Perhaps one of the most comforting songs we sing is “The Great Physician.” If you are sick with sorrow and pain, sick with loss and guilt of sin, sick with and of COVID, sick with depression, fear, and anxiety, there is NO BETTER physician than JESUS!

What I find most interesting about this song is that it does not necessarily go into great detail about how Jesus is the greatest doctor ever. There are a few hints to His healing powers of sympathy and encouragement, but the song really concentrates on the name of Jesus more than anything at all.

The song is based on Matthew 9:12 – “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.” Jesus came not just to heal from physical illnesses but, more importantly, to heal us from the curse of sin. It is His name that heals. The chorus says:

Sweetest note in seraph song,

Sweetest name on mortal tongue;

Sweetest carol ever sung,

Jesus, blessed Jesus.

  • His name is the sweetest musical note in seraph song (Seraph is a reference to the highest order of angelic beings. See Seraphim in Isaiah 6:2-6). 
  • His name is the sweetest name in man’s languages.
  • His name is the sweetest name to be sung in a religious hymn.

The authority and power of His name are what heals us. JESUS BLESSED JESUS. What a great thought!

Are you sick? Are you in pain? Are you in sin? Jesus, the great physician, heals all our souls’ diseases. He is truly the Great Physician!

I love you,

~ Alex