Yesterday, we looked at the word hospitality and the root “hospes,” which means guest. There is another familiar word from that same root, the word hospital. We usually think of a hospital as a place of last resort. If you hear that someone you care about is sick and has been admitted to a hospital, your first thoughts are probably not that they are a hospital guest. You think of them as a patient, and the word patient comes from another Latin word, “patiens, ” meaning to suffer.
So, a hospital is a place where suffering guests can find help. That may be why hospitals make people nervous; if you go into the hospital, you have to admit you are sick at that point. Or maybe not. We can talk ourselves into believing all kinds of things. And we can find many reasons why we don’t need a doctor or any treatment for ailments. Men can be incredibly stubborn about admitting they need help or are hurting. I think about the black knight of Monty Python fame who, when looking at his severed arm on the ground, exclaims, “tis but a scratch.”
Jesus said he came for “those who are sick.” But admitting our sickness is often the most challenging part. When confronted by our sins, we try to rationalize them or compare ourselves to others like the Pharisee from the passage a few days ago who prayed, “God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’ (Luke 18:11-12) Or we may even, like this Pharisee, lean into the good things we do, like attending church or giving a tithe. But if we think all of that means we are not sick, we are fooling ourselves, not God.
We must admit that we are sinners in need of a savior and that we can’t heal our sins on our own. “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9) Then, our great physician can heal us.
Take a moment to pray. Thank God for the gift of salvation he has offered you, and ask Him to show you the areas in your life where you need his healing.
