📖 Biblical Definition
A medical practitioner of the ancient world; in Scripture, the trade of Luke (the beloved physician, Col 4:14, author of the Third Gospel and Acts) and the metaphor Christ chose for Himself in Matthew 9:12 (they that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick). The Lord is the Great Physician who has come for the sick — not for the well, who do not know they need Him.
📜 Webster 1828 Definition
PHYSI'CIAN, n.
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A person skilled in the art of healing; one whose profession is to prescribe remedies for diseases. The Great Physician — in scripture, a metaphor for Christ.
📖 Key Scripture
Matthew 9:12 — "They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick."
Mark 5:26 — "And had suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse."
Colossians 4:14 — "Luke, the beloved physician, and Demas, greet you."
Jeremiah 8:22 — "Is there no balm in Gilead; is there no physician there?"
⚠️ Modern Corruption
Modern Christianity often presents Jesus to the well-adjusted; He came for the sick.
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Matthew 9:12 is one of Christ's most accidentally polarizing sentences. The Pharisees criticized Him for eating with publicans and sinners; He answered: they that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick. The implication is that the Pharisees were healthy and did not need Him — not because they were actually well, but because they did not perceive their illness. The deepest sickness is self-perceived health.
Modern Christianity often markets Jesus to the well-adjusted, the morally upright, the church-friendly. He came for the sick. The pulpit's task is partly diagnostic: open eyes to the disease of sin so that the cure of the cross becomes attractive. Luke the physician knew this; that is partly why his Gospel keeps showcasing the marginal — tax collectors, prostitutes, lepers, the dying. The Great Physician has not retired. Find the sick. Bring them to Him.
🔗 Greek & Hebrew Roots
Greek iatros (G2395).
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G2395 — iatros — physician, healer
G2390 — iaomai — to heal
Usage
"Modern Christianity presents Jesus to the well-adjusted; He came for the sick."
"The deepest sickness is self-perceived health; Pharisees do not seek a physician."
"Luke kept showcasing the marginal; the Great Physician has not retired."