What Would Jesus Say About Vaccines?

[Dale]

Some criticize vaccines, or reject them entirely, then tell us that God is on their side. I don’t think so.

Jesus heals a leper and says, “Show yourself to the priest.” (Luke 5:12-14) The Jewish priesthood at the time functioned as the health department, among other things. Jesus did not say, “I don’t care what the priest thinks!” Instead, He said, “Show yourself to the priest.” Cooperate with the recognized authority in matters of public health.

Smallpox was a horrible disease for thousands of years, condemning many people to a slow, painful death. Some who survived were left disfigured. The World Health Organization declared it eradicated in 1980, since no cases had been seen since 1977. The eradication of smallpox is one of the greatest achievements in history.

I received a smallpox vaccination as a child. The doctor explained it to me. “Mortality for smallpox is 50%. Half the people who get it die.”

My parents remembered people living in fear of polio. A healthy person could be struck by polio and be totally or partially paralyzed in hours or days.

With Dr. Jonas Salk as the lead researcher, a polio vaccine was introduced between 1952 and 1954. Studies were needed to determine its effectiveness. In April of 1955, headlines screamed: “The Vaccine Works!” Nobody had to ask what vaccine they were talking about. Jonas Salk did not try to patent the vaccine or profit from it. The only goal was to offer it to as many people as possible at the lowest possible price.

Today, polio has been virtually eradicated. Salk became a celebrity. When he got on a plane, the pilot would announce, “Jonas Salk is aboard!” and people would applaud. That attitude is much healthier than the anti-vaccine nonsense that we have been hearing.

 

[bèlla]

How can you determine is God is on their side or not? We only know our experiences or what others share. We can’t speak for everyone. Some people got the vaccines and others didn’t. I declined it along with my daughter and an older relative and we’ve never had covid or any symptoms. Two relatives did and their results were the same. Everyone followed my suggestions on alternative remedies and foods for their diet. I attribute our welfare and the wisdom for treatments to the Lord. But a different result wouldn’t mean He’s absent.

~bella

 

[Fantine]

There are some people who.cannot take vaccines and depend on herd immunity. We get vaccines to protect these vulnerable people, part of Jesus' command to love our neighbors as ourselves.
The state of Utah is currently trying to prevent a measles outbreak from spreading past the 12 children currently affected.
We learned from COVID that when viruses are new (or reappear) they are much more virulent.
Pope Leo (not sure about other world religious leaders) says vaccines may (and even should) be used. I have not heard any religious leaders claim otherwise.

 

[Apple Sky]

The Greek word pharmakeia appears in the New Testament and is translated as "sorcery"

The biblical context emphasizes the harmful and deceptive aspects of pharmakeia, such as in Galatians 5:20 and Revelation 9:21 and 18:23.

So IMO the answer would be a big NO NO to the covid vaccine.

 

[d taylor]

Some criticize vaccines, or reject them entirely, then tell us that God is on their side. I don’t think so.

Jesus heals a leper and says, “Show yourself to the priest.” (Luke 5:12-14) The Jewish priesthood at the time functioned as the health department, among other things. Jesus did not say, “I don’t care what the priest thinks!” Instead, He said, “Show yourself to the priest.” Cooperate with the recognized authority in matters of public health.

Smallpox was a horrible disease for thousands of years, condemning many people to a slow, painful death. Some who survived were left disfigured. The World Health Organization declared it eradicated in 1980, since no cases had been seen since 1977. The eradication of smallpox is one of the greatest achievements in history.

I received a smallpox vaccination as a child. The doctor explained it to me. “Mortality for smallpox is 50%. Half the people who get it die.”

My parents remembered people living in fear of polio. A healthy person could be struck by polio and be totally or partially paralyzed in hours or days.

With Dr. Jonas Salk as the lead researcher, a polio vaccine was introduced between 1952 and 1954. Studies were needed to determine its effectiveness. In April of 1955, headlines screamed: “The Vaccine Works!” Nobody had to ask what vaccine they were talking about. Jonas Salk did not try to patent the vaccine or profit from it. The only goal was to offer it to as many people as possible at the lowest possible price.

Today, polio has been virtually eradicated. Salk became a celebrity. When he got on a plane, the pilot would announce, “Jonas Salk is aboard!” and people would applaud. That attitude is much healthier than the anti-vaccine nonsense that we have been hearing.

-
​

That is crazy trying to take Jesus and His healing a leper. To say Jesus would support vaccines.

This example in ( Luke) The Bible was for showing Israels leadership that He was The Promised Messiah.

