"Physician, Heal Thyself"
Context: Scholarly opinion is divided about the authorship of Luke: some scholars contend that Luke, the physician friend of Paul, wrote the gospel of Luke and part of Acts; others believe that one writer, not Luke, wrote all of Luke and Acts. However, the value of these books is unquestioned. After receiving baptism from John and being tempted in the wilderness, Jesus begins His public ministry in the province of Galilee and then in the town of Nazareth, His boyhood home. It is customary on the Sabbath for a layman to stand in the synagogue and read a passage of his own selection from the prophets. Jesus chooses Isaiah 58:6, stating that now He has come to fulfill this prophecy of preaching with the Spirit to the poor, imprisoned, and handicapped. Sensing that His listeners are scoffing, Jesus adds:
. . . Ye will surely say unto me this proverb, Physician, heal thyself: whatsoever we have heard done in Capernaum, do also here in thy country.
And he said, Verily I say unto you, No prophet is accepted in his own country.
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