Healing On The Sabbath

Healing On The Sabbath

If the correct time for circumcising your son falls on the Sabbath, you go ahead and do it so as not to break the law of Moses. So why should you be angry with me for healing a man on the Sabbath? John 7:23

Early in my medical career, I alternated emergency room duties with another doctor. On our designated weekend, we arrived at the hospital on Friday afternoon and stayed until after Monday morning rounds. After the usual chaos of a Saturday night “gun and knife show,” Sunday mornings were typically pretty quiet, a time when I could get a little shut-eye to recover from my lack of sleep.

One Sunday morning had started out like most of the rest, until the radio squawked with a call for both emergency medical services and the police. A person of interest from a local bar fight had been located and was now racing through the woods. When the police finally apprehended him, they found he was injured.

Before the suspect could be taken to jail, the EMTs determined that he would need a few stitches, so they brought him to the ER. When they rolled him into the exam room, he reeked of alcohol. I might have failed a breathalyzer test just by being in the same room with him!

The man, who was in his midthirties, had been out drinking all night. After he had consumed too much alcohol, jealousy had overtaken him. A fight over a woman broke out in the bar, rolled out into the parking lot, and ended up in the woods.

Once he was in the ER, I discovered that it would take more than a few stitches to do the job. My ending total was a new record for me—176 stitches! Fortunately, he hadn’t lost enough blood to require a transfusion. The police were able to safely transfer him to a holding cell at the jail a few blocks away.

That day, my Sabbath didn’t include rest or a traditional form of worship. But I believe that God was honored as I did everything I could to heal that man.

TODAY’S RX

If the ox is in the ditch, you have to pull it out—even if it is on the Sabbath.

Lord, use me as you would see fit to help those in need. I desire to live a life that is pleasing to you.