 

[caffeinated hermit]

I think the Covid vaccines being rushed out with minimal understanding of their rare yet serious side effects was a huge problem. People who did experience unexpected, long-term reactions were not listened to. People who tried to politely decline the novel vaccine were fired. This really frustrating experience lead to something of a backlash against *all* vaccines, which is really unfortunate.

Again, an issue has become overly polarized because a reasonable middle ground could not be seen. "Yes, it's possible that this new medical technology (an mrna vaccine against a novel virus) has rare yet serious side effects, and people should be allowed caution" and "Vaccines have saved lives, and most vaccines are perfectly safe for a majority of people".

 

[Fantine]

MRNA technology allowed for more rapid development of vaccines.

When a pandemic spreads rapidly, we don't have the luxury of testing the vaccine out for five or six years. We need to act quickly, test quickly, and get the vaccine out to the public.

One of my adult children got COVID very early, and had a bad case. It took him two years to get his blood pressure and kidney numbers back to normal, despite medical intervention.

Last June my husband was hospitalized with neurological symptoms due to COVID. Fortunately, using IV steroids got his symptoms under control in a few days.

Should vaccination with a new vaccine be optional? In some professions yes. In public health positions, I'd say no. Health professionals are in a position to spread these viruses much more rapidly, due to their constant contact with sick people. It's too dangerous to society to have unvaccinated healthcare workers.

 

[Maria Billingsley]

Some criticize vaccines, or reject them entirely, then tell us that God is on their side. I don’t think so.

Jesus heals a leper and says, “Show yourself to the priest.” (Luke 5:12-14) The Jewish priesthood at the time functioned as the health department, among other things. Jesus did not say, “I don’t care what the priest thinks!” Instead, He said, “Show yourself to the priest.” Cooperate with the recognized authority in matters of public health.

Smallpox was a horrible disease for thousands of years, condemning many people to a slow, painful death. Some who survived were left disfigured. The World Health Organization declared it eradicated in 1980, since no cases had been seen since 1977. The eradication of smallpox is one of the greatest achievements in history.

I received a smallpox vaccination as a child. The doctor explained it to me. “Mortality for smallpox is 50%. Half the people who get it die.”

My parents remembered people living in fear of polio. A healthy person could be struck by polio and be totally or partially paralyzed in hours or days.

With Dr. Jonas Salk as the lead researcher, a polio vaccine was introduced between 1952 and 1954. Studies were needed to determine its effectiveness. In April of 1955, headlines screamed: “The Vaccine Works!” Nobody had to ask what vaccine they were talking about. Jonas Salk did not try to patent the vaccine or profit from it. The only goal was to offer it to as many people as possible at the lowest possible price.

Today, polio has been virtually eradicated. Salk became a celebrity. When he got on a plane, the pilot would announce, “Jonas Salk is aboard!” and people would applaud. That attitude is much healthier than the anti-vaccine nonsense that we have been hearing.

Science and its unveiling of God's gifts to humanity particularly vaccines that save lives, the discovery of DNA used in forensics and of course much, much more, that has made our lives longer and safer is directly from Him.

Ecclesiastes 1:9: "What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done; and there is nothing new under the sun."

Let us reason. God controls and distributes knowledge at His will. It has always been there but yet to be uncovered. If He has decided to release a solution to combat a disease, we should be on our knees in thankfulness.

The audacity to think otherwise, is beyond my comprehension.

Blessings.

 

[chevyontheriver]

The Greek word pharmakeia appears in the New Testament and is translated as "sorcery"

The biblical context emphasizes the harmful and deceptive aspects of pharmakeia, such as in Galatians 5:20 and Revelation 9:21 and 18:23.

So IMO the answer would be a big NO NO to the covid vaccine.

What about a polio vaccine or a smallpox vaccine?

 

[Yarddog]

The Greek word pharmakeia appears in the New Testament and is translated as "sorcery"

The biblical context emphasizes the harmful and deceptive aspects of pharmakeia, such as in Galatians 5:20 and Revelation 9:21 and 18:23.

So IMO the answer would be a big NO NO to the covid vaccine.

Pharmakeia used in Scripture, referring to witchcraft does mean that medicines are banned by God. Luke was a doctor and most likely used ancient medicine in helping God's children, in his days.

 

[Tuur]

What about a polio vaccine or a smallpox vaccine?

They went through the normal trials of the time. The COVID-19 vaccines didn't., which is why they were released under emergency authorization.

I strongly suspect the side effects seen from the vaccine are similar to those that showed up with some cases of COVID-19, which would imply an reaction by the immune system. There's a lot of harping on the side effects now, but all medication is subject to side effects, including all vaccines. That's why possible reactions are listed in the sheet they hand you when you or your child gets a vaccine. The ultimate issue is whether the risk of a reaction is less than the risk of serious illness or death due to the disease.

