Christian Data Resources

Luke 9:46-48 describes an ugly situation where Jesus’ disciples argued about which one of them would be the greatest.  The pride in our flesh makes each of us want to be great in some way.  However, Jesus’ response was to have a little child stand beside Him.  Jesus said, “Whoever welcomes this little child in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me.  For he who is least among you all—he is the greatest.”

How can the least among us be the greatest?  Well, one of the virtues at the very heart of Christianity is love.  God loves us (John 3:16) and we are told not only to love God, but also to love others (Matthew 22:36-40).  Love is always unselfish, and it’s never self-seeking (1 Corinthians 13:5).  Love is about sacrificing our own self-interest for the welfare of others.

So, Jesus was saying that the greatest believer is the one who is best at elevating others above himself, and who considers himself to be the least important among us.  He is the greatest because he considers himself to be the least.  Philippians 2:3 says, “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.”

If we really believe that others are better and more important than we are, then our attitudes will be very humble.  We will want to serve others by giving credit where credit is due.  In man’s eyes we will appear to be the least, but in God’s eyes we will be the greatest.  So, if we see someone claiming to be the greatest, we can be sure that he’s not.  The greatest among us are difficult to find.  They usually work somewhere behind the scenes, serving others, and claiming nothing for themselves.

Our health care system could benefit by applying capitalism to it.  Here are some ideas: 

– Leave the government out of it, and drive costs down through free enterprise. 

– Do not force small businesses to provide health insurance.  This will only drive costs up on the goods and services that they provide. 

– Have the patient shoulder some of the cost for expensive tests and surgical procedures that doctors perform, many of which are unnecessary. 

– Do not insist that all coverage be identical for everyone.  Being able to afford certain things has always been a problem for most people.  Those who cannot afford medical treatment or health insurance can often go to a free (county, etc.) hospital for care, even though they may have to stand in line. 

– Start paying doctors and surgeons less.  We need to recruit medical students who are more concerned with good health than with money.  We should try to get some younger doctors who are willing to squeak by on only a few hundred thousand dollars per year. 

Most of our problems with our health care system are due to the outrageous costs.  Health care reform doesn’t need to force employers to provide health insurance; and it doesn’t need to dictate identical coverage for everyone; and, it doesn’t need to restrict certain care for the elderly.  Health care reform simply needs to address the ever-increasing costs of health care, with less influence from insurance companies and the federal government, and more empowerment to the patients.