He survived the wreck with minor physical injuries but was taken to the emergency room. Doctor #2 was the ER doctor who treated doctor #1 in the emergency room. The ER doctor noticed that doctor #1 was visibly shaken and kept him under observation for an hour. When the ER doctor later observed that he was also grappling with spiritual issues, he called for a chaplain visit.
When the chaplain arrived, doctor #1 recounted how he had escaped death from polio as a child, from a different car accident, from a stray bullet hitting nearby during the hunting season, and from several farm accidents. As the doctor spoke about his life, he began to cry. As they continued to talk, he also confessed that he had been very inactive in taking care of his faith at church. Did God still have a plan for him?
In Luke 5:31-32 Jesus says: “The healthy do not need a physician, but the sick do. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” In other words, doctor #1 also needed another kind of doctor. Jesus, doctor #3, had also operated for this sinner. He had rescued him many times. But the greatest rescue plan was when Doctor Jesus had come into the world to be his Savior. Christ lived a perfect life for him to give him spiritual perfectness through faith. In addition, Doctor Jesus died upon the cross for him to give him saving forgiveness of sins and his rescue plan of eternal life. Doctor #1 now could go home with physical and spiritual healing.
Luke, the Gospel writer, was also a doctor himself. He writes in Luke 9:11, “Jesus welcomed them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God. He also healed those who needed healing” (EHV). Institutional chaplains are often present during the troubling times of peoples’ lives. With the good news of Doctor Jesus, the Lord offers spiritual healing and comfort for all sinners.