Medical Missions Series

where Jesus went into Gentile territory to heal a person. Jesus is going across the Sea of Galilee tothe Gentile territory of the Gerasenes, or Gaderenes, as some manuscripts have it.

Jesus was an oversea missionary. You don't have to go overseas to be a missionary, but the fact

is, you do have to cross some boundary for the idea to have any meaning. C. Everett Koop, the

Surgeon General of the United States for many years, has been a leader in medical missions for

decades, and he has provided us with this definition: "A missionary is a believer who penetrates a

new area of life with the Christian Gospel by crossing a boundary which may be geographic, social,

cultural, or a boundary in belief."

The key idea is the crossing of a boundary, for that is what makes you a missionary. As long as

you stay in the comfort zone where everyone is just like you basically, you are a witness or

evangelist, but when you cross over a boundary where people are different, then you become a

missionary to them. Jesus was obviously in non-Jewish territory in our text, for there were 2000

pigs being cared for, and this would never be seen on the other side where the Jews live. Jesus was

in foreign territory. He crossed the boundary to make it clear He cared about the Gentiles who were

in bondage to Satan. Some were so enslaved they were like this mad man. Jesus came to heal this

man and set him free, and this has been the motive of medical missions all through history. The

motive is to set men free so that can be well and in their right mind give their lives to the kingdom of

light.

The modern missionary movement began with medical missions. Dr. John Thomas was born in

1757. He grew up to become a ship's surgeon in the British Navy. At age 27 he became a

Christian, and he wanted to become a preacher. A small Baptist church called him to be their pastor,

but his friends discouraged it. Instead, he sailed for the second time to India, and near Calcutta he

became a missionary. He learned the Bengali language and began to preach. In 1792 he went back

to England to raise support.

William Carey, the father of modern missions, was just facing the Baptists Missionary Society.

When they met John Thomas they were sold on him as the first missionary they wanted to support.

So a doctor became the first Baptist missionary from England. Carey went with him to India and

reported on the many lives he saved by his medical knowledge. His most famous patient was

Krishna Pal, who became their first convert. This Hindu came to him for healing, and while Dr.

Thomas set his dislocated shoulder Krishna Pal repented and asked Jesus to be his Savior. Like

people all over the world, when he was healed he wanted to respond to the love that made that

healing possible, and that was the love of Christ.

That one healed arm was the beginning of a whole arm of the church being formed in the land of

India. A physical healing led to a multitude of spiritual healings. Don't ever discount the powerful

effect that healing can have as the forerunner of evangelism. Most of the growth of the church on