The Face of Jesus

Photo credit: Olaf Meyer/Flickr/Creative Common

It was the middle of the night. I’d just spent a couple of hours with the doctor helping to patch up a trauma patient and he was finally stable. We were waiting to transport him to a hospital a few hours away for ongoing monitoring. His face was covered with dried blood and I pulled out a moist cloth to try and clear away the grime. As I worked steadily at the stains on his face I suddenly thought of Jesus. My patient had been injured protecting someone. I was struck with how Jesus had been injured protecting me. It may sound cheesy, but it was an incredibly profound moment. All at once, I wasn’t tending to a patient, I was tending to my Savior. I had the privilege of wiping away the gore of suffering for this man. Jesus wiped away the gore of suffering that I deserved and took it on himself. As I continued to gently wash away the stain of this man’s injuries Jesus reminded me of his words, “…Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me” (Matthew 25:40 NIV).

In the last few months I’ve been involved in caring for some very serious trauma patients. To be honest, it has really taken its toll on me and my soul has been weighed down with the suffering of humanity that happens all over the world, not just in my little corner. However, in that brief glimpse into the heart of God I felt a change. Instead of grating and wearing on my spirit, that moment became sacred; a communion with the loving, saving, Father-heart of God. He reminded me that I work for him. Not for the hundreds of patients that walk through our clinic regularly, not the patients with conditions we can’t treat and circumstances that pierce our hearts, not for any mortal human here or in my passport country. Instead, I work daily to tenderly touch my Savior, to say thank you for all He has done for me.