Restoring Life: Bones & the Bibleনমুনা

LIFE

The core aim of the orthopedic community is the restoration of life for our patients. Every day we work together to give our patients back the function they’ve lost. Whether that be walking along the river, playing with their grandkids, or washing their hair, our aim is to restore our patients' lives back to a better state. 

The Bible is full of stories of life restored, and sometimes even uses bones to illuminate this purpose.

Elisha was the protege of Elijah and a powerful prophet in the Old Testament. He boldly performed a wide range of miracles, from raising a lost axe head in a river to providing endless oil to a widow in debt to healing a foreign leader from skin disease. Even beyond this life, his bones provided the catalyst for another miracle. One day some Israelites were burying a dead man when a band of raiders came upon them. In a rush, the men threw the body of the dead man into the tomb of Elisha and when his body touched Elisha’s bones, it immediately sprung back to life!

Another powerful moment that leveraged bones to prove life came after the resurrection of Jesus. I can only imagine how confusing it must have been for the disciples when Jesus first appeared in their midst after they had watched Him be crucified just days earlier. We are told they were “startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost.”

He assures them He is real by saying, “It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have.” He uses His bones to help the disciples believe that He is real, resurrected, and alive right in front of them. The bones within him are a physical witness to his restored life! As we are able to participate firsthand in the physical restoration of bones, let this serve as a reminder of Jesus' own powerful restoration.

Questions for reflection:

What are some of your personal favorite stories of life restored that you have witnessed within the orthopedic community?