Case in point: Some of us received Smallpox vaccinations in the push to eliminate the disease. It's a good, well known, vaccine, but can also have side effects. In the wake of 9/11 some wanted to restart the vaccination program. That got panned because the virus no longer existed in the wild, meaning the chance of contracting the illness was very low. At that point, the risk of serious reaction was greater than the risk from the disease, and so that idea got shelved.

Not that many weeks ago got a tetanus shot. There's risks with that, too. But tetanus (what we called lockjaw) is a terrible disease, and the risk of reaction is lower than the risk of serious illness.

 

[eleos1954]

Some criticize vaccines, or reject them entirely, then tell us that God is on their side. I don’t think so.

Jesus heals a leper and says, “Show yourself to the priest.” (Luke 5:12-14) The Jewish priesthood at the time functioned as the health department, among other things. Jesus did not say, “I don’t care what the priest thinks!” Instead, He said, “Show yourself to the priest.” Cooperate with the recognized authority in matters of public health.

Smallpox was a horrible disease for thousands of years, condemning many people to a slow, painful death. Some who survived were left disfigured. The World Health Organization declared it eradicated in 1980, since no cases had been seen since 1977. The eradication of smallpox is one of the greatest achievements in history.

I received a smallpox vaccination as a child. The doctor explained it to me. “Mortality for smallpox is 50%. Half the people who get it die.”

My parents remembered people living in fear of polio. A healthy person could be struck by polio and be totally or partially paralyzed in hours or days.

With Dr. Jonas Salk as the lead researcher, a polio vaccine was introduced between 1952 and 1954. Studies were needed to determine its effectiveness. In April of 1955, headlines screamed: “The Vaccine Works!” Nobody had to ask what vaccine they were talking about. Jonas Salk did not try to patent the vaccine or profit from it. The only goal was to offer it to as many people as possible at the lowest possible price.

Today, polio has been virtually eradicated. Salk became a celebrity. When he got on a plane, the pilot would announce, “Jonas Salk is aboard!” and people would applaud. That attitude is much healthier than the anti-vaccine nonsense that we have been hearing.

Jesus healed the Leprosy - has nothing to do with vaccines

• In the time of Jesus, the Mosaic Law (as outlined in Leviticus 14) mandated that a priest must examine a person who was healed of leprosy and declare them clean.
  
  
• Without this official declaration from the priest, the healed person remained an outcast and could not rejoin their community or family

vaccines should not be mandatory ... we have the right to decide for ourselves what goes into our bodies.

 

[chevyontheriver]

They went through the normal trials of the time. The COVID-19 vaccines didn't., which is why they were released under emergency authorization.

Exactly.

I strongly suspect the side effects seen from the vaccine are similar to those that showed up with some cases of COVID-19, which would imply an reaction by the immune system. There's a lot of harping on the side effects now, but all medication is subject to side effects, including all vaccines. That's why possible reactions are listed in the sheet they hand you when you or your child gets a vaccine. The ultimate issue is whether the risk of a reaction is less than the risk of serious illness or death due to the disease.

Yes, but the Covid 'vaccines' are not normal vaccines. NovaVax has recently come out and apparently is a normal vaccine but I don't know whether it too was released under emergency authorization.

Case in point: Some of us received Smallpox vaccinations in the push to eliminate the disease. It's a good, well known, vaccine, but can also have side effects. In the wake of 9/11 some wanted to restart the vaccination program. That got panned because the virus no longer existed in the wild, meaning the chance of contracting the illness was very low. At that point, the risk of serious reaction was greater than the risk from the disease, and so that idea got shelved.

With Smallpox I think we have to have some readiness to immunize if someone weaponizes it and releases it. But just to start jabbing everybody is way too premature. And more dangerous than beneficial right now.

Not that many weeks ago got a tetanus shot. There's risks with that, too. But tetanus (what we called lockjaw) is a terrible disease, and the risk of reaction is lower than the risk of serious illness.

I will get a flu shot soon. I'm not going for a Covid shot unless maybe NovaVax.

 

[Richard T]

Some criticize vaccines, or reject them entirely, then tell us that God is on their side. I don’t think so.

Jesus heals a leper and says, “Show yourself to the priest.” (Luke 5:12-14) The Jewish priesthood at the time functioned as the health department, among other things. Jesus did not say, “I don’t care what the priest thinks!” Instead, He said, “Show yourself to the priest.” Cooperate with the recognized authority in matters of public health.

Smallpox was a horrible disease for thousands of years, condemning many people to a slow, painful death. Some who survived were left disfigured. The World Health Organization declared it eradicated in 1980, since no cases had been seen since 1977. The eradication of smallpox is one of the greatest achievements in history.

