Eric Reece
Jesus was a healer. Healing the illnesses of men, women and children were born out of His compassion for people. He did not want people to suffer unnecessarily.
These signs opened the hearts and minds of people when they realized that they too could be healed in body and mind by God’s mercy.
Jesus taught the importance of the ministry of healing. When he sent out the 70 disciples, he told them, “Whenever you enter a town and they receive you, eat what is set before you; heal the sick in it and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you’” (Luke 10: 8-9).
From the very beginnings of the Christian church, the ministry of healing was primary.
In the book of Acts 3, Simon Peter and John are going to the temple to pray when they meet a lame man asking for alms at the gate. Peter and John had no money – but they had something greater, the power of healing given to them by Christ.
Peter said to the man, “I have no silver or gold, but what I have I give you; in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, stand up and walk.”
The man leaped up and ran into the temple, praising God. As Christianity grew, so did the desire to continue Christ’s mission of healing. In the ancient world, doctors came to the home to attend to people who could afford them. In the 4th century, Christians in Rome began to house the sick together in homes. The word “hospital” comes from the word hospitality, which meant a place to lodge guests. As outbreaks of diseases and plagues occurred, Christians rose to the occasion and cared for the sick in their hospitals.
Leaping ahead to 1850, Florence Nightingale wrote, “God called me in the morning and asked me would I do good for him alone without reputation.”
After this, she visited a hospital in Germany and worked alongside Pastor Theodor Fliedner and deaconesses in the hospital. Fliedner revived the early church use of women as deaconesses to care for the sick and infirmed. He taught the women in the Bible and nursing skills.
Miss Nightingale took note and pioneered the work of women as nurses. Her work influenced modern medical care, nursing and hospitals.
In 1713, the Quakers started a hospital in Philadelphia that became the Philadelphia General Hospital – and served the sick of all races until 1977, when the old, unsafe building was closed.
In our nation, many Christian denominations started hospitals. From the Roman Catholic Church to Baptist, Methodist and Presbyterian all continued the mission of healing by opening hospitals to care for those in need.
One group – the Adventist – opened their first sanatorium in 1866. As their members moved south to help promote their message of faith, healthy living and proper nutrition, a sanatorium was built in Fletcher in 1910. From these humble beginnings, AdventHealth – a nonprofit health care system – was formed in 1973.
We welcome AdventHealth Urgent Care to Robbinsville, as they continue Jesus’ mission of healing.
Eric Reece is the faith columnist for The Graham Star. He is pastor of Robbinsville United Methodist Church and can be reached via email,
ereece@wnccumc.net.