Spend time in an emergency room or urgent care facility, and you’ll notice that patients are not always seen on a first-come, first-served basis. Sometimes you arrive, are admitted, and receive care quickly. Other times, you may have to wait. I have heard of extreme cases where someone sat in a local ER for more than six hours. The caveat is that this doesn’t apply if you are experiencing a life-threatening situation. Trouble breathing, heart complications, and brain injuries all require immediate attention and care. In these situations, every second counts. The reason is simple: there are only so many resources to help, and the most limited resource is the medical staff needed to treat the sick.
The modern word used to describe this process is Triage: Where medical teams assess and rank patients so the most critical receive care first. The concept comes from the First World War, where French medics established tents to sort out those who were critically wounded. In battlefield situations, another category is for those who are “expectant,” meaning they would not survive any additional care. These are instances of people who were severely injured, and the priority goes to those who survive the incident. These are individuals who are still treated, but not with life-sustaining care, and only pain management.
Because of limited medical personnel, military branches devised a way for individuals to provide their own first aid before ever seeing a medic. They needed a way to manage battlefield injuries and stop massive bleeding before more deaths in open conflict. In the Air Force, they called it SABC- “Self-Aid and Buddy Care;” a way to help yourself so that you can help others who have more serious injuries.
There are times in ministry when I operate on a triage basis. For those who are healthy and thriving, I give very little time. Although I wish I could attend to everyone equally, that is not possible. For those who are struggling and need extra moments of care, I attempt to give some time, although I am human and people fall through the calendar, so to speak. To others, I devote time as they are critically wounded. And unlike battlefield medics, for those who are not expected to survive, I give as much time as possible.
I often reflect on the limited amount of time in the day, and how much attention we all need as we muddle through life. Oh, I wish for limitless energy or never-ending days! Then I reflect on Jesus and his ministry; I can only imagine what his daily life was like as I read passages like:
Matthew 4:23-25 “And he went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people. 24 So his fame spread throughout all Syria, and they brought him all the sick, those afflicted with various diseases and pains, those oppressed by demons, those having seizures, and paralytics, and he healed them. 25 And great crowds followed him from Galilee and the Decapolis, and from Jerusalem and Judea, and from beyond the Jordan.”
The more people he healed, the more arrived. Could you imagine the droves of people that traveled to see Jesus? Whether physical or spiritual, Jesus saw them all. There is no mention of triage, from various diseases and pains to seizures and paralytics. The amazing meaning of “Come to me, all you who are weary” (Matthew 11:28). His closest followers would have understood the mission. Five chapters later, Jesus relays this regret of the limitation of our human abilities.
Matthew 9:35-38 “And Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction. 36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37 Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; 38 therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”
Jesus knows that there is an endless supply of sick and injured. His heart breaks for those who are “harassed and helpless.” His call to his disciples, and to us, is to get to work. This requires us to provide a little first aid to ourselves, and then attend to those around us who need care. Christianity has been lulled into a sense of entitlement- a bizarre consumer mentality. First, come to Jesus; he will heal you. Jesus has called us to care for others; look around you, find the sick, the broken, the blind and the lame… and perform a little triage.