I received a smallpox vaccination as a child. The doctor explained it to me. “Mortality for smallpox is 50%. Half the people who get it die.”

My parents remembered people living in fear of polio. A healthy person could be struck by polio and be totally or partially paralyzed in hours or days.

With Dr. Jonas Salk as the lead researcher, a polio vaccine was introduced between 1952 and 1954. Studies were needed to determine its effectiveness. In April of 1955, headlines screamed: “The Vaccine Works!” Nobody had to ask what vaccine they were talking about. Jonas Salk did not try to patent the vaccine or profit from it. The only goal was to offer it to as many people as possible at the lowest possible price.

Today, polio has been virtually eradicated. Salk became a celebrity. When he got on a plane, the pilot would announce, “Jonas Salk is aboard!” and people would applaud. That attitude is much healthier than the anti-vaccine nonsense that we have been hearing.

I agree with you. The problem is you can't trust government anymore. Pharmaceuticals give huge amounts of support to all politicians GOP and DEM. MRNA was said to be safe, yet it had issues that were never known or disclosed. The government over-reacted as to the threat and then over-reacted with the vaccines. Why can't we field and vote for better candidates?

 

[bèlla]

The audacity to think otherwise, is beyond my comprehension..

We all have different graces. Just because the Lord didn’t cover one doesn’t mean the same holds true for all. I don’t fill my temple with medicines. We heal our body through food, natural remedies, holiness and prayer. That’s our prescription.

~bella

 

[David Lamb]

The Greek word pharmakeia appears in the New Testament and is translated as "sorcery"

The biblical context emphasizes the harmful and deceptive aspects of pharmakeia, such as in Galatians 5:20 and Revelation 9:21 and 18:23.

So IMO the answer would be a big NO NO to the covid vaccine.

The fact that the Greek word can be translated "sorcery" does not mean that modern pharmacy is evil. Strong'xs Concordance gives this entry for the word:

5331. pharmakeia [far-mak-i -ah;] from 5332; medication ("pharmacy"), i.e. (by extension) magic (literally or figuratively): sorcery, witchcraft.

Surely you are not suggesting that modern pharmacists practice sorcery? And if you are, what about things like aspirin, paracetamol, sun cream, plasters ("band-aids" in the USA) antiseptics, and many more products pharmacists supply?

 

[Apple Sky]

The fact that the Greek word can be translated "sorcery" does not mean that modern pharmacy is evil. Strong'xs Concordance gives this entry for the word:

5331. pharmakeia [far-mak-i -ah;] from 5332; medication ("pharmacy"), i.e. (by extension) magic (literally or figuratively): sorcery, witchcraft.

Surely you are not suggesting that modern pharmacists practice sorcery? And if you are, what about things like aspirin, paracetamol, sun cream, plasters ("band-aids" in the USA) antiseptics, and many more products pharmacists supply?

No, I'm not suggesting that modern pharmacy is a practice of sorcery, I take tablets everyday but when is came to the covid vaccine it worried me as it had never been fully tested and they couldn't even tell you the ingredients that was in it.

 

[Strong in Him]

We all have different graces. Just because the Lord didn’t cover one doesn’t mean the same holds true for all. I don’t fill my temple with medicines. We heal our body through food, natural remedies, holiness and prayer. That’s our prescription.

Some of those "natural remedies" are the basis for medicines.
Digitalis, for example, comes from the Foxglove plant- yet foxglove is poisonous. How do you know the safe dosage and which dosage will kill you? That's what pharmacists and scientists are for.
Also, aspirin is the synthetic version of a chemical found in the sap of the willow tree. The real, "neat", version was found to be too harsh on the stomach, so a diluted, synthetic version was made.

Though there is no doubt that the Lord heals, not every illness/disability is healed through prayer.

 

[Strong in Him]

No, I'm not suggesting that modern pharmacy is a practice of sorcery,

So why link the word "Pharmacy" with "sorcery", suggesting that there is something sinister, magical or false about it?

but when is came to the covid vaccine it worried me as it had never been fully tested and they couldn't even tell you the ingredients that was in it.

"Worried that it was not fully tested" is a valid concern. I know people who had Covid, did not have the vaccine and died - also people who had the vaccine, also got Covid and did not die. Though I realise that's not proof one way or the other.

But suggesting that the vaccine could not be trusted because of the link to "sorcery", is not a valid reason.

 

[Apple Sky]

But suggesting that the vaccine could not be trusted because of the link to "sorcery", is not a valid reason.

It was when it came down to covid vaccines such as Pfizer.

Why were they so eager to push it ? All's covid was were a bad dose of the flu.