"Physician, Heal Thyself!"
“Physician, heal thyself!” Jesus quotes this proverb in Luke 4:23, where He is dismayed by His hometown rejection of His ministry. The point, of course, is that there is a certain irony, even hypocrisy, when one claims to have the power to help others, but is unable (or unwilling) to help themselves. The Pharisees put a twist to this when they mock Jesus on the cross—“He saved others, let Him save Himself if He is the Son of God!” (Matthew 27:42).
The proverb (a pithy, little saying, capturing a generic truth) is not original with Jesus, or even the Scriptures. Aesop, the Greek storyteller predating Jesus by 600 years, in one of his fables, The Frog and the Fox, makes this point, and others have popularized this idea as well—if you are going to talk the talk, you’d best walk the walk! After all, “actions speak louder than words,” and “you should put your money where your mouth is.”
All these sayings are getting at the same point, and this idea is as important in our faith as it is elsewhere in life—if we proclaim Christ as Savoir, we should act as those saved by Christ.
For preachers, this idea is well summarized in the challenge to “preach the Gospel to yourself.” Many preachers know that the most important audience for the sermon is the preacher himself. If the preacher is not moved, not convicted, not encouraged and/or comforted by the sermon, then it is unlikely to have much of an impact elsewhere.
In our passage of Scripture for this week, 1 Timothy 1:12-17, we see Paul embracing this very concept—if the Gospel is all that he says it is, then where is the evidence of that Gospel in his own life? In the preceding verses, Paul has stressed the importance of true doctrine, the necessity of staying “on course,” of maintaining integrity of teaching. Paul’s point is that straying from the true Gospel message will have disastrous consequences. But, is this true for Paul as well? In these verses, we get a glimpse of Paul’s own interaction with the Gospel, and, indeed, we see that “the physician has healed himself,” or, more accurately, the Gospel Paul has proclaimed to others, he himself has been transformed by.
The importance of this for us today is two-fold (at least). First, we have one more reason to trust the Scriptures—what Paul talks about, he has been a witness to in his own life. These are not lofty ideas which have little or no meaning in life! Instead, Paul offers up his own experience as evidence of the truthfulness of the Gospel. And, second, Paul serves as an example for us all, an illustration of the patience of God, the mercy of our Lord, and the power of His salvation (vs. 16).
When people “talk a big game,” don’t you just wanna say, “oh, put up or shut up!” Well, Paul has answered that challenge in his own life, and now we are challenged to do the same.
For this Sunday, read 1 Timothy 1:12-17.
1. What “strength” (vs. 12) has Paul received from the Lord? How does this connect to the immediate passage above?
2. What are the possible meanings of “God judged me faithful” (vs. 12)? If this does not mean that Paul was faithful before Christ, what might it mean?
3. In verse 13, Paul speaks of being a blasphemer, persecutor, and arrogant. Read Acts 9 to see these character traits. Is Paul being too hard on himself?
4. What might it mean that Paul “acted ignorantly in unbelief” (vs. 13)?
5. One assumes that all of Scripture is “trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance” (vs. 15). Why then does Paul use this language for this particular statement?
6. In verse 16, what is the purpose of Paul’s conversion in his own mind? How might that differ from how you or I think about coming to know the Lord?
7. Where does verse 17 fit in? Why does Paul launch forward in doxological praise? How do the traits he mentions about God fit in with his previous statements
