Jesus as the True Healer

About this poem

Judaism and Christianity arose out of and away from the hegemony of Greco-Roman ruling, history, and traditions, leaving an indelible stain and imprint on the practice of modern medicine and healing. Asclepius, “The Greek Demi-God of Medicine and Healing,” is a renowned figure in Greek mythology, with the symbol of a staff having a snake wrapped around it, that is still used symbolically and universally in modern medicine. However, we see the transformation of and departure from this heavy-handed ancient pagan symbol in a Judeo-Christian framework ( in Psalm 23:4), where the Psalmist declares: “Thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me” (in Biblical Hebrew, and followed by transliterated Hebrew as: שבטף ומשענתך המה ינחמני; “shib-te-ka u-mish-an-te-ka hem-mah ye-na-kha-mu-ni”). The contrast from pagan worship and healing to Christian worship and prayer, is magnified in the Gospels which demonstrate Jesus as practitioner of Faith Healing, without the appendages of ancient pagan medicine or magic (Acts 10:38, Matthew 4:23-24, Luke 7:20-22, Mark 8:22-26). This Christian healing through Grace of the Holy Spirit, is a total healing, designed to bring one into wholeness of heart, body, mind, and soul. With poetic emphasis, this three-stanza Tanka poem, “Jesus as the True Healer,” portrays true enduring healing as conducted by the Grace, power, and authority of the Holy Spirit, the type of healing that also provides salvation. more »