Feeding Tubes

# 391 - Today we read from Mr 5:43. “But He commanded them strictly that no one should know it, and said that something should be given her to eat.”

Jesus often warned witnesses to His miraculous deeds to keep quiet about it. Why? Most biblical commentators suggest that the reason He sought to keep a lid on these things was to keep things down to a dull roar. By that I mean that He didn't want to stir up excessive commotion and bring things to a head before their proper time. There would be other miracles that would stir the masses into action, but the timing of the stirring and His crucifixion belonged in His hands, not theirs.

Still another curious statement in this passage concerns His command to give the child something to eat. Whenever we would ask my late father-in-law how he was doing, he would always say, “Still able to sit up and take nourishment.” A simple yet profound statement.

Being able to process food in Scripture is proof that one is among the living. It's why Jesus asked for something to eat on the night of His resurrection, and why He broke bread with the disciples in the 40 days before his ascension. (Acts 10:41)

This damsel was indeed risen from the dead, and in eating food she would prove that she was once more among the living. Being able to process food is a barometer of life, and in this day and age of feeding tubes, the issue of when to feed and when not feed has become clouded.

I would strongly urge you to take a look at the Lutherans For Life website and see what they have to say about this and other end of life issues. In an article by y Linda Bartlett, and Karen Rehder, M.D. Dated: June 28, 2010, they write, “When the human body is compromised by disease, it naturally begins to shut down. Removing nutrition and hydration at this point is not harmful. Indeed, since the body is no longer able to process these effectively, they may do more harm than good.”

The key is to have sound medical advice from doctors who understand the natural shutting down process, and the time to sort these things out is now, before you are pressured into making the choice. When a body is no longer able to process nutrition and hydration effectively, then it is permissible, even advisable to withhold nutrition. Let this be your guide and remember that the ability to process food was used by Jesus to prove the presence of mortal life.

Please remember too that some of the decisions we have made concerning care of others at the end of their life may have been less than perfect. Don't let the devil beat you up over the matter. Put it in God's hands. He understands, He forgives. Receive His forgiveness and learn from the experience. Keep seeking the wise counsel of groups like Lutherans For Life to help you sort it out.

I'm Duane Matz and that's Today's Living Word.